440 RV cam specs

[Garys1969RR]

Does anyone know what stock cam specs would be for a 1977 440, RV motor? Tried to find the camfather site, couldn't find it. Just need to know what lift and duration are for the cam I have in my 440 RV motor, that is now in my car.

 

[451Mopar]

I don't have a '77 Factory Service Manual, but in my 1973 Truck FSM the cam specs were the same as what was used in the cars.

 

[PRHeads]

According to the old MP engine book, there were basically two cams used.
The HP cam, and the non-HP cam.

You’d have to assume a motor home would get the non-HP cam, which would have the same specs as a Sealed Power CS-327.

 

[Fox09]

I don't have a '77 Factory Service Manual, but in my 1973 Truck FSM the cam specs were the same as what was used in the cars.

Im swapping a 73 440 from a MH, into my 72 Charger, I was told i would need to upgrade the cam. My plan is basically just to keep it a mild street car. Reading your post, i should be good to keep the stock cam in then?

 

[PRHeads]

I can’t imagine why there would be any “need” to swap the cam....... unless it’s worn out.

If the motor has the non-hp cam in it now, there are very very few choices for cams to replace it, without at a minimum replacing/upgrading the valve
springs(like the factory did) when a bigger cam is used.
Then you’ll likely find the timing chain is kinda loose, valve seals are shot, etc.

It’s unlikely going to end up only being a cam, lifters, gaskets.

 

[Curiousyellow71]

In the late 80s we put in a 204/214 .429/.444 TRW ( nearly every cam company has) because the original cam was going bad in a 75 440 out of a rv.
The 204/214 is often called a rv cam. had 1 3/4 headers a thermoquad and 3.23s. Ran better then the stock cam it was born with for sure.

 

[PRHeads]

I don’t “know” what the specs are for a cam that cam in a MH.
It certainly could be(and probably should have been) smaller than what came in a non-HP 4bbl motor....... which was 206/209, .434/.431-113, +3.
Based on the numbers, you wouldn’t really expect that old white box cam to be much different.
But, maybe the MH motor actually used a cam smaller than that.

 

[wyrmrider]

stock mh cam was the same as the non hp cam basically 68 to end of production
what's good about the stock cam?
developed for more compression then kept because the long close on the exhaust gives an egr effect and is is really long below .004
the long close on the intake combined with the wide lca kills dynamic compression and a motorhome has no compression to start with
There is another post recently that talks about exhaust manifolds glowing cherry red, all the intake getting blown out the exhaust- mileage sucks
There are 2 fixes quench, which takes a piston change, and cam (doing both can drop EGT 800 degrees)
The Jones Motorhome cam was developed especially for the low compression 440
This cam is about 12 degrees shorter on the intake @.006 and close to 20 @.004 than the stock cam yet has more lift and much more area
It has 50% more duration than the Direct connection 260 cam @.275 and about 120 degrees duration at .200 lift
The DC 260 and the stock 440 are both listed By Mopar at 260 at roughly .008 lift--about 268 @.006 and around 274 @.004
Jones and DC have big fat noses so they wears well. It keeps the valves on their seats so they stay cool
and is usually ground to greatly reduce overlap
Jones is 256 @.oo6 and 264 @.004 but is also short at .002
It's very asymetrical and sets the heavy valves down gently on close without needing a lot of spring

Jones says if you do not want the benefits of a custom cam then your best shelf cam choice is Lunati voodoo 700 or 701
they have different LCAs but close the intake about the same place due to the difference in duration
so pick on overlap
The short 252 Hughes has a 113 LCA (for the LA I have not checked for the 440) and for the LA is one size smaller than the smallest Howard 255 Mopar lobe (15 in the notes column in the catalog) Howard may take more work on guides and IMHO Hughes spring suggestions are excessive (compared to Howard)
any of these will bump up your dynamic compression big time over the stock 440 cam
do not look at .050- it's worthless for what you need to look for
short seat- big at .200 IDK what lunati are at .200 you ask
if you find a bargain on a DC 248 that would work too for grunt but does not have near the area of the Jones or the Howard

I was a Chrysler Parts then Service Manager then Zone rep then worked with a production engine re builder where we did lots of the 440's for trucks, buses, motorhomes
We developed what became the KB quench dome piston for the 440 open chamber head
will be interested in what you come up with

 

[6PKRTSE]

I just parted out and pulled a 440 and trans out of a 24' Dodge motorhome. I know one thing for a 10,000 vehicle that thing actually moved out pretty damn good. Whenever we floored it everyone in it would laugh and comment on how fast it actually was and would bang second gear like a muscle car just short of a chirp of the dually rear tires. Not sure if is a stock cam after all these years, but my guess is yes, since it only has 44,000 miles on it.

