Budget Bracket Racer-Cam Help etc.??

Hello All,

My name is Rob and I am a long time lurker and prolific reader but not a poster.

Here is my question:

I am building a budget bracket car that will see a fair amount of street time. I really don't see it being a DD, but I may drive it to work once a week or something. I need some help with cam selection.

The car is this:
74 Dart Sport. Some lightening bumper mounts etc.
4.10 rear
Subframe connectors welded in
Rebuilt rear springs
Comp Eng. Drag shocks on all 4-corners

The engine is this:
76 440-stock compression-re ring special...I know.....
Home ported 452's
130 LBS. on the seat springs
Street Dominator Intake
750 Eddy carb....I know.....
Schumacher Headers
3" exhaust

TCI 142222 convertor-I got it used, I think it is over 3k on stall
Trans being rebuilt next month

I currently have this cam on hand:

Hughes 2330 I think it is

.223-.230 at .050 with .504-.519 lift

I have access to the .474, .484 cams if needed...

Is there a better cam for my application? Not that I wouldn't like to run what I have. I would like to keep my springs and NIB 3-bolt timing set if I could. I have noticed Lunati sells 3-bolt cams.

Due to budget issues, I am not able to put compression in the engine. It will need to run with what it is for now. There will be performance left on the table for sure. I would be real happy with running low-13's for this year.

The rest of the car is fairly well set-up except for the engine....

Thoughts, opinions, go away newb......etc.

I would just run that Hughes cam with the low compression. Does the timing set you have match the cam? 1 or 3 bolt? Should be a good cheap hot rod.

Actually it does. Everything I have goes together.

I know that the system could use some help.

But I would think a 4.10 geared, 3-3.5K stalled A body would still do pretty good. Fun at least.....

I should note, the car is being built by HS students and myself. We have been building Jeeps for forever.

I would like to take them to the track in the spring and see how it does.

ROB

With your home ported heads you want to utilize
the added flow, neither cam is a big lift so go with
the larger duration which I would think is the hughes
stick and I would think that the springs might work.
Are both of the choices hyd cams

The Hughes cam is the one that is 223-230 at .050.

I have noticed some of the Lunati Cams are 3-bolt and have some decent specs.

With my convertor (too much stall I guess)and rear gear (pretty steep) I was thinking I could use some more cam.

That being said, if I buy a MP cam I will have to buy a new timing set.

So, if I can do a cam swap for one with more duration, and see some better times I would think about it for sure.

I know it is a bit of mess with low-compression etc. so I am not sure if I should just run the Hughes grind, which matches the engine the closest, but not the car....

Wow, that was a mouthful.........

ROB

I would run down a Cam Dynamics or Lunati cheater stocker hydraulic cam for the low comp engine , say for a 74 Charger or something. I have used them in the past and they are simply amazing. I would think if your a good tuner hi 11s would be attianable. I helped a pal with a stock set up 82 Mirada into which he installed a reringed 400 which a friend of his had helped him with. He asked me to help tune the carb (Thermoquad)and set it up. (I like to play far away from the home track and then return for the kill.) Anyway, it is a heavier car than your and I borrowed it for the Seniors Drag race first ever at Luskville NHRA tack in Quebec and won a second in it. I turned a 12.32. Didnt have none of the good stuff on it your car has. Even made National Dragster news with the 2nd. Probably around june or july 94 I think. There are probably hundreds of these cams around sitting in someones garage or shelf. I have seen them sometimes on Racing junk.com. He had a MP purple something cam in it before i installed this one. His best with it was 14.47 just so you understand how well these old Cheater stocker cams work. It was a Lunati we used for a 400/440 Charger low comp set up. Maybe they will still sell you one? Same price as any other cam more or less.

Don

Go with more cam and more stall. I used the .528 mopar and a 5500 stall in a 3650lb 64 polara... and ran 12.04.
But my 440 was never reringed...

Also, since you are starting out with low compression
I would look at a tighter LSA cam and advance it to
make up for the low compression

Thats why I like the 528,, its got 60 degrees overlap. The 509 has seventy something. It would turn that mill into a turd..

I was looking at this cam:

http://www.lunaticams.com/Product.aspx?id=1580&gid=287

It is the 234-242 at .050 cam.....

I have most of the criteria except for the compression.

It is too much according to the books. Just curious if that would work with the stall and gears?

I did email them about the Cheater cams, we'll see what they have to say.

Thanks, ROB

That Hughes cam will be just right for that engine. What is the LSA of that cam? I looked on there web site, but couldn't find that grind. Probably a 108 cam. Install it at 103 ICL or so, which will help keep some compression in the cylinder. You got to be careful running larger cams with low compression, its easy to do.

It seems like it was closer to 110-112.

It is an older grind, but very similar to one they sell now.

I don't know if I am going to get much bang for the buck by spending another $200 for a cam compared to the one I own.....

ROB

I think what you have there is an Engle cam. With the low compression, I think you may like that cam.

Did you mill the heads? If not, whack about .050 off of them and run the cam you have.

What size tires? I'd say about 28" would work.

Also a 2" 4-hole spacer on that combo.

Quote:

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That Hughes cam will be just right for that engine. What is the LSA of that cam? I looked on there web site, but couldn't find that grind. Probably a 108 cam. Install it at 103 ICL or so, which will help keep some compression in the cylinder. You got to be careful running larger cams with low compression, its easy to do.

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i've used that cam before in a 9:1 comp engine. it's an engle. it's ground on 110 centers and installs at 108 or 107 centerline. i like it! probably the most i'd use if the compression is 8:1. too much duration will kill the bottom end if the compression is around 8:1.