I have tried twice now to get Lunati to recommend a cam and have had no response, Comp Cams responded with a 35-324-8 recommendation, now I want other opinions....1994 351 Windsor factory roller block..... Stroked out to a 408.....In the neighborhood of 10.39:1 compression ratio..... Edelbrock RPM Aluminum heads 6025, 2.02 intake/1.60 exhaust/60 cc chamber/170 cc intake runners/60 cc exhaust runners.....Edelbrock RPM intake..... 650 Holley DP for now but have 750 Holley DP in reserve.....Hooker 6901 headers going into Thrush glasspacks..... TREMEC 3550 5 speed manual transmission.....Stock 279 rear gear for now but that will change later, to what I don't yet know, also tire diameter will be changing from current..... No power adders at this time..... I want a choppy idle but just enough to be noticeable, (don't really want it to sound like a Harley, more like popcorn popping) some one needs to come up with some sound bytes of different cams in Ford small blocks in one place for comparison, tired of listening to youtube videos lol, if more info is needed let me know.
The Stage-1 Trick Flow cam has a noticeable but not choppy idle, sounds similar to the Ford Racing B303 cam... Either are kinda small for that large of engine but would pull hard to probably 5700-5800 RPMs... I'd run 1.7 rockers to gain a little more lift, really makes a improvement in large inch motors...
I was looking at the cam that came out of the engine and the only markings I can find are behind the gear on the shaft, one side reads TT, roll it around and then it reads TTE, I have no clue and saw 97 stamped on the end of it.
That's the stock F4TE roller. It's a great cam, but not in your engine. (too many cubes, too much compression to run that cam with) Instead of Comp's choice of the 35-324-8, I'd go one size bigger to the 35-328-8 or even the 35-522-8. Those 408 inches are going to tend to tame what would be a wild cam for a 302. You're going to need to get the valve springs checked to make sure they will handle a .580-.600 lift when using 1.7 rockers. You may need to go back to 1.6 rockers to mitigate spring bind. You're also going to have major traction problems with all that torque, that's something else you're going to need to plan to spend money on. That 8" rear isn't going to last long with the manual trans and the torque from the 408
Thanks, I have a 9" in the works but it may be a while before it's ready, yes I have intentions of getting the heads looked over, they do have double springs in them.
Just because they're double springs does not guarantee they'll handle the lift. Make sure they check that against the cam's lift at the valve with the rockers you're going to use. 1.7's add about .030 lift at the valve vs a 1.6 rocker. Tell you what though, you're building a dry weather only car there. My 77 is severely traction limited with the 331 backed by the Toploader 4 speed and 3.50 rear, traction loc, and shod with 295/50's
Well I'd save some $$$ and go with the Trick Flow Stage 2 instead of the 35-328-8, specs are similar enough till you'll never know the difference by the ole Butt-O-Meter... Either of those cams will be in the .570+ area with 1.7s, exhaust on the TF would be .598... All said I done, I'd still go with the Stage 1 TF & 1.7s, esp if it's going to be mostly a driver(yeah guess I'm a bit biased after running one for 10 years in my 5.0 T-Bird)... Bought it '99 just after they were introduced, no one had any idea what it was as they'd never heard one...
Yeah I won't trust them on my new engine until I get Tom at the cylinder head shop go over them, he did my 289 head work so I can depend on him to know what he's doing. And my Grabber is not a DD, it will only be driven when I want too drive it.
I`ve seen a lot of people real happy w/ comp xe282,a big cam in a 302,not a 408.Could be a good choice for you,great power & very streetable.
Why not get a custom cam specd out to your specific needs/wants. They're not much more $ than an off the shelf cam.
I'm using a trickflow stage 1 cam in my 94 302 roller. Sounds great and it seems to be very responsive... I don't know a lot about cam choice but it's what my engine builder recondmended... My engine is just a 30 over block with worked over e7 heads....
Finally a response from Lunati after almost 2 weeks...... The cam I recommend is part number 20350711LK. This cam is 221/229 at .050, .549/.565 on the lift, and it is cut on a 112 LSA with a 106 intake centerline. This cam and lifter kit is $497.70. If you have any questions or if you are interested you can call me at my number below. Thank you,
OR just slightly less than a Stage 2 Trick Flow... http://treperformance.com/i-653-tfs-stage-2-camshaft-sbf-ford.html
