A friend was a top Ford engine man years ago and he goind the best cam all around was the C8AX -7250 -C Ford Muscle parts cam .He put that cam in several 390's and 428's .That guy was building winning Flat Head stock car engines at age 12 and he could work on any part of any car better and faster than anyone around . He taught me a lot .
Wow, great video. This feller illustrates that, with camshafts, the statement is often "Go big and go home". Huge cams sound awesome until you get a good spanking from a car that's tuned.
On issue #2, I believe the Ford engineers were on to something back in the 60's....consider the camshaft that came in the 390 "S" code and also used in the 428 CJ, it had a split duration that had 20 more degrees of exhaust duration than the intake had! I believe they did something similar with the 351 CJ (Cleveland) in the 71-73 era.
I run a TFS stage II cam in an honest 4”x3” 302. I believe the specs are 232 and 236 duration @.50, 538 and 550 lift with a 108 LSA. 302R roller lifters and stainless steel 1.6 rrs. TFS TW 170cc heads and fly cut for exhaust valves on flattop HO ‘86 TRW forged OEM pistons. This was put together in ‘07. A little light on torque below 2k but it’s in an FFR Daytona Coupe chassis, about 2400 lbs. Its otherwise a linear motor with an air gap intake, and a little beast to 6.5K. Using your LSA calculator now, I made a good choice on the cam vs a Motorsport alphabet non split.
I got a hyd roller for my Cleveland from Brent, definately the right choice I love the response of this motor! I will be starting a new restoration soon and will again consult him for my FE build needs.
Going back to the 1960s, I always heard that Ford's cylinder head philosophy was, "well, we got the air into the engine, and the engine will figure out a way to get the used air out." Which meant to me that Ford emphasized intake flow but had little concern about exhaust flow. This would explain why Ford's exhaust ports were/are always so crappy.
Also the fact that the exhaust is getting blown out the port by somewhere around 100 psi of cylinder pressure, where the intake air is only getting pushed into the cylinder by 14.7 psi of atmospheric pressure.
I've been putting solid roller lifters on hydraulic rollers for years... set at zero lash cold and they open up to what they open up to hot. I have not had an instance that an engine did not run better with this configuration. I DESPISE hydraulic roller lifters, have had more issues than I care to remember with them. Just my 2 cents. 👍🏼
I too am running solid rollers on my hydraulic roller cam, not by design, but I purchased a hydraulic roller cam, then by chance I ran across a deal on a set of solid roller lifters,after researching, I couldn’t find any negative reasons why it wouldn’t work,and I thought it would be better to use the hydraulic cam lobe profile,much easier on the valve train. But now, I’ve found that you can get a solid roller cam with softer lobe ramps.
Whatever I decide to put in my wife's 67 Mustang (came with a 390, originally put a 289 in it, currently has a Cleveland) when I rebuild it I'll be getting the cam from you.
I love your videos and the knowledge you share. Thank you. Released this video on the 23rd and then respond to my email on the 27th that cam cores are back ordered for months. Must have sold all the cams in those 4 days 😂 Seriously, good info. I’ll take it into consideration trying to pick a cam for my 390 with TrickFlow heads
Centerline 108 lobe separation 111 duration 248/257 lobe lift .375/.375 cam advance 3. E7te heads with gt40 valves porting and springs. Then run 1.7 rocker on exhaust and 1.6 intake. 357 sbf that turns 8k rpm’s while still making power. With nos spray plate this set up does 700 hp. Toss in a catalog cam power drops to low 600’s. So definitely think it takes some trials on your air pump to find correct cam specs for where you want to make that power at. 2hp per cube is achievable on sbf just not to many buy out of box and put together options I’m aware of.
That's definately a unique and interesting combo!!! Do you have dyno sheets or sounds of it revving somewhere? You must have a single plane on it turning 8k?
A grest cylinder head is where the bulk of your $ should go. The heads determine what RPM youll make power, how far power will hang on, and how aggressive the cam needs to be. The better the head, the wider lobe seperation angle should be also. Excellent flowing heads make all the difference. Spend the money on heads that will get you exactly what you desire, then everything else will come into view.
