Okay, so my lady went and picked up my Nova today and as suspected initially the performance is much more geared towards trips in only 1/4 mile durations.

After the advice of many here I am going to switch my carb out to a reconditioned 750 Qjet.

I am wondering what cam would be a good fit for my 350? I want the best mileage and performance I can get and am not interested in throwing too much money into that area at the moment. I was looking at the xtreme energy or the thumper series. Also since I have never switched out cams, will I need to do anything other than tune the new carb. It almost seems to easy to just slide a new cam in.

Once again, thanks for the advice in advance.

Extreme Energy cams have very aggressive lobe designs. Do not even consider this cam in a flat tappet ( I personally feel you should consider only a roller tappet cam because flat tappets are dead, let them rest in peace). For a flat tappet look at the Magnum series if you want a hot cam that can possibly live with today's oil problems (you will still have to use racing oil only).

Thumper cams are designed for what most of the guys on this board are looking for a rough idle. Knowing everyone wants a rumppity rump idle, and also knowing that such an idle kills performance on the street, the engineers (it is usually one man named U D Harold; who is always being fought over by the cam companies) designed a cam with only modest power loss that yields a modest rough idle. It does this by putting a long duration (that noise you guys love), on only the exhaust side (where the power robbing part is minimized).

If you are looking for a recommendation look to the RV and Towing part of the book, You want to build torque and you want it all in by 4,600 RPM. Those cams generally offer higher than stock lift with only a little added duration on a longer LSA's. You are looking for a maximum duration of about 205 and a LSA of 112 to 114.

Big Dave

donnie,
it depends on your definition of "easy" as far as sliding another cam in.changing a camshaft in a car can be a REAL pain in the butt.an average cam swap will involve draining the rad.evacuating a/c refrigerant if so equipped,pulling the distributor,pulling the valve covers,pulling the intake manifold,removing rad,a/c condensor,fan assy,shroud,water pump,grille,etc....
this is all very "do-able",but cleaning gasket surfaces,and getting out stucklifters(from the block lifter bores) isn't always easy.
i'm not trying to scare you off,but you should be prepared for what you're getting into.
good luck,
leftcoast carl.

Thanks Dave and Carl. I rebuild desiel engines in the military so I got the jist of changing a cam. I just didnt know if there was anything specific to know as far as tuning goes.

Dave, I would like a good sound but I am not willing to sacrifice performance for it. I want my engine to last. I am only 25 and will be having some little ones soon and I cant afford to have something that will drain me. I bought the car because the body was in great shape with no rust or dents. I have no problem down grading the engine to make it more drivable and tame. I just love Nova's, always have. My dad had one when he was a kid and all he ever did was talk about it and tell me he wished he never sold it. So I really want the car for sentiment and family. I like to go fast, dont get me wrong. I own a Yamaha R1, so that department is covered. I really just want a strong V8 that isnt going to drain my bank. There may come a time in my life where taking quarter mile trips will be in the agenda, now isnt that time.

Thanks,

Donnie

Donnie, i think the best thing first off is to list the engine components... what compression, intake, carb, exhaust, what trans, differential gears etc...

you don't want to just throw in a cam for this or that, it's really best to pick a camshaft that will fit the "total package".

i've heard good things about Edelbrock's "Performer" series cams & cam/head packages... but then, i've always liked Isky cams m'self ;)

well not sure on the compression right now. As far as the other stuff is concerned.

850cfm Holley (will be QJet 750 in a few weeks), High Rise Intake, not sure on the header specs either, Turbo 400 trans, 3.73 gears.

I just have so many questions it is really quite overwhelming.

How do you all find the time to answer all our questions? I am very impressed. This forum is certainly one of the best I have ever seen.

Donnie

how do "I" find the time ???

simple... i'm an independently impoverished freelancer bum. :eek:

yuk yuk yuk :D


as far as the camshaft choices go i think if i were you i'd stay a tad on the smaller side. i'd choose a cam that basically benefits a stock compression engine 8.5/9.0-1 i'd think you have stocker heads on it so i'm thinking that's about what the compression ratio is. to be the most efficient it all needs to work together. i think right now you're over-carbed. the 750cfm Q-Jet will be OK (in my opinion) as it's a vacuum secondary. my first choice in recommendations would be a 262 Isky "Supercam" second choice would be the Eddy Performer cam.

make sure ya get the lifter & cam kit too... i'd think real hard about changing the valve spreings too. now both of the cams i recommended are fairly mild BUT i'm thinking the springs on the heads are originals... so i'd really think you'd be best off replacing them. with added HP etc from the cam change it's logical to think you WILL have yer foot in it more often... which naturally strains the old stocker springs... right ???

not trying to open pandora's box here but one thing will lead to another and who needs to fix broken stuff... do it the first time and enjoy it ;)

i wish ya well ;)


JR

That's correct. The time to go buy a decent quality lifter puller is not at the time you discover you have a stuck lifter and can't get it out!!!! It's best to have one on hand before you start because if you're doing this now, you will probably be doing it again someday!!!;)

Shifty,

So if the QJet is just "OK" what would you recommend that would be better?

