ok, my 350 is ready for the machine shop on tuesday. All I still need is a cam and am still not sure what to go with. So far the motors going to be 9.5-1 compression with stock vortec head and 1.5 rockers. I have an rpm air-gap intake with a holley 650. Im on a real tight budget now so im going to be sticking with my stock converter, i will bump up to a higher one when i get the cash.
So what do you guys recommend. I'm looking for about 350-400 hp and its a flat tappet motor and its my daily driver.
thanks in advance

 

If its a stock Vortec head, the Xe262 is about all it can take before guide boss-to-retainer clearance is maxxed out.

unless you mill the guide bosses for more lift.

The 262 can be used on factory stall.

 

Yeah on stock Vortec's the XE262 might even be a little to big.

 

Just about every performance cam will require you do do some mods to your stock vortec heads. I'd plan on it.

I agree a cam about the size of a Comp XE262 is about all you want for a car with a stock converter.

A good street performance cam that works much better with a bit of a stall and some gear is the Comp XE 274.

 

You have a couple options here. You can have the guides cut down by the machine shop, buy a spring that will install at a higher height, or get a set of longer valves. I am running the scoggin dickey .600" lift springs and they are a good deal. They install at 1.800" and are cheap. $92 for a set, with retainers and locks and they fit my stock spring pockets (081 castings). The valve guides being cut down should be pretty cheap to have done. I did my own, but I have friends in greezy places With a stock convertor I would go with a 110-112 LSA 220ish duration @.05 intake and go 10* more on the exhaust for the crap a$$ed vortech exhaust to intake ratio.

Charlie

 

The springs themselves do not determine the installed height. That is determined by a few things. Shims, valve length, locks, and retainers. Those are what determine installed height. When a spring manufacturer lists the spring rate at a certain installed height, that is nothing more than a fact, a suggestion at best. It merely states that if the spring is installed at that height, that is what the pressure would be. Also, Insomniac, ive got a good feeling that just becaus they say a 1.800" installed, i doubt you are actually running that if you have factory length valves and hardware.

When you bough springs good for .600" lift, that is nothing more than the difference between the suggested installled height and the height in which coil bind occurs.

The fact is simple. If you want to run a larger lift cam and want to use the same length valves, you only have one choice. That is to mill the guide bosses. Getting a spring that is recommended for a higher installed height will merely give you a greater than expected seat pressure once its compressed down to the factory retainer height. Because, like i said above, spring pressures and spring installed heights are nothing more than just factual data points and have very little to do with the actual determination of installed height.

 

match the spring to the cam. if you have a cam with a lift of .5 and springs "good for .6" doesn't make them good springs for your cam. speaking of springs i'd only buy them from comp, lunati, and maybe crane. i'd not use gm, k motion, or no name generic springs if they were free. trash the factory rotator retainer set up and buy aftermarket retainers.

 

im sorry ive been away from my computer for a while. I forgot to add that i will be cutting the guides down to intall a bigger spring. but i want to know what cam im going to run before i purchase my springs.
thanks for the help