TL;DR: How would y'all go about sourcing a reasonably priced 60deg cam these days? And, would a Crane H272 be too much cam for a relatively stock 3.1/3400 hybrid NA?

Howdy!

I had some spare time and reckoned I might as well make a post while I had cams on the mind. I'll try to keep it short for once (spoiler alert, I failed)... basically, I'm planning way ahead for my eventual 3400 hybrid swap on my 3.1. Already have the heads/ intake/ DIS stuff, but still need pistons/ gaskets/ other supporting parts.... and time + money + an engine hoist, but I'll get to the point.

I'll be keeping my setup NA, at least initially, and would like to get a cam to go along with the rest of the new top end since I'll be needing new pushrods anyways. A cam would be nice, and I might as well since the rest of the valvetrain is going to be changing from the stock iron head stuff. Now, I've been doing research on this for awhile, and I have a decent idea of what cam I want... nothing too crazy, since this car is (and will continue to be) daily driven, but I had my eyes on the old Crane H272 grind. PROBLEM: Crane doesn't exist anymore, as such. I found an Australian shop that seems to have old stock of them HERE, but learned that they don't ship internationally after sending out an email. I'm considering maybe using a proxy shipping service, or finding an Australian friend, since the price is more than reasonable for the cam and lifters from them ($142 USD or so for the cam, $100 for 14 lifters, 2 extra just to be safe). Sure would beat paying close to $400 for a Comp with less lift, or $420 for a similar cam alone from WoT-Tech.... I did also find a Crower 292 grind for sale on the Crower site for $190, but I know that'd be FAR too much cam for what I want from the motor.

All of the threads I've been able to find across the web on 60deg cams seem to be pretty old, save for a couple over at the MG forums and Grassroots iirc... So, with Crane well out of business, and most of the premade 60deg cams here in the states being pricey (or too big), what's the general consensus on sourcing one? I know Delta was pretty well regarded in the 60deg circle back in the day, and their site appears to still be up, so I've been keeping them in mind, though I believe I'd need to have a core ready to send out for modification, which is a bit of a hinderance for me. I'd either have to buy a new stock grind and send it out, or wait until I'm at the point where I'm taking my motor apart and send them my cam. Ideally, I'm hoping to be able to get a completely new cam, though I know I can't really be too picky. Anyone know of any shops that can do custom grinds for reasonable prices without a core?

I'm also open to advice on cam selection, since I really have 0 experience with this sort of thing. I'm leaning towards the Crane H272 because it seems to me that it'd be a pretty good improvement over stock, but not so crazy that the car would be undriveable on the street. The car is manual btw, so I don't have to worry about torque converters or stalls or whatever. It's pretty similar to the WoT-Tech street/ strip cam as well (218/224 INT/EXH @ 0.050" for the WoT-Tech, 216/228 @ 0.050 for the H272), so I figure it oughta be useable with a mild rebuild on the 3400 valvetrain (thinking LS6 springs and the stock 1.6 rockers, and stock valves). I do also recall FastEddi having a lot of success with a Delta 260 grind, albeit with a turbo. Eventually I would like to slap a turbo on as well, but one step at a time... this project is still a ways out anyways, but I like to plan far ahead.

Any input is appreciated (don't say V8 swap though; yes I know it makes more sense to put money into a V8, but not everything has to be a 600hp LS swap). No specific HP/ TQ goals, though over 200 wheel would be nice. Oughta be doable NA with the 3400 bits and a cam, but once again: mostly a daily. Trying to stick with factory stuff as much as possible, don't want to try to convert to a roller cam or get the heads machined (though I do plan to gasket match the intake, would rather not touch the combustion chambers or valve guides). Don't get too excited yet either, not sure that I'll even be able to get to the point of pulling the motor this year... gotta watch my spending after the TKX swap hybrid build and accompanying overly-detailed guide WILL come eventually, as I did with the TKX swap, but I still have lots of planning and parts-hunting to do. See y'all in 2032