383 tow motor cam question

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digger5
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383 tow motor cam question

Post by digger5 »

I am looking at a motor to put into a full size chevy truck that will be used as a daily driver and to tow a enclosed trailer each weekend. I found a 383 that has a 224/232 duration .523 lift and 114 lobe center angle. The motor would use a vortec head with the stock CSFI injection system. The compression should be around 9.5 (was 10.1 with 305 heads that are on it). Would this cam work well in this application? Low end torque is my biggest concern.

Any suggestions if this is not a good choice?
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Post by CamKing »

Nope, that cam's too big for towing.

Hydraulic Flat Tappet: Part#H66299-67300-112
208/210 @ .050"
.299"/.300" Lobe Lift
112 LSA

Hydraulic Roller: Part#HR65327-67312-112
208/210 @ .050"
.327"/.312" Lobe Lift
112 LSA
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Post by ProPower engines »

The other problem you may have is the computer in the truck. Has it been updated?? The extra inch's may cause low speed running issues and poor idle quality. Check and see what updates are available.
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Post by RogerF »

GM uses this cam in their HT383 towing focused crate engine.

Hard to beat the price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayI ... 0298698814
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Post by jeff swisher »

I had a 78 nova that towed more stuff than most work trucks...

I scrapped iron and bought and sold cars , and pulled the boat to the lake often..

It was a 350 with a 268h and 72cc heads ported it ran 14.50's in the 1/4 with 308's ..that thing was a stump puller 20.5 mpg not a big cam but decent..
218-218-454-454 on a 110///
I swapped heads to some 186's and 54cc chambers and a 270h that is 224-224-470-470....

Much more cranking pressure BUT it was not as good as a trailer puller as the previous engine ...it was a full second quicker,

I bet the 268h with good heads would rock, especially with a few more cubes....

I run a 260h in an E150 and it is ok ,, but a little on the small side...or maybe 302's just suck

Do not get carried away with a big cam you will not like it for pullin'--
I would not go bigger than 218 at .050 for a puller
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cam for pulling

Post by bigjoe1 »

I have used an Isky 264 Mega in 383 trucks with great success. It is 214 at 050, cut on 108 centers. It is very good in the 2500-3500 RPM range.

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Post by Keith Morganstein »

There are more modern cams, but the good ol' towing cam for a 350 SBC is the Melling MTC-1.

204°/ 214° @ .050"

420"/ 443" lift

112°
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Post by bigjoe1 »

The melling cam you noted is what Edelbrock sells as their performer cam.. About 17 years ago, I did some cam tests for Isky, I used that one for the basic test. When I put in an Isky 270 Mega cam, It picked up no less than 39 HP--- thats a bunchThis was on a 350 with 9.0 to one, stock vortec heads- It was up around 400 Hp with the Isky cam.. Please done tell anyone thats a good cam.

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Post by jdavis »

Joe you're comparing a 204 @ .050" cam to a 221 @ .050" cam?

How did the 270 cam do against a 236 @ .050 in the hp department?
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Post by ProPower engines »

Hey Joe,
Being as the 906 vortec heads wern't made in 91ish what casting # heads were you using?? Were they the marine heads or the over the counter bow-tie head??
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Post by bigjoe1 »

My idea of a street cam is one that peaks at 6000 or less. the 270 Mega was the biggest cam and it peaked right at 6000, the 264 Mega ( 214 at 050 ) was stronger up to 5500-5600. This was all before I started using the Comp extreme energy stuff. I did test the old Comp 280 magnum against the Isky 280 Mega, And the Isky was 17 HP and 17 foot pounds better.The newer Comp Ex stuff is much better than rverything else I have tried. The reason the Isky beat out the old Comp magnum was the 110 centers on the Comp, and all the Isky stuff was on 108 centers.

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Post by bigjoe1 »

The cam tests I did were in the 1998-1999 years, I diud not like Comp untill after I won the Engine Masters in 2002--- Funny thing, I was testing street heads and the vortec were better than the Edelbrock.. that is why they came out with their E tec series a few yerars after that.

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Post by jdavis »

Joe all I was saying is the cams you were comparing are pretty far apart, and admittedly ribbing you a bit.

I mean, you were suprised that a cam 16 degrees bigger with .045" more lift and 108 vs 112lsa whooped the edelbrock cam in the hp dept? I somehow doubt it.

I have used the isky 264 cam many times and it is always very strong in tow rigs. However, if melling/edelbrock cam is pretty good for the 30 bucks it costs. I like the comp 4x4 xe 210/218 cam too it is a very nice driving and has excellent torque.

On towing cams I prefer near a single pattern and I really dont get too wrapped up in what actually goes in there. If you're talking hydraulic cams with 210ish and below duration, almost any of the modern profiles will run pretty well.

I have had excellent luck with 383 engines with vortec heads with the xe 218/224. It seems kind of big for towing but it pulls VERY well with that cylinder head on top of it.
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Re: camshafts

Post by jdavis »

bigjoe1 wrote:I did not like Comp untill after I won the Engine Masters in 2002
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I find thier engineering to be great, but thier quality control leaves me very disenchanted with them. I have pretty much quit using them after several unrelated issues on different engines and products.
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Re: cam for pulling

Post by Racerrick »

bigjoe1 wrote:I have used an Isky 264 Mega in 383 trucks with great success. It is 214 at 050, cut on 108 centers. It is very good in the 2500-3500 RPM range.

JOE SHERMAN RACING

Hey thats my favorite cam I still use it in almost every flat tappet truck towing motor I build, Chev, ford or dodge. Sometime I get it ground on a 110 -112 if I want a smoother idle.
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