Stock 304, Guide to choosing a camshaft

[delcowizzid]

The problem is those cams are such old lazy grinds and you should be able to get something much better these days.

I suggest you have a look at what Kelford Cams in NZ has to offer off the shelf. https://www.kelfordcams.com/global/camshafts/holden/efi-304-v8

To make a simple comparison of what I suggest,

The Crane 268 is,

206°/206° @ .050" and 268°/268° advertised (.006") duration on 112lsa with .448" valve lift

The equivalent Kelfords grind is the 170A

206°/206° @ 0.050 but only 256°/256° advertised duration on 114lsa with .440" valve lift

The Kelfords grind with exactly same .050" duration will perform better right through the rpm range (with the same compression) because of the shorter advertised duration (which means the valve seats earlier) and therefore bleeds off less cylinder pressure which means better cylinder pressure and a better bang for your buck.

IMHO using something like an (old) Crane or Crow off the shelf grinds you are leaving power/torque on the table especially if you are using stock or near stock compression ratios!

I only run kelford Camtech sticks have done since I was a kid getting Briggs and Stratton and dirtbike cams done lol here's the D camshaft [email protected]" great with bananas and twin 2.5" exhaust and 2500 stall was a great cam for daily driving nice sound and had the grunt to back it up

 

[delcowizzid]

And a rev lol you could get away without a stall but it sure makes even a stock 304 better lol

 

[Deuce]

If you're unsure about cam size, always better err on the side of too small as to too big.

Generally yes.
I just wish i hadn't been so cautious when choosing a cam. I should have gone bigger.

 

[EYY]

Generally yes.
I just wish i hadn't been so cautious when choosing a cam. I should have gone bigger.

Yeah, with more experience I suppose you're more likely to be more aggressive with cam selection.

Thing is, no amount of reading on the internet will tell me how happy I'm going to be with a cam only 304 as a daily driver. Some people say a 286 sounds and goes great in a stock 304 (according to mass Facebook posts/opinions), but I couldn't bring myself to do it lol.

I don't mind slight lope for a daily, but I don't want it to be too noticeable. I'm not keen on defects/EPA notices etc so that's a huge part of me wanting to stick with more conservative grinds. I gather things are a bit more relaxed over in NZ in regards to emissions requirements too?

For a weekender I'm sure we're all happy to settle for something that's a little more exciting to drive at the expense of some comfort and efficiency

 

[Cameron Tomlonson]

Anybody have and info on these edlebrock alloy heads. My casts need a complete overhaul so yeah.
http://vpw.com.au/Category/Index/601976

 

[harrop.senator]

286 on stock comp and bananas is poo as as a daily.

284 in a manual
276 in an auto is all id go. I had a 276 dialed in straight up with headers twin high flow cats and a 2200 more stall and was doughy as under the curve still with 3.08s i think 3.45s or 3.7s wouldve made it bareable it didnt really get going til 3 dropped off at about 5800.

 

[Reaper]

Just outta curiosity.
What is biggest cam size u can go without machining heads to fit bigger valve springs ect. Just a straight bolt up kit.

Your biggest issue is changing the intake. You run out of air out of the bananas quite quickly as the runners are too long and narrow. They are great for low torque but once you run up the rev range they top out quite quickly (testing my memory but I think it was 4500-5000rpm or there abouts before they became aesmatic). This means with a big cam you can't supply enough air to the heads to feed the upper rpm whilst the lower cam doesn't produce the low down torque/power that a relatively stock cam does - in effect without a change on the intake you spend a lot of money to create the worst of both worlds.

 

[Cameron Tomlonson]

Your biggest issue is changing the intake. You run out of air out of the bananas quite quickly as the runners are too long and narrow. They are great for low torque but once you run up the rev range they top out quite quickly (testing my memory but I think it was 4500-5000rpm or there abouts before they became aesmatic). This means with a big cam you can't supply enough air to the heads to feed the upper rpm whilst the lower cam doesn't produce the low down torque/power that a relatively stock cam does - in effect without a change on the intake you spend a lot of money to create the worst of both worlds.

Yeah and thats the conclusion ive come to aswell. So im gonna go the 260/206/.463/112 or sv5000 cam.

 

[Cameron Tomlonson]

The guy buildig my motor is putting a balanced 253 crank in it. Said hes been doing it for years with good results. Said raises the comp and gives a little more cc obviously. And spins up faster as its lighter. Said be perfect for a daily with bananas and baby cam

 

[EYY]

The guy buildig my motor is putting a balanced 253 crank in it. Said hes been doing it for years with good results. Said raises the comp and gives a little more cc obviously. And spins up faster as its lighter. Said be perfect for a daily with bananas and baby cam

Why bother? Get a scat stroker kit if you're going to spend that much on a stock rebuild you might as well spend a little extra and do it properly.