[dk01_99]

hey my names Doug and im from northern California. i just registered with this board today and i have a few questions regarding my 1970 Chevelle. it has the 383 stroker motor in it with roughly 400hp. i currently am running a 268degree cam and would like to upgrade to something arounda 292 or even higher (depending on clearances of course). how much of a horsepower increase would i see with a new cam that is that much bigger? would it be worth my time of installing it and my money? and if i do this i will need to get a stall converter too and i have been told a 2400-2500rpm stall would be fine but if i got one how do you launch with those? do you just put the pedal down or what? just curious. any other ideas that will get me some horsepower but cheaply? i already have my 194 heads ported and some other stuff. i think i may grow to love this place. thanks in advance. later

[78 monte]

Look a Newyears baby!!!lol
Anyway list everything about your car all engine specs(CR,heads,carb,intake etc...)tranny,rear gear,rear tire,car's weight and what you plan to do with it.
Bigger ain't allways better.Jumping from(I'm figureing EX268 comp)to a 292 total dur(292magnum???).May just turn your snappy chevelle into a loping pig that has no balls till high rpm,depending on your existing setup.The right cam isn't allays the biggest.
Why do you wanna change cams????Need more mid to high end???

[dk01_99]

ya well i just figured that maybe getting a bigger cam would mean more power for me. i plan on using the car for a street/strip car. but hopefully it will see more strip than street. my current setup is: 383 stroker kit with KB pistons, 8.8:1 compression i believe. 194 heads that are gasket matched as well as the edlebrock (edelbrock?) performer intake, holley 600cfm carb, turbo 350 tranny (just rebuilt to stock gearing with a mild shift kit) and my 4.11's. tire size.......not to sure but they are pretty damn wide right now, they are toyo's and about 10" wide or so. i think thats everything. if not a cam what else should i get for more power? i have heard about the vortec heads and everything but thats alot of money in the end. you have to get there manifold to go along with it and whatnot. oh well. thanks in advance, later

[mustang66maniac]

don't get a cam that has a powerband over 5500. thats where your intake will fall on its face and you will be doing more harm than good.

[dk01_99]

what do you suppose i do to get more performance then? or what would you do?

[mustang66maniac]

it depends on how much performance you want. From the looks of it, your engine is built for primarily low end torque. A stroker with a low rise intake and a 600cfm carb with 194 heads and only 8.8:1 compression.

What I would do if I were you is buy a high rise intake thats good for 6500rpms. 6500 is pretty high rpms for street use and you won't use it that often, so Id suggest buying a cam that tops out at like 6000rpm. Anything over that and you'll have a healthy lope happenening at idle. Also, ever notice that most street driving is at or below 3000rpm? So keep that in consideration too when picking out a cam. DOn't get too wild or you will have a beast thats no fun to drive. The heads should be OK for now unless you want to go buy new ones. Maybe a 700 or 750 might be better for performance too. With a stall converter and 4.11s you be haulin. Heavy car...what heavy car?

oh and with a stall converter, just drive it normally. It'll just rev to about 2400 rpm before it starts to pull the car.

[dk01_99]

hmmmm there is so much crap to think about ya know? i appreciate the replies though. maybe ill just put the cam/engine stuff on the back burner right now and focus on my traction problems....i dont know ill figure it out. one more thing, whats the difference between "anti-hop bars" and traction bars? just where they are installed or what? thanks again. later

[mustang66maniac]

Same concept, different names. They both will bolt to the rear axle, and either connect or contact the body of leaf spring. Basically, its made to stop the spring from winding up and lift the rear to put more weight on the tires. I just put some SSM lift bars on my mustang and i love em. It makes a stiffer ride in the back, but it launches so much firmer. It surpirsed me to see how much of a difference it made.

[dk01_99]

thanks for that bit of info to, i wish i was as smart as you. later

[F-1Rodder]

I'm reading your question and wonder if you really understand the trade-offs of cam dynamics. What you have already is a pretty good cross between a stump puller and a race motor. It is a preferred combination because it works well on the street and is fun to drive wide open. If you put the bigger cam in it you will lose torque at lower rpms (where you drive the car most of the time). The reason you have to install the hi-stall converter is to wake up the motor so that it can be driven away from a stop sign. The XE 268 cam already "prefers" a 2000 stall converter though it can be driven with a stock stall.

If you need traction bars you already have more power than you can apparently control. Maybe you should look into getting the power to the road with traction devices like the bars and posi.

[dk01_99]

ya i already have the posi and i think im ordering traction bars tomorrow. thanks