I need some opinions on which cam I should use ?
I have a Edelbrock rpm cam (7102),valve springs(5703) that came with the car when I bought it.I have read on here that some people arent to impressed with this cam, would the comp cam xe274h,xe268h or another cam be a better choice
& could I use the stock vavle springs.The car will just be driven to work & around town
occasionaly.I would however like the engine to make decent power & have slightly rough idle.

350 .30 over
stock heads 882 casting 76cc
Edelbrock performer intake (2101)
Edelbrock 600cfm carb (1405)
Hooker headers
hei ignition
turbo 350 ( stock converter)
10 bolt 2.73 ? (3.73 eventually)


Edlebrock rpm cam 7102 specs
duration @ .50 intake 234 ex 244
lift intake .488 ex .510
lobe sep 112 intake centrln 107


Any opinions or coments welcome
Thanks in advance Scott
Go Sooners

That cam with 2.73's and stock stall will not be happy together.If you want to have fun with it,put those 3.73's in it 1st graemlins/thumbsup.gif
..then a convertor,and maybe that cam,but there are better grinds out there.

The XE274 and the RPM are both a waste in a basically stock motor like yours imop.
You'd be a lot happier with a XE262 or a HE268.
I'd personally go with the old crane HMV272 with your set up. The RPM springs should work with any of these cams, make sure it's the RPM parts and not the performer parts that you have. Stock springs would probably only work with the HE268 or a crane hmv266.
You might step up to a solid cam. UDHarold comes to mind. I think a 272f10 will work with RPM springs.

I would go with the comp 268 high energy for your set up. I ran this cam for years in a set up almost exactaly like yours. It ran great and spanked a bunch of guys on the street!

Thanks for the info, what is the difference between the xe268 cam & the he268 cam ?Would the he268 cam be a better choice for my combo
Thanks
Scott

Cam specs....

268HE- 268/268 with 218 at .050 with 454 lift
268XE-268/280 with 224/230 at .050 with 477/480lft


For your stock type heads-882's and mild rear gears the 268HE would be a better match. The XE needs a little more cyl head and rear gear to work the way it is supposed too. Here is my old combo that ran great:

355 sbc
882's good 3 angle valve job
Performer Intake
600 Holley Vac Sec
9.1 to comp ratio
Mallory unilite
1 5/8" Long tubes
2.5 dual exhaust

This combo suprised alot of cars on the street. I had it in a Jeep CJ 7 with a TH400 and 2200 stall converter.

Scott I have almost the same combo you have, except my heads are 487 casting 76cc, and I run a edel. 750 carb. I have the xe268, This car is a blast to drive around town. I also have a 2.73 geared rearend for now and when accelerating from 50mph up to :D it will set you back in your seat.
I can't say much about the other choices, and I'm not an engine builder, but if you want streetable fun go with the xe268. Also drop a shift kit into your tranny. You can still use the stock converter.
Rob

I believe that in 2003 Chevy High Performance ran a test where they compared a HE268(identical to the one I designed them in 1977...) against a XE268, both with unported World Products heads, and then with the same heads ported.
It's very funny reading their explanation on why the smaller HE268 whipped, big time, the XE268 above 4000.......
They said it was because the heads were soooo efficient that the larger XE268 overcammed them.
I'm glad they didn't embarass anyone by trying a small roller, too.....
Run the HE268. It will work just fine. My 272H12, 217 at .050, .454 valve lift, 112 LSA, has a wider torque band, 600 rpm idle, 17" vacuum, 17 mpg...... Torque band varied 43 ftlbs from 2000 to 5400. My wife's 77 Nova had a 355 in it, TargetMaster with good rod bolts, the 272H12, Performer, Carter 625 AFB, BlackJacks... Stock converter, stock 2.73 rear. STRONG power right from idle....


UDHarold

Thanks for the info I think I will go with the HE268 , later down the road if I swapped to vortec heads & performer rpm intake would this cam still be ok ..
Thanks
Scott Go Sooners

The 268HE will still work great if you add the Vortecs and RPM intake down the road. You could also just ad some 1.6 rockers and a carb spacer on the Performer later down the road if you wanted some more upper rpm power.

I have the xe268 in my 72 Nova and I love it. Pulls great to about 5800. If you get this cam, 3.73's and a 2500 stall are a must. If you don't, the motor will dog until 2700rpm. I had a th-350 with a 2000 stall with 3.42 gears and thought it was good. When I put in the 2500 stall, it was like night and day. Then with the 3.90's I put in, :D :D :D . I now have a super t-10 with some drag radials and it's almost better than sex.

Almost.