I love the video man keep up the good work I'll build a few Big Block 428 and I run a 569 lift cam in it and I seem to like that cam cuz it does really good in my car
Recall a cam install back in the day in my FE 390, first of all had a mild Shelby hydraulic cam with my oe tripower and OE Pistons, 10 to 1 stock compression right? And 406 close chamber heads, Decided to install a crane solid cam, 325 duration straight across and 500 lift and with adjustable 176 rockers. I have to tell you this cam kicked this car in the ass, had to shift as fast as I could through all four gears the RPM would come up quickly like I never seen before. However these specs don't seem to be relevant in todays engine building.
I’m not sure if it’s true, but I’ve been told that most of the off the shelf cams. They’re mostly a Chevy style grind and they don’t necessarily work for the fords.
Have 331 in my 1980 bronco. 10:1, blueprint 190 heads w/ 2.02/1.60 valves, 1-5/8 headers, dual plane, 600 carb open spacer, manual trans, cam is 266/274 112 lobe sep, .544/.555 lift. It runs good, no race car but it moves. I wonder if a different cam would produce better performance
Presuming that those duration figures are advertised and not at .050", that's a pretty small cam for that cubic inch and those heads. I'm sure it makes great torque but probably runs out of breath by 5000 rpm which is a shame because those heads could make power to at least 6000 rpm, I'm sure. Really, its more about how you use it; if you're shifting at 4500 rpm or less then there is not much point in putting a bigger cam in.
Brent I've been looking at cams for a 331 I'm going to build and I recently ran across comps 35-561-44 it's a 4 pattern cam. I'm curious on your thoughts, it's newer and haven't seen anything on it yet. I haven't tried a custom cam yet but I'll definitely check out your site, thanks
Brent- I have the Lunati Camshaft High Efficiency (10330201) that they recently stopped producing a couple years ago in my 65' thunderbird 390 with new cam bearings installed also. Is this a decent cam for my particular setup? The engine has been freshed up with edlebrock 390 performer intake, 650 carburetor, aluminum water pump and radiator, cvf pulleys, sanderson big block headers with magnaflow exhaust system 2 1/2". Stock rear end and gears 3.00:1.
The more effecient flow that the cylinder head and intake can provide, the less of an aggressive cam that you will need to make horsepower. Ford had proven this with the coyote platform. VVT is a game changer and the duel overhead cam is lightyears ahead of the conventional single cam V8. Talk about having the cake and eating it too. Too bad that they liminted the displacement to 5.0L. Can you imagine the power of a dual Overhead cam, 4 valve headed 7L engine? 650Hp while idling smooth as silk with Air Conditioning anbd vacuum for power brakes. The possibilities are endless.
Well said, the hybrid thing makes 0 sense to me...why not just put the right solid cam in there to begin with? There are lots of small st rollers out there...even a towing cam for your dually. Not a fan of fast ramp st cams either just tears parts up. Too many choose a cam by some vid, the chop etc and refuse to listen . Chop doesnt equal fast
I don't think I have the proper cam in my 424 cube fe, 12.5 to 1 compression and the cam lift is .609/.629 with 106 LSA solid flat tappet with solid lifter and comp cams 1.76 ratio rockers, 1.55" dual valve springs and larger hardened push rods. it runs best shifting at 5800 rpms and the heads are medium riser ford iron heads with mild port job and larger 2.09 intake valve. I'm thinking I should be running something with no more than .525 lift . it runs in a 3400 lb 77 f100 with 3.89 gears and a 4000 rpm stall leaving on foot brake. performer rpm intake and a 750 holley DP. what would you recommend? Turning the engine 6k doesn't make it run any faster. the truck is a bracket racer trailer queen and has run a best of 12.08 at 110 mph
What is .050" duration of this cam? What does the cam manufacturer think the powerband is supposed to be? We have lift and LSA. Also you have a performer rpm intake which is going to limit your power band to under 6500 RPM. Also are your valve springs matched to the cam manufacturer recommendation? That could be the reason it signs off so early at 5800 - valve float.