Thanks,

Donnie

Oh, No... not meaning ok... it's OK ;)

it's a good carb, i think you'll be fine :thumbsup:

alright, thanks guys apreciate all the input I will let you all know what changes I make within the next month or so

Q-jet can get you in the tens if the rest of the motor and suspension can pull it off. It won't be what is holding you back. My ZZ502 came with a vacuum secondary 850, I think an 850 on a small block is a little on the excessive side.

Look at the specs for either of these two CompCams 12-207-2, or the 12-208-2 hydraulic flat tappets. Neither requires high compression or a change of the torque converter and both offer lots of bottom end to mid range torque to give you a seat of the pants improvement in acceleration on the street. The first even works with stock cast iron manifolds.

Big Dave

I 100% agree with dave, do NOT get a flat tappet cam. I would get a hydraulic roller setup, while yes, the springs, lifters, and cam will cost a pretty penny, it is WAY better than buying a cam that is very likely to lose a lobe, then having bought that cam, plus replacing bearings, plus time spent cleaning the block.
I always use this mantra when doing a rebuild myself, and believe me, I am a complete and total cheapskate, and only 27 myself.
"If you can't afford to do it right can you afford to do it twice?"

Be careful with what oil you run with a flat tappet cam. The oil isnt as good as it used to be. My friends and i run Rotella T deisel oil because its high in zinc, and wont destroy your cam like some other oils will do.

Be careful with what oil you run with a flat tappet cam. The oil isnt as good as it used to be. My friends and i run Rotella T deisel oil because its high in zinc, and wont destroy your cam like some other oils will do.

It used to be high in Zinc, it is now just like all the rest of the motor oils, because starting JAN, 2008 all Diesel engines got catalytic converters. With the converters the zinc has to go away (by law). You can still buy ZDDP oil at truck stops in 42 gallon barrels for older trucks that do not have cats (bear in mind there is 14 gallons of oil in the pan of a big rig).

Big Dave

Read this:
http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/cam-break-zinc-110925.html


There is alot of good info for what to use when breaking in your cam.
Thats good to know about the deisel oil. thanks

i didn't read that whole thread but it's dated '02. i'm sure things have changed since then. here's a recent thread concerning Zddp here at Team Nova posted by "Veno": http://www.novas.net/forums/showthread.php?t=3125

Lucas oil and all of the other usual suspects are manufacturing motor oil supplements to fill the void left by the removal of viable amounts of DZZP in motor oil.

The hand writing was put on the wall in 2002 when the API and ASME got together for their annual convention. GM lead the debate with their engineers stating that there is no longer a need to maintain high levels of DZZP and wanted it reduced to make complying with up coming EPA regulations cheaper for them (as a manufacturer). As they stated there hadn't been a motor made with flat tappets in the automotive industry in the past 20 years (lawn mower motors still have flat tappets as do a bunch of older motorcycles and airplane engines, but that wasn't their problem). There has been a schedule of dates mandated by the EPA for emissions compliance going back to 1968. Though a few years have slipped (alcohol implementation for example) for the most part the EPA has gotten it's way over the decades.

Flat cams are dead. It is time everyone recognized it, and bite the bullet and buy a set of roller tappets. They can be moved from block to block. As far as that goes you can even use SBC rollers in a BBC if you change the cross bar (and the bar is replaceable, not all are). If you ever want the car to rev above 5,800 RPM buy a solid roller. The new solid rollers now have built in oilers (thank you Ed Iskenderian) to keep the bearings lubed at low RPM (the reason you could not use a solid roller cam on the street before was a lack of splash lubrication at low RPM). Lashing the valves is not a big deal and can be done once a year with a good cam core. I have run a solid roller on the street for the past three years with no issues.

Big Dave

Big Dave ALMOST has me convinced to go solid roller.
I just don't feel like changing springs, but when I do have to change springs, hello new cam.

Valvoline Racing oil is formulated with high levels of Zinc. This would be an alternative oil to use for flat tappet cams. I will be running this in my 406 with its flat tappet XE284 cam. The ramp rates on these cams are aggressive, but you have to trade off something for performance. I have rode-in/drove cars with the XE268, XE274 and XE284 cams and the valve train noise isn't any louder than it is in a motor with a big hydraulic roller. When I had the machine work done on my block, I did have the lifter bores trued up. My machinist said that doing this along with running a quality oil with high zinc content would prevent damage to the cam lobes. He also said that if weak springs, or low ratio rocker arms aren't used during break-in on these cams that the risk of wiping a lobe is almost inevitable. I'm going to have my motor broken in and dynoed by the shop before I put it in the car to be sure there are no issues. A little extra money, but it sure does make you feel better before you stick a 10K motor in a car.:thumbsup: