Lunati voodoo cams

[MELWAY]

Who has used lunati voodoo flat tappet cams??

Are they good quality, do they last with street driving?

[joespanova]

I use one of the hydraulic versions in my 65 Impala strret car....(350 )..........pulls like a big block. I also used one in a friends 69 Chevelle with a 496 .........he's very happy with it. That mild 496 in a full weight Chevelle runs mid to low 11s.

[wyrmrider]

current versions are more rump d rump rump than go go go-- obsolescent
but pdq says "UD" Harold Berkshire may be designing a more modern series
lots of new things in valvetrain area like beehive springs and LS valves to take advantage of
anything new pdq?
BTW
poor geometry rockers can hurt the best designed cam...

[Pappy]

What is your defnintion of "obsolete"? Many of the current Voodoo grinds were done just before Harold left Lunati, and that was only a few years ago. He did one for me that wasn't even the catalog yet. It is now. The Voodoos are newer than Comp's XE lobes, which are still no slouch, and some are having good results with even older Comp grinds.
Maybe you are confusing the old Ultradyne cams he mentions in his posts with the Voodoo cams, none of which are 20+ years old? The OP is asking about a street application, which does not need the latest and greatest EMC style lobe. Please explain why the current Voodoos are mostly just rumpity-rump. Is it possible you were thinking of the Comp Thumper cams, which actually seem to perform very well for some in addition to making a tough sounding idle?

[Pappy]

Hey Joe,
Which one did you run in the sb Impala?

[wyrmrider]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
without comparisons opinions are subjective
agree that comp XE are even older,
you can do better
especially for Ford and Mopar, light valve train or heavy valve train

[MarkR]

I have used a mild sbc flat tappet, I was very happy with it for my application.

What did you use in the 358 sbc that ran 9's out of curiosity?

[77cruiser]

I'd like to see a test between Voodoo & Comp XE. I've heard that the Voodoo line doesn't set the valves down as hard, making them more quiet.
Have never used either one though.

[joespanova]

Hey Joe,
Which one did you run in the sb Impala?

This one
http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=1983&gid=287
engine is 9:1 and with a 600 Holley , intake , headers and 461 heads ( mild port work ) 350 turbo and 3.31 gears.

[Old Viking]

I used one in a 446 RB Mopar. We have some problems with it reving to its full potential. We used the lifters that came with the kit and the springs on the Edelbrock RPM heads. We will try other springs and lifters to up the peak HP. I read an artikle where they found 25 hp and 800-1000 rpm in a csb 350 with a simulare cam from Lunati b y change springs.

The cam we used had 234/242 at .050 and peaked at 5300 rpm with 1.6 rockers.

I think the profile is very aggressiv. The engine does not like rev more than 5500rpm. The heads are ported and We have 2
600 cfm carbs.

[MELWAY]

I really like the specs of the voodoo and the fact that the legendary UD Harold designed them

My only concern is I have seen a few Comp XE flat tappet go flat in a short time. Yet I have seen the magnums last a long time.
Do the newer real aggressive Hyd flat grinds have a shorter life in a street car???

[wyrmrider]

more aggressive have shorter life
theoretically yes
but
break in, oil selection, light weight valve train, etc are what make or break an installation
wrong oil (roller cam and rocker oil) and even stock cams have a hard time living
Check the oil specs for some late VW and BMW FT and non roller rocker motors- Like the TDI diesel
use ANY non spec oil and your warranty is history (some use the BMW spec oil which has slightly more anti wear ingredients at the risk of shorter particle filter life (or something)
so you can make a modern profile aggressive cam work but you had better plan on blueprinting correct geometry, selecting and setting up the correct springs (not just the biggest that will fit) and doing a proper break in procedure
cam oiling lifters...
etc

[kirkwoodken]

Cam King recently stated on Speedtalk that, in his opinion, the voodoo series designed by Harold Brookshire, were the best off_the_shelf cams available. Pretty good recommendation if you ask me.

[wyrmrider]

If you can pick and win with an off the shelf cam go for it

[russxr67]

I used one in a 446 RB Mopar. We have some problems with it reving to its full potential. We used the lifters that came with the kit and the springs on the Edelbrock RPM heads. We will try other springs and lifters to up the peak HP. I read an artikle where they found 25 hp and 800-1000 rpm in a csb 350 with a simulare cam from Lunati b y change springs.

The cam we used had 234/242 at .050 and peaked at 5300 rpm with 1.6 rockers.

I think the profile is very aggressiv. The engine does not like rev more than 5500rpm. The heads are ported and We have 2
600 cfm carbs.

I had the same thing happen on a 393 Cleveland I did a couple of years back. Power nosedived at 4800 . Was using edelbrock heads as well. Thinking the springs were the culprit I changed them out and found that it didn't change anything. I used a set of HT 900 sealed power standard lifters and my guessing is that they weren't up to the task. I never got to try a new set of lifters cause we upgraded to a solid roller soon after.
Next time I will use the lunati micrtrol lifter as I've read that the internal tolerances are much better. I figured that the standard style lifter must be collapsing at a certain rpm range . Lash was set 1/4 turn down.