[Toyman]

Replaced cam in my 355 sbc (Edelbrock Perf RPM to Crane solid 114681) and put about 100 miles after breaking in the cam. Changed the oil after break in, and will again at 500 miles. Should I wait until the second oil change before going to the track?

[baddbob]

Monitor your valve lash adjustment and if they aren't changing and your oil filters look good then you've made it through the breakin and past the stress period IMO. Any major power improvements going to this cam? what are the specs on both?

Set your lash while hot according to what the cam manufacturer recomends, then let her cool down overnight and check to see what the cold measurement is, this way you'll know what they should be set at cold and no more hot hands. Bob

[Toyman]

Badbob - good info on the lash settings. I haven't done them hot yet, I set them .002 more cold, but setting them hot is in the future. The cam specs for the RPM were: .488/.510 lift, 308/318 adv duration, and 112 LCA. It had a lot of overlap, and sounded nice, but didn't make anywhere near the advertised 410 hp with the heads/manifold etc. The new cam specs are: .518/.536 lift, 280/288 adv duration, and 112 LCA. According to DD2000, I should have picked up 50 hp & tq, so it should be noticeable. I did give it about a 3/4 throttle in second gear and it broke the rear tires free without any trouble. (No, it didn't downshift ) I also used a GM Performance Parts .028 head gasket to increase my compression a bit, hopefully I'll be in the low 13's.

[larryblack]

Originally Posted by Toyman

Badbob - good info on the lash settings. I haven't done them hot yet, I set them .002 more cold, but setting them hot is in the future. The cam specs for the RPM were: .488/.510 lift, 308/318 adv duration, and 112 LCA. It had a lot of overlap, and sounded nice, but didn't make anywhere near the advertised 410 hp with the heads/manifold etc. The new cam specs are: .518/.536 lift, 280/288 adv duration, and 112 LCA. According to DD2000, I should have picked up 50 hp & tq, so it should be noticeable. I did give it about a 3/4 throttle in second gear and it broke the rear tires free without any trouble. (No, it didn't downshift ) I also used a GM Performance Parts .028 head gasket to increase my compression a bit, hopefully I'll be in the low 13's.

I ran a crane CC 290 that was similar in profile. Crane told me to use a 1.6 rocker on the intake. Have you talked to crane about how to set this cam up? Some times they have a trick or two that makes a ton of difference.

[Toyman]

I haven't spoke with Crane about the 1.6's. I will check that out though. I have to get to the track to see what, if any, improvement I've made. I jetted up from 67/75 primary/secondary jets out of the box on my 650 dp to 71/79 and an .032 squirter. I also removed the 1" open spacer, for now. I'll need to see if the engine likes this setup and go from there. It'll be easy, it's only time .

[Rick WI]

If you set your valve lash an additional 2 thou when cold you are VERY loose on your lash settings. Valve lash grows with heat. You really need to lash the valves hot.

[Toyman]

I'm sorry, I set them .002 less. It's hard to keep things straight while dealing with all the stress at work.

[larryblack]

What intake are you running? I ran a scorpion, forerunner to the victor series. It liked the 1 inch spacer and loved a 2 inch.

[steve t]

seems to me after you brake a cam in, you can give it hell, dragracer do

[Toyman]

Performer RPM manifold. The old cam liked the 1" spacer at the track, but I figured that I would start from scratch. Basically what I want to do is get to T&T at the track & see the times. I made an air box that goes from the carb to the cowl with foam in front. It takes advantage of the cowl hood. That brought my times down along with the spacer. Basically, when I get to the track, I plan on running the air box without the spacer, and then with to see if there is any change. And, as I said above, I'm going to also have to play with jetting.