I need some help and suggestions to pick a cam for my 396 BBC. I'm replacing the old performance parts with stock including carb, stock heads, stock exhaust, and stock 2.73 rear gears. It currently has a cam with a little lope and I want to replace it with something more driveable.

I was considering the Crane Blueprint cam but have been thinking about getting something more modern that will produce more torque and BHP. The Blueprint cam lists 214/218 duration @ .050, .461/.481 lift, and 115 LSA.

One alternative I'm considering are the Lunati 302A4LUN, which appears to be the same as the old Ultradyne 272H12. It lists advertised duration of 272/272 and 217/217 @ .050, 515/515 lift, and 112 LSA.

The other choice is the Crane 272H10. It advertises 272/272 duration and 216/216 @ .050, 515/515 lift, and 110 LSA.

What differences can I expect from these three? The Lunati and Crane appear to be the same except for LSA. What difference will the 112 v. 110 LSA make. The Crane is appealing right now because you can get the cam and lifter kit at Summit for $99. But I don't want to make my decision solely on price. So your help, comments and suggestions are appreciated. graemlins/beers.gif

i think i can help you with this one. since i have ran a 396 bbc built with lesser then stock specs.........lol

the 272 crane cam works great in these old 396 motors.

to give ya idea my first 396 was punched .030 over with 7.7 to 1 compression (yes 7.7 to 1) with oval port heads that had 118 cc chambers, the heads was completely stock with 2.06/1.72 valves, with stock sytle replacement springs, 272 crane cam, stock low rise intake, 600 cfm holley carb, with just a set of headers, and stock th350 tranny and a 2.56 open rear end.

the 3600 lbs car ran 14.40's at 99 mph thru the 1/4 mile with 2.19 60 ft times on 225/70-15 tires with open headers. the idle was pretty smooth i thought and it would idle way down under 500 rpms (messed around to see how far it would go one time) the engine pull very good to 5000 rpms but i was shifting at 5500 rpms at the track.

and with the single spinner 2.56 gears i could smoke the rear tire for well past a block long going thru the gears.......i was a happy teenager then.........lol

i think you would be happy with that cam specialy with the gears you will be running.

Ditto, especially if you can get the compression up to right at 9.75 to 1 by juggling quench, headgasket thickness piston top configuration and chamber cc volume..

The sucker should really grunt in the midrange!!!

IMHO...

pdq67

PS., and if you want a little more power, then go with CC's 270S Magnum solid cam for more power everywhere when compared to the hy-cams...

I've run the Crane 272H10 in a stock 454 and a 402..both motors performed very well with that cam.

Do you want a little lope at idle or "purr" smooth, is the question. The 110 will be slightly noticeable, 112 LSA less so. 114 smooth as can be but bleeds down more compression.

Don't think anyone addressed that.

For a 'stock' 396, I'd look at the Lunati 302A2 or A3 cams. But NOT if you're at 10.25:1 compression. One thing is the split duration. With stock heads and manifolds, you really need a split duration cam more than not. None of the Energizers are.

Compucam 2020 seems like a good choice. What? Money's no object? then its HR-214/325-2S-12 IG. Comp H262-12.

Cheap? Why not look at the Elgin line at competitionproducts. $70 for the kit.
http://www.competitionproducts.com/page48.html
Or how about a Howards Street hy roller ( $130). The 208/216 @.050 on a 112 seems right on.
66 block? need the cam grooved, eh?

Thanks for the replies. Gene, while money is always an object, it's always cheaper to do it right the first time rather than pay to do it again. Thanks for the response to the LSA question. I do want it to idle smooth so maybe the 110 LSA is out if it has a noticeable rough idle. The lope in the idle now is not too extreme, but I don't like it anymore. The things you like as a kid seem to change when you have kids. Plus the rich idle is a killer on the eyes.

Also, the compression is high at 10.25:1, I should have mentioned that in my first post, sorry. So Gene says the Lunati 302A2and 302A3 are out. Why? I also remember reading a post that said that a 114LSA grind would be more forgiving on pump gas. Is this true, or did I make it up?

. . . Yeah, the cam needs grooved on a 66 block!

Thanks for the help. graemlins/beers.gif

Originally posted by 427L88:
Do you want a little lope at idle or "purr" smooth, is the question. The 110 will be slightly noticeable, 112 LSA less so. 114 smooth as can be but bleeds down more compression.

Don't think anyone addressed that.

For a 'stock' 396, I'd look at the Lunati 302A2 or A3 cams. But NOT if you're at 10.25:1 compression. One thing is the split duration. With stock heads and manifolds, you really need a split duration cam more than not. None of the Energizers are.

