Cam help

[Marcus]

Hi All,
Looking for some help identifying Cam I need to replace in my 347 Stroker. I am unsure of exact specifics on my Crate US built engine however having performed open engine surgery we appear to be looking at a stroked 347 with hydraulic flat tappets in Trick Flow heads. The valve springs appear to have an inner spring and look pretty robust to me.
I was told the Cam was a 290H which from research appears to be an old Crane Cam. The Cam has only serial/grind numbers marked on the end plus a couple of stamps on the shaft. Pictures are attached... any help identifying the Cam is much appreciated... I have tried to search for Crane Cams in the US but that's coming up as C&C Cycles in Florida which seems odd... I did find some specs for a 290H so wanted to confirm before ordering a similar replacement to match my engine build...
With a lob missing off the Cam getting the right replacement is a mission... !!!
I know there are some genius GT40 chaps on the Forum so very many thanks if anyone has any help...
Cheers
Marcus

 

[Mark Boyers]

I think it would make a difference on what induction system you have is it carbs injection Webbers, single carb or four ,rocker ratios ,spring rates ,More info please , I think my cam came from a guy in America called Dougie Herbert, but I do have the card and the cam profile at home in the file so I will have a look, not sure what the originals were, but I am sure someone on here will now the answer to that answer will be forthcoming

 

[Marcus]

Hi Mark...
Most kind of you to respond... I think it's a old Firball Crane Cam but I can't find any details anywhere... I have an Edlebrock RPM AIR GAP inlet manifold with old Edlebrock 4 chamber Carb (unsure of Cfm but it's stamped S1188, see pic below.
I am thinking to replace the Cam with a Comp Cam 274XE but worried my internals will stand up so trying to match the specs...
I am adding couple more pics of the existing Cam...just want to ensure I am going to replace an Apple with an Apple and not a Lemon...!!!
Cheers

 

[Randy V]

For what it’s worth - todays oils are missing a lot of the Zinc (ZDDP) that reduced the wear of your camshafts and lifters. Rather than fighting off that wear with additives, special oils and break-in procedures with low pressure valve springs that must then be changed out for the “Spec” springs, I have done nothing with flat tappets in the last 10 years - they all get roller cams in them now. Make certain that you change, also, to the proper distributor drive gear (usually steel) to not cause yet other problems…. Same goes for getting the correct length pushrods…. There are retrofit roller cam kits available if your block is not already machined.
Comp Cams Tech Line can probably help with further identification of your cam and spec’ing out a replacement.
Your carb looks like a 650 CFM AFB/AVS variant… Great carbs…

 

[Marcus]

Thanks Randy,
I have sent out a message to Comp cams to ask them if they can help with the spec on the current Cam.... I see they do 3 EX Cams two of them use a twin valve spring set-up like mine according to Real Steel V8 guys in the UK tell me....... XE284H is the more aggressive its just a question of trying to get something to replace rather than total rebuild..... All your points are well made thanks so much for taking time to respond....

 

[Brian]

I'll second Randy's comment. There is absolutely no good reason to go back with a flat tappet cam.

 

[Howard Jones]

I'm pretty sure Crain Cams is out of business, Has been since about 2009-2010. But if you call up Comp cams and discuss your need with them I bet they can help you. They have been very helpful to me in the past when I needed information to select a cam. The cam data you have above will put them in the ballpark.

However, I completely agree with changing over to a Hyr Roller cam. If you can get the spring specs from Trickflow that will help. And........have you looked at the rest of the bearings? Where did all that material go? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. Maybe you were lucky.

 

[Jac Mac]

Have the lifter bore's been machined for oiling directly at the cam lobe at the point just before the lobe makes contact with the follower. If you look up 'Louis' tool in Comp Cam's website the section on accesories etc. That should give you the reiabilty you need. While I dont build a lot these days I still machine the lifter bores etc for others and with very few failures. Put it this way, I will still use a flat tappet on my own stuff, just because Ive got them.