 

[wyrmrider]

some more data on the 440 cam converted to duration @.004 or SAE .006 at the valve)
264 202 461 Jones Motorhome cam
284 206 434 74 IC stock 440 @.004 Intake
284 212 431 DC 260 @.004 ## early 115@200
284/// 221/228 430/450 110LCA P4453759AE later MP profile

The DC 260 while having the same [email protected] seat duration as the stock 440 is much fatter at .050 and .0200

the Jones cam is 20 degrees shorter on the seat yet is 50 % more duration as the DC 260 at .275 lift This is why it works so well in the low mechanical compression applications
I do ot .004 data for Lunati Voodoo or Howards, comp has no Mopar lobes this short

 

[beanhead]

Aw....I just got rid of a real honest-to-gosh RV cam from a '78 440. It was the factory piece. A buddy out of town wanted something to make a bearing cutter out of..so it's a goner.

I'll throw this into the discussion though, I have a stock replacement 'RV' cam on the shelf that I got a little over 20 years ago. I don't know the brand, but the card reads as follows:

SAE Duration = 278 INT / 288 EX
.050 Duration = 204 INT / 214 EX
Cam Lift = .281 INT / .296 EX
Valve Lift = .422 INT / .444 EX
Lobe Separation = 114
Lobe Centers 107 INT / 117 EX
SAE Timing = IO 32 BTC / IC 66 ABC / EO 81 BBC / EC 27 ATC
.050 Timing = IO -5 BTC / IC 29 ABC / EO 44 ABC / EC -10 ATC

 

[wyrmrider]

if you are white box chevy grind on a mopar billet like one size fits all
slightly less duration @ .004 284 stock 278 generic
so it's like advancing the stock cam 3 degrees
lots of folk wisdom advances this cam another 4 degrees to pick up some bottom end
but that opens the exhaust early and even with the stock BBM have a problem with exhausts glowing cherry red going up a long hill or towing
no real benefit
if you are going to sell the car or motor use it
they wear well as they are pretty anemic NO MAGIC
our "go to" for someone that wanted the same or no loss of grunt was the DC260
is this a stock low compression motor?
and you are going to keep the 440?new heads? stroker? stay with stock short block?
then you can do a lot better
thanks for posting all the data, saves looking it up
now what's your usage

 

[beanhead]

........
is this a stock low compression motor?
and you are going to keep the 440?new heads? stroker? stay with stock short block?
then you can do a lot better
thanks for posting all the data, saves looking it up
now what's your usage

Thanks Wyrm, not sure if these questions were for me? I'm not using this cam in anything, it's just been hanging out in my parts stash. The block that OE RV cam came out of, that I gave to my friend, is currently getting the 505 treatment

 

[wyrmrider]

that's the best use for the stock cam
make a cam bearing reamer out of it

 

[Curiousyellow71]

that's the best use for the stock cam
make a cam bearing reamer out of it

Lol. X2

 

[beanhead]

that's the best use for the stock cam
make a cam bearing reamer out of it

 

[beanhead]

that's the best use for the stock cam
make a cam bearing reamer out of it

Hey while we're on the subject. I tried that years back...I ground a slot at an angle in the offending journal, lightly smoothed down the leading edge and left the other edge of the cut as is. Packed some grease on it to catch any shavings (which it did) but man after a few passes at it, it sure chewed up the bearing surface. Made it look like it had 300,000 miles on it....what's the trick to shaving the bearing surface without messing it up?

 

[wyrmrider]

i do it before assembly

 

[Mebsuta]

Would the latest high-lift aggressive cams really make my antique RR go down the street any faster?

 

[wyrmrider]

what do you mean by aggressive?
a race only cam?
if you take two cams using the same design formulas like the lunati chevy and mopar voodoos the difference is that on your mopar lifter the mopar cam uses most of the lifter say about ,900 and rhe cheve cam justshows a shiney spot about .800 in the middle
ithe difference is the leverage nd lifter diamater not agressiveness
One problem is the cams for chevies really push the nvelope- competition
you can get mopar cams that are more gentle like the DC Cams
or race only grind
the mount of torque depends on your copression ratio and all the other factors
but in general yes