Cam Selection

[451Mopar]

Wait! I’m not the go to guy on big block heads but doesn’t this alarm anyone?

A zero deck slug with a .020 head gasket?
No clearance issues there?

Also no valve reliefs for extra valve lift is of no concern?

Just wondering......

The 250 Head is an open chamber design, so there should be plenty of piston to head clearance.
The no valve reliefs is an issue when getting into higher duration cams. It is the duration, overlap, and installed position that matter with piston to valve clearance. The max lift numbers are not a factor, the piston is around half way down the bore (or more) at max lift.

I don't recall the pistons I used in my 383. I think they were forged and from Sealed Power, but they are very close to zero deck and do not have valve reliefs. My engine was built around 1988-1989 time frame. I used 906 heads milled 0.040" and the standard Felpro head gasket (0.040"?)

The Comp XE268 would be good too.
With your stall converter you could go with the next larger sized cam, but check the piston to valve clearance. For street driven/fun cars I tend to use slightly smaller cams. They make better low end torque and are easier to live with on the street.

My truck 360 is using a Hughes Engines SEH1620AL cam and it ran great until I rolled the truck

 

[wyrmrider]

Here's the latest from Engle c.a. 2001
Jack died 2008- you can find his youngest son Mark
I think I know who designed these and would be interested in knowing who has the masters
Interesting to compare these profiles with the latest from Comp, who had little for MOPAR until very recently- Also the Engle catalog has the spec on the previous K series that I posted one from above.

http://www.autoinsanity.com/misc/Englecams1.html

remember that later grinds are done on very accurate CNC machines. I can remember doing masters with the late Potivin/ Moon's Bill Jenks on a hand calculator, roughing them in on the mill and finishing with a file. you can bounce a beam of light off the ceiling and see the high spots/ flat spots spectacularly accurately. Bill did some great .904 masters for Industrial and Truck/ Bus Propane 413 motors.

 

[wyrmrider]

250 open chamber- do not recall seeing one- but it's been awhile- did they go beep-beep?
AS usual with mopar short duration with lots of lift,
MOPAR does not like overlap anyway as you blow your intake gas out the exhaust
Forged pistons are not usually compensated (around .015) so that would explain obtaining 0 deck
#1 I'd step up and fill out Mike Jones cam recommendation card or just get his .305 lobe lift chrysler hyd special- short duration would work with up to say 9.5 compression ratio
or
Check out Comps .904 4x4 line or maybe the purple shaft line in the cam lobe master catalog
too pricey
that's were it get's tough-
Howards, Lunati, the Ultradyne list.
Actually on a budget and want a chrysler master
Chet Herbert- but they (and they all will) try and sell a chevy shelf cam- and here the duration needed to get any lift really hurts.

 

[451Mopar]

I haven't looked at the Howards cams for the Mopars. I installed one in a stroked Olds engine for a boat. The owner is happy with it.
I'm not sure if it was the cam, timing set, or crank, but that Olds engine was a pain to degree the cam as it was 15-degrees off when installed dot-to-dot?
I think Muscle Motors used Ultradyne cams. My 451 short block that I got from them came with a Ultradyne solid roller cam. It worked well for me.
I just looked at the general off the shelf stocked cams. I think they are slightly milder profile for general use (lower maintenance?)

 

[lewtot184]

I haven't looked at the Howards cams for the Mopars. I installed one in a stroked Olds engine for a boat. The owner is happy with it.
I'm not sure if it was the cam, timing set, or crank, but that Olds engine was a pain to degree the cam as it was 15-degrees off when installed dot-to-dot?
I think Muscle Motors used Ultradyne cams. My 451 short block that I got from them came with a Ultradyne solid roller cam. It worked well for me.
I just looked at the general off the shelf stocked cams. I think they are slightly milder profile for general use (lower maintenance?)

my experience has the howards lobes as being accurate, but whoever sets up the grinder screws up the advance ground into them.