No, works for forced induction too. Just because someone labels a cam a “blower” cam or a “nitrous” cam, doesn’t mean it’s efficient for your particular engine. As a matter of fact, with new cylinder heads, the amount of cam that you need with forced induction goes down tremendously.
@@lykinsmotorsports ive always used reground stock 5.0 cams til recently had a turbo cam spec’d by a reputable company, if it doesnt work out on this 351 i will be in touch with you but we have a long ways to go before we get to the engine run part lol
Boost is a force multiplier... Richard Holdener has many youtubes with non-blower and non-turbo cams, the torque curve gets lifted by the amount of boost it gets. The shape of the torque curve at a fixed psi level is the same as it is without boost.
Ive been wanting to get a NA cam for my ho302! Right now i have a e303 cam in it all stock! Im want something that has more chop if you get what im saying!!
A friend was a top Ford engine man years ago and he goind the best cam all around was the C8AX -7250 -C Ford Muscle parts cam .He put that cam in several 390's and 428's .That guy was building winning Flat Head stock car engines at age 12 and he could work on any part of any car better and faster than anyone around . He taught me a lot .
Great info. You gotta love modern technology. Makes the old stuff run like new stuff.
This is why we need engine builders like you
Wow, great video. This feller illustrates that, with camshafts, the statement is often "Go big and go home". Huge cams sound awesome until you get a good spanking from a car that's tuned.
Great info. A great head with a cam that is on the mild side makes a great street engine with gobs of torque.
On issue #2, I believe the Ford engineers were on to something back in the 60's....consider the camshaft that came in the 390 "S" code and also used in the 428 CJ, it had a split duration that had 20 more degrees of exhaust duration than the intake had!
I believe they did something similar with the 351 CJ (Cleveland) in the 71-73 era.
Great info and explained well as usual Brent! Thank you for all you do for the Ford community!
I run a TFS stage II cam in an honest 4”x3” 302. I believe the specs are 232 and 236 duration @.50, 538 and 550 lift with a 108 LSA. 302R roller lifters and stainless steel 1.6 rrs. TFS TW 170cc heads and fly cut for exhaust valves on flattop HO ‘86 TRW forged OEM pistons. This was put together in ‘07. A little light on torque below 2k but it’s in an FFR Daytona Coupe chassis, about 2400 lbs. Its otherwise a linear motor with an air gap intake, and a little beast to 6.5K. Using your LSA calculator now, I made a good choice on the cam vs a Motorsport alphabet non split.
I got a hyd roller for my Cleveland from Brent, definately the right choice I love the response of this motor! I will be starting a new restoration soon and will again consult him for my FE build needs.
For me , personally ! . It was a tp-109 trw . Best stick ever ran .
Good video Brent.
I am always telling people to be more conservative on camshaft selection.
Great topics and points.
Take care, Ed.
Going back to the 1960s, I always heard that Ford's cylinder head philosophy was, "well, we got the air into the engine, and the engine will figure out a way to get the used air out." Which meant to me that Ford emphasized intake flow but had little concern about exhaust flow. This would explain why Ford's exhaust ports were/are always so crappy.
Been with 460s and now y block fords 3xhaust flow pretty well with some mild cleanup and bowl work
Also the fact that the exhaust is getting blown out the port by somewhere around 100 psi of cylinder pressure, where the intake air is only getting pushed into the cylinder by 14.7 psi of atmospheric pressure.
I've been putting solid roller lifters on hydraulic rollers for years... set at zero lash cold and they open up to what they open up to hot. I have not had an instance that an engine did not run better with this configuration. I DESPISE hydraulic roller lifters, have had more issues than I care to remember with them. Just my 2 cents. 👍🏼
How do you get around heat expansion keeping the valves open when the lifters are on the heels of the cam lobe?
I too am running solid rollers on my hydraulic roller cam, not by design, but I purchased a hydraulic roller cam, then by chance I ran across a deal on a set of solid roller lifters,after researching, I couldn’t find any negative reasons why it wouldn’t work,and I thought it would be better to use the hydraulic cam lobe profile,much easier on the valve train. But now, I’ve found that you can get a solid roller cam with softer lobe ramps.