Compucam 2020 seems like a good choice. What? Money's no object? then its HR-214/325-2S-12 IG. Comp H262-12.

Cheap? Why not look at the Elgin line at competitionproducts. $70 for the kit.
http://www.competitionproducts.com/page48.html
Or how about a Howards Street hy roller ( $130). The 208/216 @.050 on a 112 seems right on.
66 block? need the cam grooved, eh? Can you please elaborate on the need for split duration with the stock set up. Also, what kind of seperation and duration would be good for a 10.25:1 402 if I'm looking for more grunt?

Here's my understanding on the split duration thing.

From what I've read, BBC heads have a poorly designed exhaust port so running a split duration cam can help the situation a bit, but only at fairly high RPM's. However, regardless of how good or bad the port is, the stock manifolds are more of a liability at high RPM's than the exhaust port. Essentially, the manifolds are bringing the party to an end in the neighborhood of 5000 to 5500 RPMs. Add the stock intake to the stock manifolds and bingo - you've got an engine that is pretty much done by 5k or so.

A single pattern cam will make more torque in the mid range than a split pattern will. Although with the stock components the split may still make a little more power on top but, the way I understand it, for my application I'd rather have the stronger mid range.

Dan

Lunati sells an "old style" cam that may just fit right in here.

It is a PN 00021. Spec's are;

304/324, 221/233, 115/110, .500"/.510".

Since it has a 304 advertised intake duration, it should bleed off some compression so that pump gas would be more friendly with your 10.25 CR..

Plus, since it is a 115/110 cam, it should idle smoooooth, imho...

AND it is advertised as a very good midrange grunt cam which I figure it is b/c of it's 221 duration at .050".

I figure that it is actually a reboxed Clevite cam b/c I have a brand new Clevite one spec'ed the same that I picked up several years ago and will let it go at a reasonable price if you are interested in it..

E-mail me at home if you are.

pdq67

PS., AND I DID SAY OLD STYLE CAM, BUT to me, it should fit right in here fine!!!!!!!

I get a dcr of 8.2 with the 272 Lunati, 8.32 with the Crane. Too much for 91 oct I should think. Even the 302A3 with its 114 lsa gets you 8.25 dcr.

Given your goals here I would stick with a 114/112 lsa.

Gene,

What's your thoughts on my guess on the old Lunati/Clevite cam above??

I figure it is actually made for an application like this even though it is old tech..

Please come back..

pdq67

Think its going to be way too lumpy for him. Reason I say is tha my old Crane solid was 304/314 seat on a 114. Pretty smooth in a high compression 427, but noticeable. Think that 233 on the exhaust side will be heard.

Though defintely would lower dcr to 89 octane I should guess. I was looking for a bit less seat duration to help with that idle. And a bit less .050 duration, but not much.

Smooth idle. So far his Crane buleprint might be the best solution for both. The Lunati a close second. It should make more grunt ( the 114 lsa A3)

Thanks Gene. What about the Crane Powermax H-266-2. Its specs are 266/274 advertised duration, 210/214 @ .050, 285/295 lift at cam, 485/502 lift at valve, and 114 LSA. This seems to be pretty close to the blueprint spec. Also, are you saying that I can get better results, with a solid cam and lifters due to the compression? Thanks for all the help. graemlins/beers.gif

Rob, no I was not recommending a solid, just using mine for comparisons sake. I don't think you'd like the idle of most solids.

Just a step up from the 266 would be warranted by your compression. PDQs cam choice look OK, and you might take a look at summit's 276/286 on a 114.

Thanks everyone I appreciate the help. graemlins/thumbsup.gif

The more I thought about it, the more I liked PDQ's cam recommendation. Oh, it'll be a bit lazy as opposed to the others, but it might idle like you want, and it'll certianly tame the compression, maybe all the way to 89 octane level.

Thanks Gene for the back up!!

I honestly think it will be a dandy for him like I mentioned..

AND I have a new Clevite just like the Lunati cam I mentioned if you want to save some money?? I will make you a deal on it..

I bought the Clevite for my 454, then got bit by the dreaded "more power, Scotty" bug for a .100" over 454 for a 475" motor and then got bit again and I went with an Erson Hi-Flow AH and then got bit again and went with the good old CC 282S for my 496!!

So I have two new cams to store if nobody wants them..

The Erson cam is 284/218, 111/111, .542"/.542".. It's a dandy grunt cam too in a BB with some compression, imho

pdq67