I just got my hands on a 406 short block. I have a few ideas on the cam and heads but i'm also looking for any better ideas. The car now is a full bolton L-98 stock heads/cam. It runs 13.21@104 so I plan on swinging all the parts in my sig to the 406 project. After I'm finished I'd hope to be running mid 11's. So I was trying to due this for around $4000. The cam I was planning on using was the LPE219 w/1:6 RR. I went to the LPE site and they suggest this cam for a car running a SuperRam( 350-383) You guys think this would be a good cam choice for a 406??? As far as heads go I started off looking at AFR 195s but now I have started to gain interest in the World Products Sportsman II 200cc heads. I live 5mins from World Products( Bill Mitchell) and had planned on having them machine and assemble my 406. The heads are alot cheaper($900) then The AFR($1400). So would the Sporstman II 200cc heads,LPE219 cam with the 406 work well together and get me to my mid 11 sec goal???? thanks for any feed back

 

i think that LPE is a mild cam for a 406. on some 383's with good heads its pushing into the 11's. 406 might make it. I'd step up to something abit bigger.

and those heads flow pretty good on the intake side but not a whole lot on the exhaust side. therefore, it may be best to get some kind of dual pattern camshaft, or the heads mildly ported/cleaned up. they could use it.

 

ok, thats for the input on the LPE 219. Anyone have suggestions on a better cam choice for a 406 w/ SuperRam and SportsmanII heads?

 

this is just my opinion based on what i seen work in the past from other combos....but i'd look into something like a 230/236 intake/exhaust duration cam. somewhere over .500lift but under .600.

that cam on a 383 is capable of making power into 5500-6000 rpm range depending on heads/compression/tune/etc... but on a 406, i think it would be a very street friendly choice that will make good power

other vette guys and i believe some members on here have run the ZZX cam from TPIS.. its something like 239/239 duration intake/exhaust. a good bit bigger but lots of guys approaching bottom 11's on that setup with a good tune. Thats as big as i'd like to go. Anything bigger and i'd use a miniram or HSR intake. I'd try to get more exhaust duration or more exhaust lift on those out of the box heads. If you clean up the exhaust ports some, then a single pattern might work well.

 

ok, heres afew more cams I have been checking out. They me what you think with my combo.

xe 230/236 .544/.555 w/ 1:6 RR
xe 236/242 - 112 .555/.576 w/ 1:6RR
comp cam cc12-450-8 286HR 230/230 .544/.555 - 110
crane retro crn-119 841 234/242 .539/.558
TPIS ZZX 242/242 .596/.598 - 112LSA w/ 1:6RR

Like I said before this will be on a 406 w/ Sportsman II heads and a SuperRam intake.

 

I'd go for the last one there. That would rock the Kazbah.
Perhaps a bigger stall speed though.

 

if you go with the biggest one, definately up the stall speed. i like the 234/242...thats the GM847 cam which is mean in a 383! lol

 

I'm probably going to stay with my 2400 stall. So I might go with one of the intermediate cams that I listed.

 

A superam does flow better than a TPI, but it still isn't a high rpm intake like a miniram. Cams in the 240° range will make less torque and will want to make horsepower after your 406 will have maxed out the Superram, which will probably happen around 5500 rpms.

230/236 should be the biggest.

 

So it looks like I'm gonna go with the cam you guys suggested, 230/236. Can one of you guys tell me who makes that cam???

so at this point it looks like my combo will be:
406 sbc
SuperRam
230/236 cam
SportsmanII heads

 

I would go with the Comp Cams XFI version. If you are that close to World Products I would go over there and ask for their opinion. Also find our what lift can those heads take.

 

good point. I def planned on talking to them before getting a cam, just wanted to get an idea of what cams other ppl were using first

 

yeah comp makes the 230/236, in either the XFI version or the XE version... but other manufacturers have similar spec cams. GM847 cam is 232/242 and is a next size up. crane makes the cam for GM, but i forget the crane part number for that cam.

 

The comp xfi 230/236 has bigger lobes than the XE version, but you must use beehive springs for it. Thats adds to the cost

 

The XFI just has the wider LSA I believe, and they rate the lift with 1.6 rather than 1.5 rockers, making it seem larger.
I might be wrong on this though.

 

They ramp up quicker. Duration at .200 is longer than the XE lobes

 

Really? huh, i'll be damned.

Where did you see the spec for the duration @.200? I'd like to see that.

 

The cam lobe master catalog. Though the XE series have special high lift versions that have lobe numbers in the 3100's. They are more aggressive than XFI cams and have lift into the .600" range. They appear to be special order lobes.

 

yeah the 230/236 XE grind has a advertised duration of 282, but 230 at .050" lift. 282-230= 52
230/236 XFI has advertised duration of 280 with 230 at .050" lift. 280-230=50.
XFI has faster ramp rate.

 

oh, the special order ones might be if you're using oversized lifters or something.
Hmm, ok, higher hydraulic intensity, never noticed. I don't know many of the roller grinds off heart. Thanks for the tip.