Me too, on street motors I set the lash at .003 and use solid springs too.
@@tonyelliott7734 it’s actually the other way, as the engine heats up the clearances get bigger.
You’re on double secret probation! Get those correct lifters back in that clunker. 😂
Whatever I decide to put in my wife's 67 Mustang (came with a 390, originally put a 289 in it, currently has a Cleveland) when I rebuild it I'll be getting the cam from you.
I love your videos and the knowledge you share. Thank you. Released this video on the 23rd and then respond to my email on the 27th that cam cores are back ordered for months. Must have sold all the cams in those 4 days 😂
Seriously, good info. I’ll take it into consideration trying to pick a cam for my 390 with TrickFlow heads
Thanks!
Thank you very much for this. Happy Holidays....
Centerline 108 lobe separation 111 duration 248/257 lobe lift .375/.375 cam advance 3. E7te heads with gt40 valves porting and springs. Then run 1.7 rocker on exhaust and 1.6 intake. 357 sbf that turns 8k rpm’s while still making power. With nos spray plate this set up does 700 hp. Toss in a catalog cam power drops to low 600’s. So definitely think it takes some trials on your air pump to find correct cam specs for where you want to make that power at. 2hp per cube is achievable on sbf just not to many buy out of box and put together options I’m aware of.
That's definately a unique and interesting combo!!! Do you have dyno sheets or sounds of it revving somewhere? You must have a single plane on it turning 8k?
#7 Degree the cam! I would also suggest double dowel on the upper sprocket for a SBF racing application.
A grest cylinder head is where the bulk of your $ should go. The heads determine what RPM youll make power, how far power will hang on, and how aggressive the cam needs to be. The better the head, the wider lobe seperation angle should be also. Excellent flowing heads make all the difference. Spend the money on heads that will get you exactly what you desire, then everything else will come into view.
All good advice for any engine.
I love the video man keep up the good work I'll build a few Big Block 428 and I run a 569 lift cam in it and I seem to like that cam cuz it does really good in my car
I will be ordering a solid roller cam kit from you for a 393 Cleveland in near future, I hope you can help me! Thanx
Recall a cam install back in the day in my FE 390, first of all had a mild Shelby hydraulic cam with my oe tripower and OE Pistons, 10 to 1 stock compression right? And 406 close chamber heads, Decided to install a crane solid cam, 325 duration straight across and 500 lift and with adjustable 176 rockers. I have to tell you this cam kicked this car in the ass, had to shift as fast as I could through all four gears the RPM would come up quickly like I never seen before. However these specs don't seem to be relevant in todays engine building.
Respectfully yours truly ,my typing should b exscused !!
I’m not sure if it’s true, but I’ve been told that most of the off the shelf cams. They’re mostly a Chevy style grind and they don’t necessarily work for the fords.
Have 331 in my 1980 bronco. 10:1, blueprint 190 heads w/ 2.02/1.60 valves, 1-5/8 headers, dual plane, 600 carb open spacer, manual trans, cam is 266/274 112 lobe sep, .544/.555 lift. It runs good, no race car but it moves. I wonder if a different cam would produce better performance
Presuming that those duration figures are advertised and not at .050", that's a pretty small cam for that cubic inch and those heads. I'm sure it makes great torque but probably runs out of breath by 5000 rpm which is a shame because those heads could make power to at least 6000 rpm, I'm sure. Really, its more about how you use it; if you're shifting at 4500 rpm or less then there is not much point in putting a bigger cam in.
Using the GT40P heads with B cam. Your thoughts?
Brent I've been looking at cams for a 331 I'm going to build and I recently ran across comps 35-561-44 it's a 4 pattern cam. I'm curious on your thoughts, it's newer and haven't seen anything on it yet.
