How's your cam ??

JWL said:
From the description of the desired end result there is only one or two cams that can actually fit the requirement. First would be a stock cam and second would be the Tilden Tech 8CM Plus cam. Any of the others which have been mentioned in the responses here will take you in the opposite direction from your request.
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To follow up on John's comment, you should study his book and my website (http://www.tildentechnologies.com/Cams/FlatheadPerformance.html). Despite all the folklore it comes down to the valve timing. Unfortunately, the 8CM Plus cam currently exists only on paper. I've been trying to get Bill Stipe at Specialty Motor Cams to make them. Perhaps we need some sort of grassroots ground swell of requests.
Larry Young
 
Larry
After racing drags as well as stock cars for many years I thought I had a sense about cams. I do not profess to be knowledgeable in cam design. I've known David Generous for over 30 years and he's been very helpful in exolaining the ups and douns of camshafts. At this point in my engine building efforts I;ve been trying to geet more efficency out of our Flathead and am building an econo engine specificity for fuel mileage, without sacrificing performance. So far we've succeeded in puting a 276 ci engine in a 3800 lb car and getting exelent mileage. It's at it's best right now with 21.5 in a 50 mile route that consist of 66% local roads and 33% interst5ate. Now here the RUB, it shouldn't do this , the engine has a Cam techniques L-100 246/235 at .050 .360 net lift. The economy engine is similar but with an EAB cam.
There must be a reason why this cam performs as well as it does. One other engine in a 37 4 dr seadn gets 21 mpg on a trip which des not have any interstate driving. I feel I could get more from this engine if we removed the 97's and installed a better distributor, but the 42 crab dist id performomg well so far.
I've plotted a few cams before and I have a Howard M-6 which may work quit well from a mileade point of view.

But we hot ridders like the sound of a hot cam.
Regards
Ol' Ron
 
I gotta say best thread I have seen/read in too long. Great information. I really wanted to run the potvin eliminator, but many said it would wear my lifters.I dont know if this is true I would like to hear one idle at 900rpm not that I doubt it just would be awsome before I decide to install one
 
flatheadz-forever said:
I gotta say best thread I have seen/read in too long. Great information. I really wanted to run the potvin eliminator, but many said it would wear my lifters.I dont know if this is true I would like to hear one idle at 900rpm not that I doubt it just would be awsome before I decide to install one
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Wear your lifters?????????
HA HA HA ROFLMAO......
 
Haha ok I worded that wrong. I heard that if you let the eliminator idle to low or too long it will wear out your valve train. It is sometimes hard to tell who is b.s. you
 
I've torn down quite a few flatheads and ran across some reground cams that I could never identify. It seems as though there were many unknown folks grinding camshafts for a lot of uses in the 40s and 50s.
Has anyone ever tried to compile a list and ID markings? Especially for the lesser known brands.
What brings this to mind is that I just pulled a few out of my shed and have one marked "L 49". Haven't measured it yet.
Oh, by the way( Ol Ron if your listening) I put an L-100 in my 8BA and never bothered to look. Is the L-100 marked by cam techniques?
 
Cartravel said:
To follow up on John's comment, you should study his book and my website (http://www.tildentechnologies.com/Cams/FlatheadPerformance.html). Despite all the folklore it comes down to the valve timing. Unfortunately, the 8CM Plus cam currently exists only on paper. I've been trying to get Bill Stipe at Specialty Motor Cams to make them. Perhaps we need some sort of grassroots ground swell of requests.
Larry Young
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I'AM IN,:o just spent some time with your chart and I went back and read John's tread on page 2-#28, and the 8CM, with its low duration,and good lift. Would be right for the good low end and off the line, torque, we want for the street. The other question is "what is the idell" going to sound like?? Like Ol"Ron we love a hot sounding flathead ...So how do we get this cam ground, out here where we can run it ... And how do we contack Bill Strip at Specialty Moters Cams ... Like I said up top I'AM IN ....and thanks for all the nice things you all have said about this tread "HOW'S YOUR CAM" ??.... OLD....BILL:cool:
 
I don't know if any of you have run across Harvey Cranes website - http://www.harveycrane.com/duration.htm. Lopey idle is a result of valve overlap, the degrees both valves are open. This spells a loss of low end torque. Of course, you can make up for that loss through other mods.

Can someone post the 0.050 and seat timing numbers for the L-100 cam? I've seen some of the numbers, but no lobe separation.
 
Cartravel said:
I don't know if any of you have run across Harvey Cranes website - http://www.harveycrane.com/duration.htm. Lopey idle is a result of valve overlap, the degrees both valves are open. This spells a loss of low end torque. Of course, you can make up for that loss through other mods.

Can someone post the 0.050 and seat timing numbers for the L-100 cam? I've seen some of the numbers, but no lobe separation.
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L100
LIFT: .375"
DUR: int 270* exh 260* (246* & 238* @ .050")
LSA: 112*
CL: 108*
LASH: .016"
 
This is such a good thread, I'd like to include lifters in it as they are part and parcel of the cam setup. I've read posts here and on the Hamb stating that modern Johnson replicas are rubbish. I dont know if that's true or not..... would anyone care to throw their 2cents in? Are there viable lightweight alternatives? Does lifter weight play much part in a flathead valvetrain? Here in New Zealand, back in the days when flatheads were common at racetracks, guys used to build up valve stems and/or lifters with brazing because adjustables weren't available here. Is this still done?
So many questions, so little time............
 
Bassman/NZ said:
This is such a good thread, I'd like to include lifters in it as they are part and parcel of the cam setup. I've read posts here and on the Hamb stating that modern Johnson replicas are rubbish. I dont know if that's true or not..... would anyone care to throw their 2cents in? Are there viable lightweight alternatives? Does lifter weight play much part in a flathead valvetrain? Here in New Zealand, back in the days when flatheads were common at racetracks, guys used to build up valve stems and/or lifters with brazing because adjustables weren't available here. Is this still done?
So many questions, so little time............
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Adjustable lifters have gotten a bad rap in the last few years.
A large percentage of it is deserved...Everyone has stories of them lasting forever and others say they had them back off almost immediately.
Most are probably made offshore now so who can know?

I advocate using stock hollow steel lifters and welding the valve stem if they are too short....It takes longer to do but you only do it once and they never move. In high performance (not street) engines adjustables have no place.
 
How about modern cam designs in a flathead? I'm thinking of the "Thump'r" series cams from Comp Cams. Has anybody run one of these? Are they for 'show' or 'go'?
 
40 Deluxe said:
How about modern cam designs in a flathead? I'm thinking of the "Thump'r" series cams from Comp Cams. Has anybody run one of these? Are they for 'show' or 'go'?
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I'm interested in that as well. I'm always leery of a cam advertising "the sound" vs. performance.

Almost makes it seem hokey.
 
Ol' Ron said:
It's hard to believe a person would have a Flathead as a daily driver, but if you d then I'd stick with the stock cam. If it's a street rod then I'd go with the L-100. The 77b is almpst a stock grind and the Max#1 is a wast of thime. might just as well have the thrill of the L-100 and it's cheaper. IMHO
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Ron,Why do you find it hard to believe someone would drive there flathead as a daily driver. I seriously drive my 37 to work(Honest Charley Garage) everyday, and it's had a knock for over 3 years.
 
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