My name is Lance Hogan and I primarily hang out in the FTE forums 41 (1955 F100) and 51 (390 FE). I am writing to see if you guys would give me an opinion on a 1996 351W.<O</O

Here goes... My father and I are working on a 1957 F100. We would like to install a 351W/AOD, but would like to modify a stock engine. The 351W is a low mileage engine (less than 50,XXX) out of a 1996 F250. We would like to reach 350 hp and make it into a carbureted motor (Edelbrock RPM intake; Edel carb). I believe the 1996 motor had 8:1 compression, but a roller motor. I would like to know if we could shave the heads (how much) and change the cam (recommendations) to reach our goal of 350 hp. My dad would like a cam that sounds good!!! Any information would be much appreciated.<O</O

Lance<O</O

 

Hi Lance,

What you are desiring to do is very obtainable! With regards to the compression ratio/clyinder psi, there are several ways to increase that dependent on what the condition of the engine is.....shave the head, use a thinner head gasket, use pop-up pistons or a combination of all the above. But it really depends on the cam......the grinds they have today can really work very well with a low CR engine but it is best to speak directly with the cam grinder...and here are my recommendations:

Iskenderian racing Cams
Crower racing Cams

My resoning....


1. Comp has by appearance - seems to be a company that has experience more cam lobe failures than most and places the blame on the low ZDDP in the oils. Is it a factor yes, but I highly suspect that they are also using Chinese cam billets & they do not include Parkerizing their cams (Parkerizing is the final step and a crucial step to help break the cam in- a heated acid bath that microscopically etches the metal surface and adds a very thin layer of graphite coating which allows the cam lube to hang onto and penetrate into the cam surface during cam break in) unless you specifically request and pay additional money for it.

2. Who actually is the supplier for summit, I don't know and I doubt they will tell you, but knowing summit's pricing structure, I will bet their cam billets are Chinese based as well.

3. Considering the cam has such critical importance to the engines performance and life, to me it makes sense to use a cam grinder who will talk with you directly- even modify the cam grind to fit your needs even better and to address the possibility of cam lobe failure with the new oils. With regards to price...the difference is nil- especially considering its cheap insurance to know exactly who is machining such a critical part for your engine. And remember, advertized lift/duration/lobe separation is just that- advertized and not the specific grind including ramp profile that is used on the cam.

That is why I highly recommend Iskenderian & Crower...both are family owned, been grinding cams for decades, and both will even re-grind your oem cam if possible- saving you even more $.

As you are probably aware, many of the cam mfgs in the past few years either sold, closed their operations to re-open elsewhere (typically with new staff) or .......

In addition to Isky & Crower, I use to very highly recommend....
Sig Erson & Crane...

Both became part of corporate entities, eventually leading to periodic quality issues and closing their doors- I think Crane re-opened, but with a different staff. Typically the staff is very, very young and well- requires a learning curve.

If you do a search on the net, Harvey Crane has posted a little summary of the history of the people who made the cams at Crane, his opinion of what happened and the eventual outcome of several of the staff.

While there are some cam failures cause by start-up/break-in error, cam lobes that are of a street type profile should not be completely worn out in 10,000-30,000 miles- and while just about every cam mfg recommends adding ZDDP (and sells) to the oil, I still highly suspect Parkerizing is not done by some and the billets are of Chinese origin with inferior properties.

Given the criticality of the component- IMHO, I don't like speaking to a catalog parts sale person- they really don't know any more about the cam than what they are reading- companies like Summit, while their bulk purchase agreements are great for price, when it comes to making an engine breathe, there are so many variable including elevation, humidity, fuel blends/available octane, most cam mfgs will vary a "core grind pattern" to match the external impactors in addition to the internal impactors- which today IMHO makes the different between and engine that runs well, to one that just seems to run a little bit better, smoother and gets better mileage than expected.

 

That '96 motor has 8.8:1 compression and a roller cam. Your goals are attainable but not with the stock heads.. you wil need a set from the aftermarket like Dart Iron Eagles or RHS Pro Action 180's for example.. both of which can be had for about $1000 fully assembled. These big valve heads will not cause any P-V clearance problems on a stock shortblock if you don't get too carried away with the cam.. so something like the Comp 35-410-8 for example. COMP Cams 35-410-8 - COMP Cams Magnum Hydraulic Roller Camshafts - Overview - SummitRacing.com
If you step up to a 270 or 280 duration cam there is a good possibility the pistons will need to be notched to clear the intake valves, I'd suggest you check regardless what cam you choose.. I know I'm going to when I assemble my 5.8 and it's already got aftermarket pistons with valve reliefs.

 

Beechkid and Conaski,

Thanks for the responses. I have read a lot about flattened cam lobes which is why I want my father to go with a “roller” engine. My suspicions with the flattened lobe problems lies less with the cam, but with the lifters. When I first built my 390, I had a problem with my lifters finding out that the majority of lifters are made in China leading me to believe that the metallurgy is inaccurate (just my theory). However, if cam companies are getting their blanks from China, there lies another problem! Never the less, I believe using a roller motor will avoid this problem.

My goal is to do very little to the engine (cost reasons). What is the most Horsepower I can get out of the stock heads? For my father, I think spending an additional $1000 on new heads might be out of question. I read somewhere that I can switch rockers (1.7) and gain a little more???