I haven't tried a custom cam yet but I'll definitely check out your site, thanks
Brent- I have the Lunati Camshaft High Efficiency (10330201) that they recently stopped producing a couple years ago in my 65' thunderbird 390 with new cam bearings installed also. Is this a decent cam for my particular setup? The engine has been freshed up with edlebrock 390 performer intake, 650 carburetor, aluminum water pump and radiator, cvf pulleys, sanderson big block headers with magnaflow exhaust system 2 1/2". Stock rear end and gears 3.00:1.
Thanks for the info!
The more effecient flow that the cylinder head and intake can provide, the less of an aggressive cam that you will need to make horsepower. Ford had proven this with the coyote platform. VVT is a game changer and the duel overhead cam is lightyears ahead of the conventional single cam V8. Talk about having the cake and eating it too. Too bad that they liminted the displacement to 5.0L. Can you imagine the power of a dual Overhead cam, 4 valve headed 7L engine? 650Hp while idling smooth as silk with Air Conditioning anbd vacuum for power brakes. The possibilities are endless.
Interesting and good information.
Well said, the hybrid thing makes 0 sense to me...why not just put the right solid cam in there to begin with?
There are lots of small st rollers out there...even a towing cam for your dually.
Not a fan of fast ramp st cams either just tears parts up. Too many choose a cam by some vid, the chop etc and refuse to listen .
Chop doesnt equal fast
The comp the better !!
Can you help me figure out what i need for my 445 fe?
Very, very informative. Thank you
Well I guess we all need to order custom camshafts cuz Comp cams has given all their attention to Chevrolet
We dont want their cams either!
What is the best way to contact you for a cam recommendation and price of a cam purchased from you.
I see it. Thank you.
Does anyone know what year Ford came out with the first letter cam?
I don't think I have the proper cam in my 424 cube fe, 12.5 to 1 compression and the cam lift is .609/.629 with 106 LSA solid flat tappet with solid lifter and comp cams 1.76 ratio rockers, 1.55" dual valve springs and larger hardened push rods. it runs best shifting at 5800 rpms and the heads are medium riser ford iron heads with mild port job and larger 2.09 intake valve. I'm thinking I should be running something with no more than .525 lift . it runs in a 3400 lb 77 f100 with 3.89 gears and a 4000 rpm stall leaving on foot brake. performer rpm intake and a 750 holley DP. what would you recommend? Turning the engine 6k doesn't make it run any faster. the truck is a bracket racer trailer queen and has run a best of 12.08 at 110 mph
Fill out the cam form on my website and I can give you a recommendation. Anything I will have ground will have at least .600" lift though.
@@lykinsmotorsports I don't really have the heads for it.
What is .050" duration of this cam? What does the cam manufacturer think the powerband is supposed to be? We have lift and LSA. Also you have a performer rpm intake which is going to limit your power band to under 6500 RPM. Also are your valve springs matched to the cam manufacturer recommendation? That could be the reason it signs off so early at 5800 - valve float.
And all this is based off NA engine combinations, correct?
No, works for forced induction too. Just because someone labels a cam a “blower” cam or a “nitrous” cam, doesn’t mean it’s efficient for your particular engine. As a matter of fact, with new cylinder heads, the amount of cam that you need with forced induction goes down tremendously.
@@lykinsmotorsports ive always used reground stock 5.0 cams til recently had a turbo cam spec’d by a reputable company, if it doesnt work out on this 351 i will be in touch with you but we have a long ways to go before we get to the engine run part lol
Boost is a force multiplier... Richard Holdener has many youtubes with non-blower and non-turbo cams, the torque curve gets lifted by the amount of boost it gets. The shape of the torque curve at a fixed psi level is the same as it is without boost.
Ive been wanting to get a NA cam for my ho302! Right now i have a e303 cam in it all stock! Im want something that has more chop if you get what im saying!!
you are sure right about solids on a hyd cam year ago on 334 olds engs it was common because of what was offered what mess
Xe274hr
@@jasonhooey5677 Anderson cams wipe the floor with the Xtreme Energy
Fill out my form. I'll give you a recommendation that's not a universal cam.
8-14 big difference between the 2.
Big difference between 2&8
You bet ! Ahh ma! Please ! Lol
🐻👍
289-302
Thank You.