Camshaft selection for Mild 440?

[Dusty997]

My first Big block

1969 out of a chrysler new yorker. Ill be swapping it into a 71 Duster. with a 727 and 3.73 suregrip rear.

I'm planning on running the stealth aluminum heads, schumacher headers and an aluminum dual plane intake.

Looking for a cam that would put me a bit over stock. I know the 69 Chrysler 440s were rated at 350HP, and ive seen a lot of the charger ones dyno in the lower 400s which is where id like to be without sacrificing torque or revving it real high, the car is 100% Street driven but aggressively.

Stoplight to stoplight and safely running pump gas is my goal.

Any suggestions on cams? It doesn't have to sound radical or have a thumpy idle, but i would like it to sound like it at least has something over stock in it but that's a secondary goal.

 

[1967coronet]

Great looking Duster !
You will get a ton of suggestions.
My 440 was a later low compression one so apples and oranges.
You will need to decide between roller and flat tappet to start with.
Anyway, good luck

 

[493 Mike]

Contact cam grinders. Hughes specializes in Mopar but, all of them will recommend a grind for you.
Mike

 

[Dusty997]

Great looking Duster !
You will get a ton of suggestions.
My 440 was a later low compression one so apples and oranges.
You will need to decide between roller and flat tappet to start with.
Anyway, good luck

I'm probably gonna keep it simple and run the flat tappet style it is already set up for.

 

[68BabyBlue]

My 440 GTX was owned by the local Plymouth dealer for 15 years, and he modified the cam, but not in the usual way. He replaced the stock high performance 268/284 unit with the milder cam used in non Road Runner 383 four barrel cars, and 440 powered station wagons, which were rated at 350 horsepower, versus 375 in the GTX. The rationale behind the cam in my car was that the original owner used the car as a tow vehicle, and he ran factory A/C, which benefited from the smoother idle.

I've owned seven numbers matching GTXs, and only had one other that pulled as strong under 60 mph as this one. The car was the first GTX I ever drove, back in 1970. For years I wondered if it was my imagination that car seemed to have so much more low end torque. Years later I found out about the cam swap. I had another car, stock except for a Hemi grind .284/.284. With a stock 3:54 rear, it was a dog down low, and I soon put it back to stock specs.

All my cars had the factory flat tappets, and stock valve springs. No issues, running Valvoline VR1.

 

[toolmanmike]

My first Big block

1969 out of a chrysler new yorker. Ill be swapping it into a 71 Duster. with a 727 and 3.73 suregrip rear.

I'm planning on running the stealth aluminum heads, schumacher headers and an aluminum dual plane intake.

Looking for a cam that would put me a bit over stock. I know the 69 Chrysler 440s were rated at 350HP, and ive seen a lot of the charger ones dyno in the lower 400s which is where id like to be without sacrificing torque or revving it real high, the car is 100% Street driven but aggressively.

Stoplight to stoplight and safely running pump gas is my goal.

Any suggestions on cams? It doesn't have to sound radical or have a thumpy idle, but i would like it to sound like it at least has something over stock in it but that's a secondary goal.


View attachment 1947760

A buddy built a 440 for his Bee. He used a Comp HFT that was pretty mild and had great street manners. He had some ported 904's, roller rockers, headers and a old Edelbrock dual plane intake. It dynoed right at 500 horse and almost as much torque. I'll see if I can find the specs and post them.

 

[Dusty997]

Great info guys keep it comin!

 

[toolmanmike]

Found it.

Great info guys keep it comin!

 

[AR67GTX]

I don’t see anything wrong with the stock Magnum cam (375 hp). My 67 GTX has a bit of help with a 3.55 rear and slightly looser torque converter but has a nice idle with a little bit of rump, rump and it pulls hard from idle to 5,000 +/-. Of course the modern hydraulic rollers will make more power and retain street manners, but for more money.

One thing I learned by experience long ago, is it doesn’t pay on an otherwise stock 383/440 to go too much above a stock cam or it will hurt low end and won’t help upper rpm’s much if any, due to restrictive intake/exhaust.

 

[Daves69]

For reference if you don't already have it......

 

[qkcuda]

I used a Crane HMV278 in my old 400. That cam had great street manners and power. The summit 6401 is almost an exact copy of that cam 222/234 duration at .050 if I recall correctly.

 

[Rebelrouser]

The majority of the engines I build the people want exactly what you do. I use performance trends software to see what the combo is capable of. The software will estimate cranking compression and idle vacuum, calculate a timing curve, and many other variables as well. Pump gas street engines need the correct amount of cylinder pressure or cranking compression, and timing for the fuel, and around 18 to 16 inches of idle vacuum that will give you a little lope at idle and cleans out when you step on the gas.
I prefer hydraulic roller cams because they are much more reliable, and you can get more lift with a shorter duration. the extra lift gives you more low-end torque. Most cams come out around 220 duration @ .50 and around .500 lift and 110 centerline. And as always any computer program garbage in garbage out, so you have to take the time to enter good numbers especially flow numbers on the heads and the real static compression ratio. On my dyno the program is within 10% and usually better. Not looking for work getting old enough I am slowing down. I see people on a lot of forums asking the same questions and the answers are easy to find with a program for a couple hundred dollars.
with what an engine costs to build a very good investment.

 

[toolmanmike]

I used a Crane HMV278 in my old 400. That cam had great street manners and power. The summit 6401 is almost an exact copy of that cam 222/234 duration at .050 if I recall correctly.

If I didn't know any better I would say Crane ground them for Summit. A lot of Summit's small block cams are very similar to the pold Crane specs.

 

[qkcuda]

I don't know who is producing them now that Crane is history?

 

[toolmanmike]

I don't know who is producing them now that Crane is history?

Yep, not for sure.

 

[John Milner]

Hard to go wrong with the magnum/HP cam in my opinion. I run one in my 440 (L2355 Pistons 452 heads). It is pretty mild but it runs very well. As was said above, it pulls to around 5,000 RPM. I run a 4 speed and 3:91's and there is no traction at all in 1st and 2nd if you punch it from a roll. It is reliable, easy on the valvetrain, and makes respectable power. I'm sure there are choices that will make more power but this combination works for me.

 

[lewtot184]

the summit 6401 is a simple solution. i've used it with no down sides. idle is smooth, vacuum good, break-in easy. this cam will require a spring change. i prefer the old crane '839 springs. i believe this grind is the old crane 280hp/290hp profile. both lobes are still available form howards. there is a 112lsa version of this cam and i think it's available from clevite #229-2034.

 

[Dusty997]

Ive seen the 6401 pop up several times doing my research and now several more times here. That may just be the ticket.

 

[Dave6T4]

I use the Mopar Performance Magnum cam in my big blocks. This is the one used in 383 RoadRunner and 440 Magnum factory engines. It has a nice rumble at idle, and pulls smoothly to 5500 rpm. Pretty hard to beat factory engineering for a street motor. It gives good vacuum for power brakes. About 284 degrees duration and .480" lift. If you get into a cam with more lift, you are looking at a valve spring change.

 

[Jerry Hall]

On the 440's that I have built, I upgraded the cam to the stock 440-6 cam and retained the stock 4bbl carburetors.