Cam Selection

[DStan]

I recently spun a few bearings in my 440. I picked up most of a used 383 from a guy about a month ago and I'm now purchasing all the parts to put it together. The bottom end is all together, looks good, and turns over smoothly. I am about to purchase a cam to put in it and I was hoping to get some suggestions from you guys since this is my first car and I don't know everything about cams.
Here are the specs and the cams that I am considering right now.
Vehicle: 1989 D100 Will see maybe 1000 miles a year as it's mainly a toy
Block: 1968 383 bored 30 over
Pistons: Flat top @ zero deck NO valve relifs
Head Gaskets: Steel .020 crush
Heads:1968 250 casting code. Have 2.14/1.81 valves installed and are not shaved.Will be home ported
Intake: Torker 383 with gasket match porting
Carb: Holley 4160 750cfm Vacuum secondary
Gearing: 3.55 posi 9.25"
Stall: 3000 B&M Holeshot in a 727
Weight: About 3800 with me in it
I plan to rev it no higher than 6000
I need something that will give me good power, but not have too large a lift at 50 and cause a piston to strike a valve.
I'll attach the ones I am currently looking at.
Thank you for any suggestions.

 

[Davea Lux]

First off, I would seriously consider using any other carb but a Holley 4160. They are nothing but trouble. An Eddy after market AFB or AVS would be a much better choice both in terms of performance and trouble free operation. (750 to 850 CFM)

Next: Are you running power brakes? The cams you have listed, depending on your cam timing, might be real iffy to get you the 10-12 in vacuum that you need to stop your beast ( if you are not using manifold vacuum, this will not matter). Not much fun if it goes like blazes but won't stop. As a good rule of thumb, most anything with more than .50 lift will usually require relief cuts in the pistons. Next, what are you planning to run for exhaust? Big cams are nice, but you will not realize full potential from them unless you also match high performance exhaust. If you are planning to run your truck on the street with any regularity, the 3000RPM stall convertor is going to have you running high RPMs all the time. Good drag convertor not so good on the street as you are going to have some serious economy issues. Which transmission are you going to run?

Just my thoughts.

Might want to read www.hotrod.com/articles/mopp-0209-383-engine-restore/

Dave

 

[DStan]

First off, I would seriously consider using any other carb but a Holley 4160. They are nothing but trouble. An Eddy after market AFB or AVS would be a much better choice both in terms of performance and trouble free operation. (750 to 850 CFM)

Next: Are you running power brakes? The cams you have listed, depending on your cam timing, might be real iffy to get you the 10-12 in vacuum that you need to stop your beast. Not much fun if it goes like blazes but won't stop. As a good rule of thumb, most anything with more than .50 lift will usually require relief cuts in the pistons. Next, what are you planning to run for exhaust? Big cams are nice, but you will not realize full potential from them unless you also match high performance exhaust. If you are planning to run your truck on the street with any regularity, the 3000RPM stall convertor is going to have you running high RPMs all the time. Good drag convertor not so good on the street as you are going to have some serious economy issues.

Just my thoughts.

Might want to read www.hotrod.com/articles/mopp-0209-383-engine-restore/

Dave

It is really just a toy and a tire burner. It has long tube headers going into dual 2.5" pipes with flowmaster super 40's dumping in front of the pass rear tire. I am going to add a vacuum canister for the power breaks. The 440 had a 501 lift comp cam and didn't have any issues with the breaks. The previous owner of the 383 said he was running a 300 duration 528 lift cam without any clearance issues.
I was leaning towards that last hughes cam since it had good lift with a short duration so that the valves would be nearly shut before the piston made it up close to tdc.

 

[Davea Lux]

It is really just a toy and a tire burner. It has long tube headers going into dual 2.5" pipes with flowmaster super 40's dumping in front of the pass rear tire. I am going to add a vacuum canister for the power breaks. The 440 had a 501 lift comp cam and didn't have any issues with the breaks. The previous owner of the 383 said he was running a 300 duration 528 lift cam without any clearance issues.
I was leaning towards that last hughes cam since it had good lift with a short duration so that the valves would be nearly shut before the piston made it up close to tdc.

You might also consider using a vacuum pump and reserve tank off of a later vehicle and forget about using manifold vacuum all together. Are those 904 heads or 516 heads? The 250 number does not compute for me. It could make a big difference on the clearance issue. See www.mopar1.us/bigblock.html

Dave

 

[Davea Lux]

It is really just a toy and a tire burner. It has long tube headers going into dual 2.5" pipes with flowmaster super 40's dumping in front of the pass rear tire. I am going to add a vacuum canister for the power breaks. The 440 had a 501 lift comp cam and didn't have any issues with the breaks. The previous owner of the 383 said he was running a 300 duration 528 lift cam without any clearance issues.
I was leaning towards that last hughes cam since it had good lift with a short duration so that the valves would be nearly shut before the piston made it up close to tdc.

