Just curious if this combo sounds mismatched: an L82 cam in a '73 350 block with 461 camel hump heads.

That's as much as I know for sure on this engine....I'm thinking the pistons are stock.

I do know it's mated to a TH350 with stock converter and 2.73 gears.

That was pretty much the hot setup back in the mid 70's. I had ran 350 motors with both the 327/350 cam and the 350/350 (L82) cam. L82 cam is good for about 5800-6000 RPM and a minimum of 9.0/1 CR. It will work with a stock stall converter but comes alive with a 2400+ stall conv

Hhhmmm.....wierd but I swar I can drop this car into 1st and get the rpms up and it doesn't have that snappy neck breaking acceleration....it's actually quite a bit of a slug if you ask me.

I know I really need more gear and some stall but I figured even with a 2.73 and the TH350 in 1st it would have some grunt.

That cam needs at least 10 to 1 and better yet, 11 to 1 to run right in a 350 motor, imho!!

As does the old -151 cam and I daily drove it for several years in my original 350SS motor.

pdq67

doesn't have that snappy neck breaking accelerationThat's because you're now accustomed to modern cams....

We've learned a thing or 2 about how to make a cam, since then. You're comparing it to far better designs that are all around you nowadays, as opposed to even poorer designs like the 151 or the 929. Duplicating an early 70s motor isn't a good way to stand out in a crowd.

"Stock" covers ALOT of ground on a 350. Before picking a cam, it'd be a REAL GOOD IDEA to figure out exactly what its compression is; which means you need to know what pistons are in it, and what the deck clearance is. If you have a "stock" 73 block that's been "rebuilt" with "stock" replacement pistons, your ACTUAL compression could be as low as 8½:1, even with the 64cc heads. That'll make any motor with any cam bigger than a 929 into a disappointing slug.

Those heads were the best you could get in their day. The operative concept here being, IN THEIR DAY. Like cams, we've learned a thing or 2 about heads since then; and the advent of CNC casting has made the entire aftermarket "street" head business possible in the last several decades since those were the hot ticket. While all of us old geezers fondly recall the hours and hours and hours we would put into lovingly maxing out a set of those, or even the ones like 186 or 041 or even 292 that are much better than those mid-60s ones, they're all hopelessly outclassed by modern castings. Which is not to say that they can't run good; only that, like the cam thing, you shouldn't expect to run favorably against modern ones, unless your skills with a die grinder are pretty fine-tuned.

So yes, it sounds mismatched, and also mismatched to the drive train. It's all a good recipe for performing below expectations.

Great answers so far! I can just add one thing: the L82 had a 9:1 compression. That same cam was originally used in a 350 c.i. 350-horse Corvette (L-46) with an 11:1 compression. Really it was the successor to the L-79.
A friend ran an L-79 cam in his low compression 350 truck block. We were a little disappointed with the low end response as well. It really needed more compression.

When I ran that cam, it had a 2400 stall and 3.73's in a '73 Vette. Wasn't lazy at all.

When I ran that cam, it had a 2400 stall and 3.73's in a '73 Vette. Wasn't lazy at all.

What heads/compression did you have? Any track times with it?

I wonder how well it would do with a 2400 stall and a 3.42-3.55 gear?

73 Vette = relatively light"car.
2400 converter = much improved over stock.
3.73 Gear = WAY better acceleration.

'73 Vette was not that lite wt. That car had factory AC and was the first year for the body color front bumper. It was still a 3500# car. No, I never did get track times, wish I had. Guessing mid 13's.

Been a long time, but if I remember right, flat tops (4 valve relief stock 350 piston) got you 10.25/1 with 64cc heads and 9.0/1 with 76CC heads. '73 350 motors (L48's) had dished pistons and 76CC chambers for 8.5/1. Bolting up the 64CC heads brought the CR up 1.25 pts to about 9.75/1. The '73 motor was rebuilt using the LT1 11/1 pistons, but with the 76CC heads to get to the same 9.75/1. Small blocks are so easy to figure out.