I just tore down the 351W out of my '70. Everything looks good except it had one of the "too cheap to buy pistons" rebuilds where you bore the cylinders 0.010 over and use the stock pistons. I'll be going 0.030 over on the bores with hypereutectic pistons. I'll be running this in front of a FMX transmission. I want as much cam as I can get in it and still run the brand new stock converter I have. I'm working on a fairly tight budget. I was thinking about one of these three cams:

Crane Z-series; Duration @0.050" 218 int/224 exh; Lift 0.490" int/0.504" exh; lobe center 112
Comp Cams Xtreme energy; Duration @0.050" 218 int/224 exh; Lift 0.493" int/0/500" exh; lobe center 110
Comp cams Magnum; Duration @0.050" 224 int/224 exh; Lift 0.500" int/0.500" exh; lobe center 110

How do these look and does anyone have a better choice.

Thanks

 

ttt. Anyone???

 

Z series, i have no experience with them but seriously considered that cam and i think the next one bigger for my 289. supposed to have steep ramp profiles and make more power than earlier grinds with similar specs. definately gonna wanna make sure you use good zinc laden oil for break in though (rotella or something of the like)

 

Do you think I would still be OK with a stock torque converter with the Z-series mentioned?? I'm thinking that this is about as big a cam as I can go with the stock converter.

 

I say go with the Magnum with stock heads. I think it will be a great match.

I would go with an even bigger camwith aftermarket heads, even withthe stock converter.....

 

I don't think that any of those cams are too big for a stock converter.... but that is me though...

IMO all of these cams are relatively mild, and they wont have issue with a stock converter.

http://www.compcams.com/Cam_Specs/Ca...d=871&sb=2

This link from Comp Cams claims:

"Hydraulic-Good for daily driven performance cars. Most cam with stock converter. Lower gears. Mild rough ride."

I think that this is the same Magnum cam you referenced.

(Wow, the comp cams "Spec Page" has gotten a lot better that it was)

 

I know these are on the mild side, but I was a little worried about the stock converter. Do you think I can go a bit bigger with an eye toward getting some aftermarket heads later on. I guess I should tell my plan. I have a long way to go with the car so I have to do this engine as cheap as possible. It basically stock right now. I eventually want to get moderate power out of it and will add heads, but that won't come for a while. Later on I can swap out the converter too, but gotta stick with the stock one for now.

 

IMO what you are considering is a smart move. Save some cash to finish the car,the car will consume more cash than you think... project cars always do!Later you can revisit the engine for greater performance if this is still what you wantdown the road. Besides, it is easy and fun to add "bolt ons" a little at a time to an existing car or engine!

I think any one of the cams you mention will work really well for your otherwise relatively stock engine and your stock TQ.IMO the Magnum cam is probably the "biggest" cam you are considering, and comp claims it will work with a stock converter. I have found that you can get away with a little more cam than is generally thoughtpractical on a car as light as a classic Mustang.

I might be wrong, (I have been wrong lots of times!) but I don't think you will be disappointed with any one of those cams.

<<BTW,, there is nothing wrong with a "relatively mild cam" (relative being the key word here!)... I only mentioned this earlier to emphasize that the stock TQ should be ok!! looking back on my statement it kink of looks like I was being a "cam snob" !! Not my intention!!>> Sorry!!

 

Any of those 3 will work well with a stock converter in a 351. It won't be a wold powerhouse, but will make good power with plenty of low/mid rpm torque. You might want to seriously consider upgrading to a roller cam. The oil these days can make flat tappets hit and miss, and a roller cam will let the engine breathe better without being too wild.

 

Thanks guys. I guess I'll go with the magnum. I'd like to go with a roller cam but the money is not here right now. What I may end up doing is getting a roller block later on a building it up when the cash and time are right.

As far as the flat tappet, I assume you ar talking about cams going flat in short order. Are there any oil additives that would work for alleviating this??