 

[lewtot184]

mark engle is no longer with engle.

the torker manifold is probably a torque killer. a dp4b or rpm would be better.

the pistons are probably 2315's, will do around 9:1 with the open chamber heads

383's do have piston to valve issues so limit the duration to around 280 degrees and lift to around .480" to be safe. the heads won't take a lot of lift unless the guide bosses are cut. a comp cams 280 magnum with stock rockers should be safe.

 

[wyrmrider]

Looks like Mark is on his own as Engle Engines or somewhat
Is Engle stricto senso still around- last cam I got from them was from Long Beach then I wanted a Magnum ground and they said they did not have the core...
WE used Engle in the AMC trans am program (local dealers cars) (also GK and others) but Traco was doing dyno with Engle so we followed along
Agree
Obvious torquer is a torque killer without lower gears etc I'm sure OP is aware of this but is running what he has - I never liked them much anyway
I have not seen a 2315 in years- are they still available?
Interesting that UEM would come out with new 283 slugs
I have several 413 blocks that could go 4.250- sometime I'm going to do the stroke and connect the rod drill and see if anything would work

 

[Dstan]

I called Hughes earlier today and they suggested I run their part number SEH2832BL-10. This is one of the ones I was looking at anyhow so I will probably get that and take their advice and run a slightly thicker head gasket.

 

[wyrmrider]

let us know how it works out
A note on inverse flank radius roller profiles
I'll use the Engle catalog as they may not be active
Engle shows a flat flank roller with 254 @.050 294 adv and .406 cam lift
and an inverse flank roller 254 290 418 cam lift
So about right 4 degrees less seat duration and a little more lift
These inverse profiles are inverse on the opening ramp only (to set the valves down easier)
Jones does asymmetrical inverse, still shutting the valve easy and getting around 8 degrees less seat duration.
8 degrees makes a BIG difference

 

[lewtot184]

I called Hughes earlier today and they suggested I run their part number SEH2832BL-10. This is one of the ones I was looking at anyhow so I will probably get that and take their advice and run a slightly thicker head gasket.

if you run that cam be sure and check retainer to guide clearance!

 

[wyrmrider]

That cam may want shorter gears or tires
let's see how it works out

 

[wyrmrider]

you are getting a cam before you do your heads
get your head flows B 4 you spring for the cam
x3 on the clearances, spiral K line guides, dura bond exhaust seats, viton seals, spring s to match the cam
why a new thread???

 

[lewtot184]

I think that hugh's cam will have piston to valve issues. this is a can of expensive worms if not done correctly.

 

[wyrmrider]

Hughes says 370+ gears (like Mopar's have 3.70 gears) Who ground that cam? Does look like a .904 grind
EDM lifters?
There may be a "bigger cam smaller heads" mismatch here-
Anyone want to check the head flow website?
Stan Weiss site?
Looks like a couple of sizes too big to me but without head flows who can really tell

 

[Mebsuta]

I guess the way a Mopar could have a 3.7 is by changing tire size. For example, if you have a 4.10 on car that originally had 26 inch tires, and changed to 28.5 inch tires.

26/28.5 = .91

.91 x 4.10 = 3.73

 

[lewtot184]

3.73's are being made for 8 3/4's and dana 60's.

 

[wyrmrider]

Stan Weiss Cylinder Head site
first Chrysler_Big_Block is a Chrysler 250 full race ported byBiran Stroud
2.14/181 88cc
100 87/60
200

 

[wyrmrider]

200 147/112
300 189/151
400 231/177
500 246/194
600 252/207
700 252/212
800 251/217

 

[JG1966]

Fwiw, I just put that exact cam -- Hughes 2832 -- in my 68 340 and have no clearance issues at all. Retainer to seal and valve to piston. All good.

 

[lewtot184]

Fwiw, I just put that exact cam -- Hughes 2832 -- in my 68 340 and have no clearance issues at all. Retainer to seal and valve to piston. All good.

what heads and pistons are you using? 383's are a different ball game. they even fall out of the rules of norm for a big block. back in the day I raced them. very easy to screw one up compared to a 440. 340 pistons have valve reliefs plus a smaller valve and the valves open on the bore centers. it's good your not having an issue but from my experience with 383's and flat tops that cam is a potential problem. stock big block iron heads don't like higher lifts without work.