need help to pick new cam..

Hot Rod did a test on 4 different cams on a mild 383 stroker, with 882 heads with large valves, holley 750 carb, rpm intake, and headers. The top camshaft for street use was the Comp 275DEH 219--229 .460-.480 lift on a 110 lsa. It made 408 tq. at 3600 rpm and 328 hp at 5000 rpm and had a noticeable idle and pulled 14" of vacuum at 950 rpm.

 

Please post your converter's flash stall when you get a chance. For these recommendations, I am assuming a stall of 2200rpm. Choices are based on good driveability, sufficient vacuum for power brakes, and the widest possible torque curve with easily available cams.

Hydraulic Flat-Tappets:

Lunati Voodoo #60103 (227/[email protected]", .489/.502 lift). They recommend a 2400 stall converter. A 2200 stall converter paired with a 383 should be adequate.

Comp Cams XE268H #12-242-2 (224/[email protected]", .477/.480 lift) This cam will be slightly less sensitive to the stall of your converter, if you are not comfortable with the above Lunati cam.

Hydraulic Retro-Fit Rollers:

Lunati Voodoo #60111 (219/[email protected]", .515/.530 lift) This cam will work fine with a stock converter on your 383, but will be much more fun with a slightly higher-than-stock converter.

Comp Cams XR276HR #12-423-8 (224/[email protected]", .502/.510 lift)

Any of these cams should provide you with a fun, driveable combination.

 

I need your compression ratio before I can recommend a cam. If it is 10:1 or higher I would recommend the Lunati voodoo 60104 and a 3000 stall 10" converter.

 

Pro, I'm pretty sure ronald had an earlier thread about his engine that said 4-relief pistons (~-6cc). Even with -16cc dish pistons he'd be no lower than 9.92:1 so you're in good territory.

 

What type of cam are you interested in? flat tappet, Hyd, roller, solid, mechanical?

 

Stock 12" converters typically flash stall around 1600-1800rpm behind a 350. That would place your converter at 2600-2800 stall for a 350. Your 383 will stall about 200rpm higher. That's a great stall range for a street-driven 383.

My cam recommendations are slightly more conservative than Pro's. His suggestion will work excellent in a 383. It all depends on how often you're going to drive the car, and what kind of idle quality/power production compromises you're willing to accept. I'm running a cam almost identical to the Lunati #60103 in my 355 and I love it. Pro's Lunati #60104 suggestion will give your 383 roughly the same idle stability/driveablility as my 350 with the #60103 cam. Your extra cubic inches make that possible.

Notes on my combo: I have the heat cross-over blocked off with a Edelbrock Performer RPM manifold. This makes the car hard to start in cooler weather.

Your heads do not have a heat cross-over, so you will need to address the same cold-starting issues that I have. Larger cams are going to make this cold-starting issue more prominent. If tending to the car until it starts to warm before driving does not concern you or you're willing to fine tune your carb/choke to eliminate this issue with a larger cam, then Pro's recommendation is better than mine. The #60104 will make more total power.

Enjoy!