 

[Andrew Robertson]

Agree with the recommendation to go hyd roller. I ate two XE flat tappet cams in a row before switching.

Don't sweat the cam specs too much - just decide what you want from the engine. If we take the comp cams 281HR, 284HR, and 290HR grinds as a reasonable spread for a street performance engine with a dual plane intake and 4-barrel - if you want it go hard above 5k rpm, lean toward 290HR, if you want more punch below that and don't mind it rolling off at the top a bit, lean towards 284HR, or if you place a priority on street manners maybe the 281HR. There is no free lunch - where do you want your torque.

Cheers, Andrew

 

[Jac Mac]

Have the lifter bore's been machined for oiling directly at the cam lobe at the point just before the lobe makes contact with the follower. If you look up 'Louis' tool in Comp Cam's website the section on accesories etc. That should give you the relabilty you need. While I dont build a lot these days I still machine the lifter bores etc for others and with very few failures. Put it this way, I will still use a flat tappet on my own stuff, just because Ive got them.

Sorry, put you off course, Its not a 'Louis' Tool,, Just simply a Lifter Bore Grooving Tool from Comp Cams.

 

[Brian Kissel]

Jac is Correct, the Louis tool is for the pushrods. I also have the groove tool. They come in .842, .875, and .903 sizes.

Regards Brian

 

[Jac Mac]

Jac is Correct, the Louis tool is for the pushrods. I also have the groove tool. They come in .842, .875, and .903 sizes.

Regards Brian

Its OK Brian, was correcting my own mythtake, Seems to happen a bit to frequently these days.

 

[Marcus]

Thanks for all the support Chaps...
I spoke with Edlebrock Tech and it appears my Cam with lost lob was an RPM #7122 ...a decent Flatt tappet Cam with nice power band....
Problem is I have Trick Flow Heads which appear to have the original Dual Springs which are ultra stiff 134 lbs installed and 405 lbs @ 1.200" open, a 452lbs per inch rate with .600" max valve lift. TF Tech say these springs are really for Roller Cam only....!!! Might explain why the Edlebrock Cam suffed up...!!
So listening to you guys it seems that roller cam is the way to go... has anyone got any roller cam recommendations for a 347 stroker using the Ally TF Heads and springs, with edlebrock 650cfm 4 barreland matching AIR GAP manifold..... Its living in a CAV and car gets track use so I'd like to spec something will start around 1800 and go to 6500...
Any advise and cam experience welcome.....am learning a lot....
Cheers all

 

[Randy V]

Marcus - if you’re mainly street/highway driving and want really good “docile” manners - I would choose the E303 hydraulic roller cam from Ford Motorsports. I’ve put that cam in a few engines now and with my current street rod (33 Ford) with 400+ hp 331 10.5:1 CR stroker, I can idle it down to below 1000 RPM, drive it through traffic, parking lots, etc without any overheating on a 100+°F day.
It has a mild “lope” to the cam and the exhaust note is quite pleasant - not obnoxious.
I have vacuum assisted power brakes and they work very well.
It pulls hard with the current 670CFM carburetor up to 6,000 RPM. I plan on swapping the intake for a set of Webers and expect great performance there as well.

 

[Craig]

I've just removed a Ford E303, and installed a custom grind.
I strongly suggest anybody interested in a Ford alphabet series cam watchs this video.

 

[Randy V]

Interesting video. I’ve been a fan of David Vizard for many years.
One thing that should be taken into consideration is the fact that David is talking about making peak HP & TQ in this video.
You won’t make a video less than two hours long that gives more and better information. But there are many things not said in this video. Optimal cylinder heads / intake design / fuel mixer / exhaust / emissions needs etc. All need to be taken into consideration here when designing a proper engine configuration. Street only / street & track / track only.. Then there are creature comforts - vacuum required for brake and HVAC needs / power steering / automatic transmission / etc.
David “should” address that it’s all a great balancing act here. It’s give & take - not all just take, take, take….
So the very first thing that needs to be done is to nail down your “use case” and then design an engine build to address your needs.