i got a 454 bored .030 over, 781 oval port heads, 2.25/1.88 valves, 10 to 1 compression ratio going to be a t-56 with 3.73's, should i use the comp cams xe274 or comp cams xe284? or does anybody have any other recomendations for a weekend warroir?

 

A friend of mine has a similar setup in his 454SS pickup....he went with the xe274 cam and wishes he had gone a step higher. I would go for the xe284....

- Justin

 

make sure u have enough compression for that cam I have a Comp cams Magnum i dont know the grind number but its part # 11-219-4 similar duration 294/294 and 246/246 @ .05 w/ .595 lift and my cam card lists a recommended minimum compression of 10.5 so check with Comp so u have enough compression for ur cam. Im having to mill my heads on my 454 project to bring me up from 10:1 to 10.7:1 comp. since I found that out right before I was about to bolt my cylinder heads on.

 

I've got the XS282 in my 396. That's the most lift my heads could take without spring and valve changes. The thing is awesome. You could probably handle the XS290, which has slightly more duration but the same max lift. With your extra cubes, the XS290 would act about the same as the XS282 does in mine.

I'd recommend you go with the solid lifter style. Adjusting the valves now and then isn't a big issue for a weekend warrior. Since installing it in early April, I've adjusted them 3 times - including the initial adjustment for break-in, and the post-break-in adjustment. Ran it all summer into October, the last adjustment was in July (I'll adjust them again before the season starts next April). The extra RPMs the solids give you are well worth it.

The Magnum cams make slightly more peak power, but not as much getting up to the peak. The Xtreme Energy series is a better choice for an engine that doesn't spend its entire life at peak power RPMs.

 

Is this going into a light F-body?
With the 3.73 gears and T56, I see no reason not to "over cam" it. With 10:1 CR, you have nothing to fear, i'd go large. Or, for that matter, i'd go for the solid cam. XS282 would be quite nice.