i have an 84z28 with a 283 in it. it has a melling cam, the first one on this page http://www.melling.com/production1.htm . i want to put in a comp XE262. the engine has 041 heads, about 9:1 compression, a performer intake, 600cfm edelbrock carb, and short tube headers. how much HP do you think this cam swap would be worth?

 

Vipe,

Every build up must be looked at as a combination of parts throughout the drivetrain.

The problem is you have a small cube V8. The 283 has no real bottom end torque to begin with. Anytime you add a cam with more lift and duration, you take away even more

The XE262 is most comfortable in a 350 or well-built 305. To compensate you must go for quite a low rear end ratio. 3.73s would seem the most modest you should go for, with 4.10s or even 4.56s being more in the ball park. But that also dictates the need for a hi-revving engine, one that can hit over 6000 rpm to be usefull.

The XE262 will hinder a 283 substantially until you get into the 3500+ rpm range. If you can at all get a 350 to work with, DO IT! It is just that serious

If you MUST use the 283, I would advise against the XE262 and instead look at the XE250. It will leave you with more low end power and simply offer a muuch more synergistic and balanced engine at every rpm.

 

thx, just wondering what it would do. i have a 350 in the shop right now starting to get worked on.

 

Probably better to wait for the 350.

The MTC-1 is actually a great cam for the person just looking for a cam change to add more power. It really works well in low cube engines like your 283 and 305's. It's not too picky about making power with stock componets either so the person who installed it made the right choice IMO.