Ok, so i'm looking for a cam, lifters and rockers for my '69 350 (383) with 4 bolt mains. I want a strong street car like a weekend racer. Also, if possible, id like a rough idle for that trademark muscle car sound!! LOL, so is hydraulic the best way to go? I dont really like pulling the valve covers every other weekend! Also, hydraulic flat-tappets would be the right way to go due to price right? Thanks

OH! And, will going from a 64cc head to a 72cc reduce power significantly? I want to lower the compression due to gas prices! LOL, but i dont want to sacrifice alot of power! Thanks

Low compression + large cam = loss of power. Do you want to sound fast or do you want to go fast? Why are you worried about gas prices?

LOL, ok, i'm worried about gas prices for a few reasons: because it is my daily driver, i am only 16 and have to pay for my own gas, and our gas is rising again: it's at $2.35 again!! But i would rather have power than money!!

Without know more about your engine it's very hard to make a recommendation. Generally, you want to run as high of compression as possible for the cam selected. The higher the compression, the better the gas mileage will be, not to mention MORE POWER. Take a look at the DCR page linked in my sig. There is a calculator you can download to match the cam and compression. A hydraulic cam will do the job just fine. I run one in my bracket car.

To get the lumpy idle you need to increase overlap. You can do this by getting a cam with a tight Lobe Separation Angle (LSA). The down side is overlap will cost you in mileage. (All cams, even factory economy cams, have overlap, just not very much.)

To get the right cam, you need to know a number of things: gear ratio, compression ratio, weight of the car, and intended use. Do you have headers and a good flowing exhaust?

How do u find out the LSA, i've looked at alot of cams and have never seen this. Right now i'm looking at The Comp cams with .519/.523 lift. thanks

I'm guessing you are refering to the XE294H. It is on a 110º LSA according to their catalog. The LSA is usually stated in the catalog and on the cam card. If not add the ECL to the ICL and divide by 2. It is one of the more important specs. To calculate overlap, follow the link in my sig.

BTW, the XE294, if that is the cam you're thinking of, should have 10.5 minimum and 11.2:1 would be better. I used the 294 for a couple years. Works very well. Has a very rough idle and not much vacuum (84º overlap).

Ooops, yea sorry bout that, about 2 seconds after i typed that, i saw it! So, what degrees usually creates a rough idle? Bigger than 80 degrees? Thanks. Oh, btw, how much compression does the 294 have? Thanks

When I was up at Bowling Green last fall, I drove a 355 in an 1988 Camaro that had a VooDoo 268 ground on a 108 LSA. It had a nice sound and was very agressive when on the pedal. It did not have very much vacuum and you have to anticipate safe driving. It probably needs some sort of vacuum pump, but our production 268s are all on 110 LSA, for another inch of vacuum.
I wouldn't go any bigger without increasing the CR to about 10.5:1.

UDHarold