SO WITH THE ARRIVAL OF SOME WARM WEATHER HERE IN INDIANA, IVE FOUND MYSELF GETTING BACK INTO WRENCH MODE FINALLY. YET IVE FOUND MYSELF HAVING A HARD TIME PIECING STUFF TOGETHER LATELY.
SO HERE IS THE SET UP, AND ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR A CAM WOULD BE MUCH APPRECIATED....OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU SEE FIT


PRE-87 350 .030 OVER- GOT IT

FORGED BOTTEM END- SHOULD BE GOOD TO 6500- GOT IT

10.5:1

1205 MINI RAM- GOT IT

58MM TB- GOT IT

30 LB. ACCEL INJECTORS- GOT THEM

AFR 195 ELIMINATOR- PENDING- SEEMS LIKE THE BEST OPTION BUT IF YOU HAVE A DIFF SUGGESTION LET ME KNOW

1.5 RR- GOT THEM

CURRENT CAM-TPIS TORQUE SECRETS- 221/230@.050, .454/.454, 112 INSTALLED AT 108

NEW CAM- XFI280? NEED SUGGESTIONS!!!


ENGINE IS GOING INTO 86 IROC BODY, BUILT 700R4, 2200-2500 STALL, 2.73 IN THE REAR FOR NOW. TUNING ON A 165 ECM WITH TUNERPRO RT.

IF IVE FORGOTTEN A CRUCIAL DETAIL, PLEASE FORGIVE ME, ITS ALL SLOWLY COMIN BACK TO ME LOL ALL INSIGHT IS APPRECIATED

 

bump, no one has any input? lol

 

advanced induction's 226/234 on a 110 lsa.

Good cam with strong top end that will work for the low stall speed and highway gear you have. I'd like to see mid 3000's stall speed and 3.73 gears tho.

To really make some power step up to a AI's 230/238 cam. that will pull to near 6800 rpm Shave the heads downto get compression up alittle higher. Definately needs gear and higher stall.


Also talk to lloyd elliott and get a recommendation. I got a feeling a high 220's duration cam on a fairly tight LSA will be what he recommends. I think he has bullet cams doing his grinds now.

Bauer racing cams also is a good bet for a miniram cam.

All these guys have great experience with LT1's which are pretty much what a miniram motor is.

Shelf grind, the 280xfi isnt a bad cam. I've tuned that on a HSR 360" motor and it runs good... with better heads it should move alot better.

 

some 3.73's are in the works for sure so i need to plan around that, that my mstake for leaving it out.

what do you think about the head selection? i know some people aren't fans of afr but it seems like most mini ram/afr set ups are pretty stout, and i figured the 195's will be more than sufficient for my nasty little street car.

think im getting in too deep for first time tuner? im pretty confident that i have the resources to figure out whatever i need to, but theres some stuff im curious about, like if a MAF system is gonna be sufficient for what im doing

 

AFR's do well with just about every setup but they arent necessarily the best head for every combo. I think they are a great bang for the buck head that do not require any work once you receive them from the factory.

If you do order those, i'd get them with the upgrade 8019 springs for that cam. It will help control the valves better as rpms pull above 6000.

Another option is profiler 195's from chad speier racing heads...talk to him, he'll get you a custom valvetrain setup for those head and mild port job for 1495, around what AFR's with upgrade springs cost. His wont have the lightweight 8mm valves, but the springs will be spec'd to handle the heavier setup just fine. Thats one of the main reasons i like AFR's..they have 8mm valves and decent upgrade springs that will allow you to really pull rpm. Other setups can easily do that with conventional valves but you either need more spring, or pay more attention to the camshaft specs to control rates of acceleration and such.

I think you will be fine with MAF and basic understanding of how these systems opperate. Live on the DIY PROM section for a few days and you'll figure it out.
I jumped into tuning at first with a mild L98 but really didnt do much with it.. My first experience to really tuning was on a hot 383 build with bigger cam than any of those AI grinds and AFR 195's. I was surprised how easily I got through it with the help of this board, and a wideband o2 sensor. MAF adjusts well to changes and makes for an easier tuning experience than Speed density stuff.

I eventually got bold and built my own larger 3.5" maf and cold air induction and retuned that. Wasnt all that hard to do but I didnt see much of a gain. The stock MAF system with gutted screens and gutted TPI air intake box will support 400whp easily and possibly beyond. Thats about as much power as your 355 with 195 cc heads and a 230 deg cam will ever make.

 

so i didnt even think about the fact that i would have to get retro rollers to go with any of the AI cams...so my options are to get a roller block before i go into machine work(which is def. an option, can be had for $125 from my machine shop) and get a rear main seal adapter to still use my 2piece crank OR find a hydraulic cam similar to those grinds....and the XFI280 doesnt seem TOO far off at 236/241-.552/.547 113lca, i could just install it at 110 couldnt i? im still searching, but any suggestions for a flat tappet would be appreciated

 

just talked to lloyd elliot, HE CONVINCED ME THAT THE XFI IS NOT THE CAM FOR ME LOL

 

Yeah you can do better. You can do a retrofit cam or keep a oem type cam and run a cam button on the cover. I really dont like flat tappet stuff in this day and age. I think a oem roller block would be a great upgrade to keep roller but if you already have a crank and bottom end i wouldnt change it now.

Just fork out the cash for a set of link bar lifters and keep it a roller setup

 

yeah i should have waited to post until after i talked to elliot lol seeing as how i havent gotten into machine work on the new block yet, im just gonna get a roller block from the machine shop, you cant beat $125, he may even just trade me straight up for the 010 one i have now. my only concern now is that im going to have to use a rear main seal adapter so that i can still use my forged 2 piece crank in the one piece block, im gonna have to research and see if they are reliable or garbage. i think im gonna go with that 230/238 from AI, seems like its what im lookin for. think it will be somewhat driveable until i get the cash for a converter with some more stall? my pockets are only so deep right now lol


p.s. thanks for all your insight man, i really do appreciate it. they should probably just make you a moderator lol

 

With some tuning that cam will run ok with the converter you go now but with a 355, its gonna want close to 4000 stall to leave the line best at the track. If you dont track much then it doesnt matter, but you'll have a weaker feeling low end til mid 3000 rpm range when that cam starts to wake up.

I've tuned the 280XFI cam on a 360" sbc with stock converter and 3.73's with a tall 28" tire and it ran fine on stock converter...it was a MAF based system which is abit easier to tune than SD but I think if done correctly, it should run ok on either system. For you being 165 ecm, tune with a modified ARAP bin with a much more conservative timing table to start and it should work out ok.

If you get Eliminator heads then upgrade to the 8019 springs for that cam..they have the spring pressure to support that cam to over 6500 rpms its gonna turn.