[thenige]

Hi all,

I'm in the midst of a mild 350 build-up and am down to 2 cam choices, one is a Crane, the other is Comp. There are others on the list, but these are shortlisted.

here are the specs:

Crane (114142)

RPM: 2.2-5.2
ADV: 272/284
@50: 216/228
Lift: .454/.480
LSA: 112

Comp: (12-209-2)

RPM: 2.0-6.0
ADV: 275/277
@50: 216/229
Lift: .462/.482
LSA: 110

My target is about 300hp +/- 25 (probably minus!) and I'd like to get at least matching torque at the bottom/midrange.

The crappy (cracky!) heads I'm using are the 624s with 202/160 valves with some very mild cleanup/port matching. Pistons are KBs and good for about 9:1.

At this point I'm more about building the bottom-end up, so the top is more of a budget. I have the 670 Holley SA and a Weiand Stealth intake.

Bottom line question is, after all this.. ahaha. the Crane says it is for computer-assisted vehicles.. but I like the spec.

Q1) Is there something I am missing in the spec or the construction of the cam that I cannot use it for a non-computer setup?
Q2) Any other cam you might recommend for this mild build?

Regards and thanks,
Nigel

[Hippie]

That cam will work just fine in a non-ECM engine. As far as other cams, you might take a peak at the Comp 12-238-2 XE262H. I have talked to a couple people with that cam in 350's very similar to yours and they love it. One was in a '69 Malibu with a 9.5 to 1 355, 200-4R and rear gear unknown. He said it was very well mannered in traffic and his best ET with it was a 13.54 @ 99 MPH. I am seriously considering it for a 383 SBC project I have started. Both peole said it pulled hard to 5500.

Comp: (12-238-2)
XE262-H

RPM: 1300-5600
ADV: 262/270
@50: 218/224
Lift: .462/.479
LSA 110

[thenige]

Thanks Hippie ... that's great to know!

The Comp cam you speak of was on my list but was the most aggressive of all of them (44/46 degrees Adv-@50).

As my heads are a weak point, I didn't want to pummel the poor b*stards (i.e. seats) with a harder cam.

The 114142 and the 12-209-2 are less stressful at 56/56 and 56/48 respectively, and have a little higher exhaust lift to help scavenge.

Thanks again for your help

Regards,
Nigel

[Hippie]

Looks like you've done your homework. Yeah the XE's do have pretty aggressive ramps and I have heard compalints on some of the larger ones of excessive valvetrain noise from the valves closing so quickly although neither person with the 262 mentioned it, in fact one said you could barely tell it had a cam at idle. I'd probably lean toward the Comp you listed if the XE isn't an option but the difference between the two would probably be minimal.