There is a virtual engine dyno program that give some simulations of various camshafts. www.virtualengine2000.com. Fun toy.

Dave

 

[DStan]

There is a virtual engine dyno program that give some simulations of various camshafts. www.virtualengine2000.com. Fun toy.

Dave

The 250 heads were only on 1968 383's. I could find almost no information on them from internet other than that.

 

[bajajoaquin]

If you spun some bearings in the 440, why are you rebuilding a 383?

 

[DStan]

If you spun some bearings in the 440, why are you rebuilding a 383?

I'm building the 383 because to put in the truck while I rebuild that 440 to put in my next project. And the 383 with the worked heads was only $500, while a new rotating assembly for the 440 is out of my price range right now.

 

[Davea Lux]

I'm building the 383 because to put in the truck while I rebuild that 440 to put in my next project. And the 383 with the worked heads was only $500, while a new rotating assembly for the 440 is out of my price range right now.

If you 440 is a steel crank motor, the throws are easily welded and re-cut to match the rest of the crank. Stock rods are still available in both standard and 6 pack configuration if you want to go that route and they are not overly expensive. (H-Beam rods are about $250 set) If you are talking stroker crank, rods and pistons, yeah that gets expensive.

Dave

 

[bajajoaquin]

Got it.

You’re looking for a different type of cam than I’ve researched so I don’t have much of an opinion. The only comment is about Hughes cams. They have a lot of lift for their duration. They claim they just take advantage of the .904” lifter but many people say it ends up wiping lobes. In a low mileage truck you may not care about long term durability. But take it for what it’s worth.

 

[DStan]

If you 440 is a steel crank motor, the throws are easily welded and re-cut to match the rest of the crank. Stock rods are still available in both standard and 6 pack configuration if you want to go that route and they are not overly expensive. (H-Beam rods are about $250 set) If you are talking stroker crank, rods and pistons, yeah that gets expensive.

Dave

They all have steel cranks. This 440 was a forged steel crank and it has already had the crank shaved once. It also ran on 0 psi of oil for about 2 miles before I had the chance to pull off the one lane country rode I was on so I don't know how bad everything else inside is yet. I also don't know why it overheated and blew the head gasket just moments before the oil pressure died. It will get rebuilt. Just not for this project.

 

[DStan]

Got it.

You’re looking for a different type of cam than I’ve researched so I don’t have much of an opinion. The only comment is about Hughes cams. They have a lot of lift for their duration. They claim they just take advantage of the .904” lifter but many people say it ends up wiping lobes. In a low mileage truck you may not care about long term durability. But take it for what it’s worth.

If I get 30-40K hard miles out of that engine I'll be happy.

 

[Davea Lux]

They all have steel cranks. This 440 was a forged steel crank and it has already had the crank shaved once. It also ran on 0 psi of oil for about 2 miles before I had the chance to pull off the one lane country rode I was on so I don't know how bad everything else inside is yet. I also don't know why it overheated and blew the head gasket just moments before the oil pressure died. It will get rebuilt. Just not for this project.

Only until '73 did they have steel cranks, they were around until '78 on car motors at least 5 years after that for trucks. All with Iron cranks. Forged cranks were in Magnum and 6 pack motors. They are distinguished by the egg shaped center of the harmonic balancer. The Round balancer was used on the cast steel cranks and the iron crankshafts.

Dave

 

[DStan]

Only until '73 did they have steel cranks, they were around until '78 on car motors at least 5 years after that for trucks. All with Iron cranks.

Dave

The 73 and later engines had cast steel, not cast iron. That is a common misconception since most people just say cast and not cast steel though.

 

[Davea Lux]

The 73 and later engines had cast steel, not cast iron. That is a common misconception since most people just say cast and not cast steel though.

Darkside guide shows that '74 and later as cast iron. www.darkside.ca/node/130
Casting number are on the website.

Dave

 

[DStan]

Darkside guide shows that '74 and later as cast iron. www.darkside.ca/node/130
Casting number are on the website.

Dave

Hot Rod says differently
How To Tell A Cast Crank From A Forged Crank - Hot Rod

 

[Davea Lux]

Hot Rod says differently
How To Tell A Cast Crank From A Forged Crank - Hot Rod

Well the the one with the hole in it is a cast crank and let's let it go at that. They were the ones that used to break. We always pitched those on a performance build.

Dave

 

[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.