Stock 304, Guide to choosing a camshaft

[danja]

Great write-up foamy - I don't even own, or ever intend to own, a 5L, but this was still an interesting read. All I could suggest is maybe adding some headings to break it up for easier consumption

Rep sent your way!

 

[383 hatch]

Yeah It'll be more of a slug down low than the stock cam but that's only half of 1st gear an also partly fixable with a better tune, over the full 1/4 it'll come back but for a street car that never sees the track it's not really the right cam well really in that case the stock cam and stock everything is the right stuff

There's 3 or 4 different cams that can be the Crow stage 3, every time someone sends me a cam sheet for a "stage 3 crow" it seems to be something different so that's a bit of a trick too, up untill 230 degrees duration at least you can allways can back equal toruqe down low as the stock cam by adding more compression, the more cam then the more you can get away with but somewhere after that you can't get it all back. A friend of mine had one of the stage 3 crows (don't know which one) and it ran a 10.1 1/8th mile on that supplied tune, then 9.2 on one we knocked up for it (first try) so there's a fair chunk or difference there

I "believe" his stage 3 had the 4503 cam...To be quiet honest, i wasn't impressed by it at all, the only thing it had going for it was a nice sounding idle. It ran 14.5 on street tyres, which i think was rather slow (i whipped him 4 times with my stock L67 ) but, by the sounds of it a good tune 'might' have cured some of that. Bearing in mind, the HR isn't actually that light....

 

[greenfoam]

Moot on sc put another alternative stage 3 crow the 4650 in his stroker his just built for his wife to race 230/230 113 lsa, it's running a banana for now but will change later. It was built to run sub 12.5 and should do that just fine. Hasn't raced it yet but he said it runs really well, that's a good cam for a banana powered stroker. Pretty much anything with any cam can run better than 14.5 how come that HR was heavy anyway? but so it ran 14.5 if it was going to run 14.7 or 14.8 on the stock cam then he got a decent gain out of it.

If I was me I'd definatinaly choose the 4502 if I was never doing anymore mods to the car over the bigger 4503 here's the Crow Holden catalogue anyway http://www.crowcams.com.au/media/catalogues/35.a Holden V8 EFI.pdf

 

[383 hatch]

Any V8 HR (or any early Holden for that matter that will be engineered) will be heavy because it needs to have a 3/4 chassis kit fitted, strengthened front end & lower control arms (heavy steel) and his also had an 8 3/4 Mustang diff so it all adds up. I will be in the market for a cam to go in a Banana powered 355 soon (as you well know) so i might go with something from the Crow range.

 

[383 hatch]

but so it ran 14.5 if it was going to run 14.7 or 14.8 on the stock cam then he got a decent gain out of it.

Yeh, i guess that is true, but i just thought it would go a bit faster than that. But, it didn't really feel that good from a seat of the pants perspective. It also had a 3000 stall and 3.55 gears in the diff. The exhaust probably let it down a bit too, it was only a single 2.5". It just felt like a bit of a mismatch...thats all.

 

[vq rat]

This is the Crow 4771

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yep its a 4771 cam as i built the motor in this car about 4 years ago, and this is how its been driven since it was put in the car haha, its got some head work as well

 

[VrWagz1]

Xclent write up jason, This is very valuable, quality information. Rep given....not that you need it

edit: i'll add rep later, apparently i need to spread my rep around to others first.

 

[ashleysnep]

Thanks for the info there greenfoam!

I was definatly looking at a cam for the 304 when I start to rebuild it, so far the Crow 4503 sounds orite. Dose it lose anything over stock down low or pretty much the same?

Something that would go nicly if you decide to add to this is recomended additional mods for each cam, say extractors and what not.

edit: do new bearings come on these camshafts?

 

[greenfoam]

Thanks for the info there greenfoam!

I was definatly looking at a cam for the 304 when I start to rebuild it, so far the Crow 4503 sounds orite. Dose it lose anything over stock down low or pretty much the same?

Something that would go nicly if you decide to add to this is recomended additional mods for each cam, say extractors and what not.

edit: do new bearings come on these camshafts?

The 4503 will loose down low for sure, I think the 4502 is the one to have on a otherwise stock engine. No you don't get new cam bearings

 

[bottleinspector]

great thread....i just bought a cam to put in my 5l, so i can get some sort of power gain until i can afford the stroker and manifold...seems i got the right cam for a stocker, 214/214 and 112LAC with springs to suit, my question greenfoam, will it be ok to drive with the tune i got from you a few weeks back or will i need another tune??
cheers