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Cam selection

66gt350

66gt350

Active Member
I've been looking for a new cam for a "friend's" 65 coupe. The car has a ticking noise, that I can't get rid of...and I'm down to a bad lifter, but I'm not sure which one. But with the cost of lifters vs. cam and lifters, I'm gonna swap out cans. And it's been awhile since I've looked at flat tappet cams...wow the market has really exploded. Here's the specs on the car: 289 with 0.040 pistons (yes, I know that's too bored out, but that's what came in the motor), perfomer intake, holley 600 vacuum secondaries, c4 and 3.00 gears. The head are from my old 1/4 mile car and they are either 289 or 302 heads (can't recall), but they've been worked over -- ported and polished, larger intake valves, and guide plates and screw in studs -- and yes before someone asks, I'm running harden push rods. This is just gonna be a cruiser, so don't want a radical cam. I've been looking at the Lunati 11201 cam (302 firing order) or the 11001 cam (351 firing order).

Anyone have experience with these cams? Or should I be looking a different cam manufacturer.

thanks
 
I have read then when it is possible to convert to the 351 firing order because of the extreme load pushing on the chrankshafts first tap where No 1 and 5 is attached to when using the 289/302 firing order.IMHO.
 
As far as the firing order goes, I think Ford switched all small blocks to the older 351 orders when the started using roller cams around 85. Besides slightly different exhaust note, you won't notice a difference on a street engine as far as crankshaft wear goes.

I had a similar combo to yours friends and ran a Comp XE268, but I have heard of other people running the slightly less aggressive XE262.

I made around 260 with the combo similar to your friends with a Weiand Stealth and a 4spd.
 
I wouldn't recommend the XE268H unless you get springs to match. The XE cams have a really aggressive ramp rate. Without the proper springs, the lifters tend to launch off the tops of the lobes. Not a good thing.
 
"65fast" said:
As far as the firing order goes, I think Ford switched all small blocks to the older 351 orders when the started using roller cams around 85.
Click to expand...

Close. Ford switched to the 351 firing order in 1982. The roller block cam out in 1985
 
If needed, I have a set of Crane gold race roller rockers, 1.6 ratio that I will not be using anymore and would let them go purty cheap!
 
Thanks Mark...I should have mentioned that the heads have a set of Harland Sharp 1.6 rockers.

The biggest unknown are the springs. I don't know what pressure they are. The cam that I was running was an older Sig-Erson Mega 280, and the spring are probably from Erson, which have the damping inner spring.

I'll probably just go with the Lunati cam with the 351W firing order.

thanks all
 
I ran the Lunati 00061 in my engine before the oil pump locked up. I did not get to run it long but it ran great. They have a 00064 that is a little less aggressive. Both are 289/302 firing order.

I'm running the Lunati Voodoo 61003 (351 Firing order) now. It's a sweet friggin' camshaft.
 
I would consider one of the smaller Lunati Voodoo cams (but they are pretty violent moving the valves, like the Comp XEs, so the current springs might be an issue). The Lunati 11001 is pretty old school (and it looks like Summit sells a clone of it cheap) but something like that might be your only option if you want to keep the existing spings.

The Lunati 310a2lun looks like a good choice and is probably easier on the springs.
 
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