What is wrong with Competition Cam?
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New User
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14
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From: Idaho
What is wrong with Competition Cam?
I've been researchig the comp high energy cam and even talked to race car builder and a machinist. The machinist said that as long as the lift is under .500 it will be fine any higher lift and it will start tearing up other stuff. They said the 343901 was kinda small. the comp cam is 268h series for 352-428. I was told that we could advance or retard cam to tune it where I want the power to be. if the exaust flows porly on FE motors wouldn't a higher lift and longer duration make up for that?
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,624
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From: Missouri
What is wrong with Competition Cam?
Well your machinist is partially knowledgeable about FE's at a very minimum. He is right in everything you stated. Over .500 lift you do stand a better chance of breaking something in the valvetrain. Most likely the ends of the stock rockershafts. I would have to say that over .550 lift is the point where you really have to look into a better rocker setup. There are many of people having no problems with .500 lift cams in stock setups. I think the stock setup is probably ok for the 901 cam. The longer duration on the exhaust is going to help you out. This is why the comp cams 268H is not the best choice for a stock headed engine unless porting is done of course. The 901 cam may not be big enough for what you want but it is about as big as stock heads are going to get along with. You may get better results from the next step up but I doubt it. I like to run my cams straight up. If you feel your cam needs advanced you should have bought a smaller one and if it feels you need to retard it a bigger one was in order. However it is a good way to change the feel of an existing cam. I would never buy one without the intention of installing it straight up.
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New User
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 14
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From: Idaho
What is wrong with Competition Cam?
So what you are saying is that the exaust ports are too small on the stock heads? and if I got them ground out it would run much better? I really want a cam with a choppy idle and I'm trying not to spend a lot of bucks changing everything........Just yet anyways.
Post Fiend
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,624
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From: Missouri
What is wrong with Competition Cam?
Have the bowls opened up and use 1.65" exhaust valves. A machinist should be able to hog the bowls out for you. You can have the actual ports opened up and little and smoothed out also. I am not very knowledgeable on actual porting procedures with FE heads but there are some here that do know. The exhaust ports are not great though. That is for sure.
Senior User
Joined: Nov 2002
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What is wrong with Competition Cam?
yeah... go for the 268......I think you'll like it a lot better than the 901 for what you describe.......
get the 1.65 cj valves if you can but even if you don't the 268 will give you what you want....
See the ford heads are restricted on the ex side so while while the increased lift and duration helps that out, you're also increasing the flow on the intake side so you're back to square one again.... a cam that let's the ex out flow the intake kind of evens things up the way they should be......a lot of people believe the whole high energy series was designed for the small block chevy, and that may be .......but I think it still will give you the sound and feel you're after and because your building a realitivley mild motor anyway .......why loose sleep over 5-10hp...?
get the 1.65 cj valves if you can but even if you don't the 268 will give you what you want....
See the ford heads are restricted on the ex side so while while the increased lift and duration helps that out, you're also increasing the flow on the intake side so you're back to square one again.... a cam that let's the ex out flow the intake kind of evens things up the way they should be......a lot of people believe the whole high energy series was designed for the small block chevy, and that may be .......but I think it still will give you the sound and feel you're after and because your building a realitivley mild motor anyway .......why loose sleep over 5-10hp...?
