Cam 101/Mystery 327

[vigman]

So if I measure the lifter sitting on the cam ( in the block) and it's flush with the casting and I crank the cam to it's highest lift ( .3125) that's the CAM lift, right? Then you multiply by hthe rocker ratio(eg1.5 X .3125=.468 or .500 @1.6)

So this is a fairly "rumpty"cam right?

What am I missing here..and the heavier the springs ( within reason ) the higher I can spin her up before float.

Just checking my P's & Q's so needless Ben's don't fly.

Mike

 

[wolf_walker]

Ahh, there's more to a cam than lift, but I dont know off hand how to measure it. .500 is more than most stock, but not really killer, there are other specs that will affect the rump rump factor more than lift.

Valve springs must be matched to a cam, too soft and you have valve float, too stiff and you have wear and much parasitic loss from friction. You should probibly have them checked with a scale too be sure there in spec, whatever the spec is, or atleast that there all pretty close to each other. If you can find the cam specs you can find out if there enough spring or not. Personally I'd buy another cam before I stuck one in that I didnt know what was, there fairly cheap. You can always sell the old one as a "3/4 race cam" to someone..

Your makeing me want to pull appart the 327 under the barn just for the hell of it, as I recall I checked a few years ago and it's a 63 block with 70 1/2 LT1 z28 heads, or something to that effect.

 

[vigman]

Wolf

I understand what you are saying.....

All I know about this motor is what I'm finding out ( the hard way )

The cam was a C-400-P ( or c-4700-p)

There is a CWC casting an EB-1 casting and not much else to ID it.. but what I do know
is I drove it 1 time ( many moons ago)

And it hauled A$$ and had a nice rump to it.

This is going to be a budget motor
(yeah right) to make all my green horn mistakes on.. so when I redo my 73 it will be right ( who's kidding who!!? )

So while we continue...we learn by doing!

I just can't roll over and buy a ZZ-4 without understanding what makes it go tick-tock.


Mike

 

[wolf_walker]

I can understand that. Odds are the springs will work with the cam, and if you have similer weight and gears to what the motor was in when you drove it, it should still haul ass..