I would like to know if this cam will work in my 350, it is a comp cams XE268 hydraulic.

My current combo is a 350sb with four bolt mains
it has 8:75:1 compression/flat top hypereutectic pistons and moly rings, Dart S/S heads with stainless steel valves 1.94 intake; 1.5 exhaust, Edelbrock Performer intake, Holley 650cfm double pumper carb, a complete MSD ignition, Hooker comp headers,2 1/2" pipe and Dynomax race magnum bullets with turndowns. The trans is a TH350 with a transgo shift kit and the convertor is on step over stock (from what I was told), the rear is a 12 bolt with 3.42 gears and an Eaton posi with 28" tall tires.

My current cam is a hydraulic and it's specs are.
.050 duration: 214 intake; 224 exhaust
Advertised duration: 280 intake; 290 exhaust
Cam lift: .295 intake; .310 exhaust
Valve lift: .443 intake; .465 exhaust
Lobe center: 107 intake; 117 exhaust

I'm sure if I had a higher compression it would be better but I'm looking at this cam to get a rough idle and maybe a little more pep. I will not be tearing this engine apart except for adding this cam and the associated parts when swapping a cam, I do not want to rebuild this motor because in a few years I will be building a Big block and the skys the limit with it but for now I'm stuck with the current setup. I will consider other cams if they will give me a rough idle and perform as good if not better than what I have now, my current cam idles at 650 rpm in gear I expect a bigger cam will idle at a higher rpm, right? Thanks for any help or advice on this.

It should be a dandy, imho!!

As you have stated you really need more which is to me about about a 9.75 to 1 CR. motor but since you don't, go with it..

Can you run either the .015" or the .022" steel shim headgaskets to up it a schosh to should be right at 9 to 1??

OR you can drop back to the 260 or 262 cams.. But it may idle too smooth for you??

pdq67

If you want a rough idle then the XE268 is not for you. It has a slight lope, but will idle down to 600 rpms easily. Consider the crane 274H06...it matches the rest of your combo well and has a pretty nice thump to it at idle.

My xe262 has somewhat of a lope but it is at 10:1 compression. people always are suprised when i tell them what cam i have.

I personally don't think 8.75 is enough compression for the XE268. It will be a dog at low RPM's. If all you care about is a lumpy sounding idle go for it, but the car will perform better with the cam you already have in there. If you are determined to swap cams, consider the XE262. It will have a slight lope, and will work better than he XE268 with your combo.

Thanks for all of the replies guys. I'm willing to consider other cams too, I would just like something a little different to last me until I build a big block in the next couple of years. I have no problem changing the head gaskets if that would raise the compression like pdq67 suggested, this engine is a 300hp 465tq 350sb jasper crate motor incase your wondering, and it has ran great for the six years that it has been in my 72 with no problems. Would the Crane 272H or 274H
energizer cam work. They say that they both offer strong low and mid torque and that they will work with 8.7-10:1 compression, so if I changed head gaskets and was able to get 9:1 compression would either of these cams work? I have no problems stepping up to a higher stall converter if it would help like a 2200 stall. I'm not dead set on doing a cam swap I just want to see if I can do one with not having to change alot of the current parts and see if there is a cam out there that will give me a rough idle with not requiring alot of modifications for it to operate properly. I'm not building a competitive racer I just want a nice fun street car that has some bark, I have the look I just need that sound we all love. :cool:

For what you want, I still think the crane 274H06 (not the 272H10) will give you what you want. It works good with a 2000+ stall convertor. You could change the head gaskets if you want, but it isn't necessary.

Is this it Travis? www.fastengineparts.com/products_view.php?id=128&phpsessid=9a735c5af14a904c1f341bd01630bf2c (http://www.fastengineparts.com/products_view.php?id=128&phpsessid=9a735c5af14a904c1f341bd01630bf2c)

Do you have any experience with this cam? It says to use a 2500 stall converter, is this to much for my combo, would a 2200 still work? Will my compression ratio be fine or would it perform better if it was a higher ratio? Thanks

Brandon

Yep, thats the cam. I believe Jegs has them on sale with lifters right now for $99. A 2200 convertor will be fine. My buddies old '79 malibu used a 2000 stall convertor and it was still very strong, and has a nice healthy idle to it. Not real radical, but you'll know its there.

Your motor doesn't have enough compression for that much cam. It will make it a total pig at low speeds.

For that matter, any cam that gives a rough idle will make the car slower than a properly sized one. I would strongly recommend using a more sensible criterion for cam selection.

Go with the XE262, you'll be alot happier.