Help me pick a cam for a MoPar 383

[Nelsen Motorsports]

My car, a 54 Studebaker, has a B 383. The car is a very light car (2800 lbs from the factory) and insn't much heavier today. I am in search of a good street cam. Like all street machines I want something loud and with a wild idle. I also can't go too crazy as my car is a street machine. The engine a 1967 and is unrebuilt, but is in immaculate condition internally. The engine is one with a 9.2:1 compression ratio and I think it has the 516, closed chamber heads. The engine has a Wiend dual plane intake and Hooker fenderwells. I have a stock 72 727 I am about to put in and I have stock 3.23 gears and 26 inch tires. I want to make a cam descision now though I am not buying a cam for a llittle while so that I can make a torque convertor descision. How would the rpm stall affect street driving? I want a hydraulic cam and rollers are much too expensive. I have been looking at many cams and want to know what is best for my engine.

Here are a few I have looked into:

http://www.hughesengines.com/Index/p...z&partid=25115
I really like this cam, but have no I dea what stall to use. How is there so much duration and lift for a low compression engine?

http://www.compperformancegroupstore...=WDGCAMhydFTXE

http://www.compperformancegroupstore...DGCAMhydFTxeHL
this one may be a little too much

http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=2337&gid=297

I really like this one

This is basically what I am looking at. I have no favorites. When I do get a cam I will get cam, lifters, springs, roller rockers, and if I am taking the heads off I may get a valve job and port my heads. What are you running? How does it perform? Do you have any other recommendations?

I also posted this on a MoPar forum, but want to know what yall think.

[1962larksedan]

Truth? I would go with the stock Mopar 383-440 Magnum cam (or maybe a tad stronger) and call it a day.

[Gunslinger]

I'm no cam expert but I have heard many, many great things about the Lunati Voodoo line of cams. Their asymmetric profiles are supposed to give good power without the poor idle. I'd give their tech staff a call and see what they recommend.

You could also contact the tech staff at Summit Racing and see what they say...they carry many lines of quality camshafts...their own label has a good name as well.

[Carl Purdy]

I am running a 480 lift split duration cam in my 49 truck from Mopar Performance. I can't find my sheet right now to give you the rest of the story. But it runs super. I had a 510 lift with Hemi grind in for a while but every time I would pull in to a parking lot I would set car alarms off. My have a B Block Mopar

[Nelsen Motorsports]

I am running a 480 lift split duration cam in my 49 truck from Mopar Performance. I can't find my sheet right now to give you the rest of the story. But it runs super. I had a 510 lift with Hemi grind in for a while but every time I would pull in to a parking lot I would set car alarms off. My have a B Block Mopar

Setting off car alarms... That is what I am all about! What stall do you run?

[Baker54]

Alex, I have had exceptional luck with Comp Cams help line. They designed my last Chevy engine based on all the information that you listed above and I am very happy with what I have (350 cu in, 430 HP, 432 Ft Lbs). It is a street machine that I drive to various events. They can also recommend a stall converter for the cam. I like mine loose at 3200 but I have an OD trans with lock-up that helps.

[Carl Purdy]

Setting off car alarms... That is what I am all about! What stall do you run?

I don't remember I have had it in there for 14 years and about 60,000 miles.

[clonelark]

I'm gonna run one of these

http://www.compcams.com/Thumpr/index.html

[Nelsen Motorsports]

I'm gonna run one of these

http://www.compcams.com/Thumpr/index.html

Wow, that looks really good. I heard of Thumpr cams, but thought they didn't have a MoPar lineup. I think the Whiplash cam from hughes and the Thumpr are similar and they get their idle from 107 degree lobe separation and the duration.

This is my speed here.

http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=1497&sb=2

[jlmccuan]

Have you checked out the period Direct Connection catalogs? Tons of info and specs straight from the MOPAR gurus of the day for the factory racers.

[bob40]

Make sure you match components.The whole package of Intake,carb,cam and exhaust should be thought through to attain max performance.

[Nelsen Motorsports]

That is very true "bob40". My engine is already equipped to match the cam above and others like it as it has 9.2:1 compression, headers, 750 cfm carb, and porting the heads should not be a worry since I am only feeding 383 cubes and not 440. I will go the whole nine yards in getting a cam.

[FlatheadGeo]

Alex,

Was it a big job to get the Mopar into the Studie?

[Nelsen Motorsports]

Alex,

Was it a big job to get the Mopar into the Studie?

The engine came in the car, the big job was modifying everything imaginable to make it work. We had to move the engine back and down, build crossmembers, engine mounts, new floors, firewall, and transmission tunnel, and a fuel cell mount. It would have been much easier to build the car if it wasn't for the Nova clip, but she rides real nice. I will say that there is plenty of room to work on the engine, especially with no fenderwells and the conveniant distributor location.

[bige]

You may end up with a lumpy idle but your car won't run very well...

I had a 383 in a 65 Monaco, 906 heads, 9.2 compression, Weind (SP) dual plane manifold, HP exhaust manifolds, 3:55 rear and Mopar performance distributor. It ran very nicely with this cam high 14's --Camshaft, Hydraulic Flat Tappet, Adv. Duration 268/284, Lift .450/.458, and like crap with this one ---Duration 284/284, Lift .484/.484---mid 15's. low end was just that LOW.

BTW, it also ran much better with a 600 Edelbrock vs a 750. I just tried the 750 on a whim, it was the carb I used on my 400 cid GP and I swapped them just to see. Adjusting the 750 to work well on the 383 would have been the same as running the 600 so I just took it off.

I believe if you are going with a larger cam you need to ditch the 516's, raise compression and go with a higher stall converter and lower gears. You have a basically stock engine with the least desirable heads and a big lumpy cam will turn your car into just a lump. BTDT.

ErnieR