• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

512 stroker lopey cam advise

Dallasdrifts

Active Member
Local time
5:08 AM
Joined
Apr 9, 2016
Messages
35
Reaction score
1
Location
Canada
What cam would you run on a 512 stroker? Goal is mid 600 hp at the wheels but mainly a show car wanting an incredibly lopey idle. Not worried about vaccum for the brakes.
Thanks in advance
 
What kind of lift would you suggest then? I'm leaning toward solid insead of hydralic at this point as well.
 
You'll want a big hydraulic roller ground on a 107 LSA. Neither of the two above will have the idle you're looking for.
 
Lots of compression and a cam with >70 degrees of overlap will get you a lopey idle. My 511" low deck has a cam that is [email protected] and over .700 lift and it sounds like a .509 MP to me. Apparently all of that added stroke negates the affect of the long duration cam.

If it was me I'd be looking at a solid roller or solid flat tappet cam. The hydraulic retro-fit roller lifter for our big block Chryslers are known to be problematic with high RPM's and big spring pressures.
 
That's a non issue on a show car. I'm guessing something that doesn't require the valve covers to come off might be the ticket.
 
I used the 571 from 440source in my 400/512 stoker. Great cam. Runs really well, still about 12 inches vacuum. I know you said it didn't matter on that but thought I'd throw it in.
 
Yeah, the application is kinda uncommon, a cam that would sound pretty ratty in a 440 would be quite mellow in a 512...should be interesting to see what the end result is.
 
You could call Dwayne Porter (802-951- 1955) as he is good. He is a Pro and does custom grind cams for a living. I had him spec my solid flat tappet for my 493 as I wanted mine for pump gas with some of a lumpy idle and good power. Many of us on here are pretty good with cams but he does it every day and every time I see a car with his cam in it they run good. And the price for mine was no more then an off the shelf cam. My solid flat tappet is 264 & 270 @ .050 with .585 and .592 lift on a 110 LSA. I have it on a 106 ICL and it works great with no ping at all on 92 pump gas. Ron
 
Mid 600 HP at the wheels. How many of us have actually dyno'd 650 HP at the wheels? Most people I've seen cannot do that without the bottle or boost.

So, normally aspirated, are we gonna sound like 650 RWHP or really make that number?
 
Normally aspirated in something that's street friendly is tough to do. You've obviously have done it with a BBM but few others have. BBC? No problem. BBM....tough. I dismissed the whp as I've heard this so many times. We had a guy visit years ago that wanted a 1000fwhp pump gas BBM that would run 8's so he could whip all his buddies. Then he spends the next 30 minutes telling me he will do the car show gig and give his grandkids rides in it on Sunday afternoons. I told him what he really needed was a power adder car. He strongly bawked at that suggestion and insisted that he'd find someone to do it if I wouldn't. I told him I was willing but not able, lol. I wonder if he ever got his wish?
 
Yeah, 1,000 FWHP is tough. Richard here was a lot of fun and one of the two that beat me heads up at the dyno contest. This is dual Dominators on a tunnel ram, 572 all aluminum Keith Black Hemi running on 93 octane. The engine dyno got it at 1028HP if I remember correctly. 750 RWHP on this dyno. As I recall the engine was built by Darren Tedder. His 654 ci Hemi whupped us both as our 500 wedge made only 696.





 
Last edited:
DT is an impressive builder, but do you think that engine would survive drag week or any other long road trip? I talked with Dave Duddek on DW last year and he's got the power thing down but he admitted the car had never seen the street and wasn't built for it. The only way to truly have your cake and eat it too is the turbocharger. One taste, I was hooked.
 
Don't know if DT's Hemi's would last on the street.

Cody went twin turbos on his Challenger.

What did we use to get to the 650+ RWHP mark? We sure didn't have a street cam in our 500. 280/288 @ .050" and .800"/.800" lift. Yes, it had a pretty nice lope to it and I did drive it around on the street. 4spd manual and 4.56 gears.
 
Did you idle that at 650rpm? Lol. I bet the challenger is crazy fast!
 
You will need to clear 700+ to get 600hp at the wheels on the chassis dynos I've used. Driveline loss figures I use are 18% for automatic, 15% for manual. Don't know what heads you're looking at but you need something really stout to even come close to those numbers. No hydraulic cam will do that. Flat tappet or roller.
All that being said - a 550hp 440 looks very similar to a 750hp 512 and sounds similar. And is about 40% cheaper.
 
Auto Transport Service
Back
Top