What cam shaft to select?

Asked by donhill Nov 19, 2014 at 02:27 PM about the 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle

Question type: Car Customization

What would be the best street performance cam for my stock 396?

2 Answers

40

That depends on several questions; what is the RPO of the engine(325, 350, or 375 horsepower. Has the engine been rebuilt , what is the current compression raio ? What gears are in the car, automatic or manual trans. What do you want as far as drivability(high RPM horsepoer or low RPM torque)? The sound of of the exhaust(lopey idle or smooth) ? Decide these questions first, then go to any major cam manufacturer's web site and look around.

40

If you want the solid lifter sound, you could do worse than the Crane L78 replacement cam. The Cam Dynamics 272 Energizer is a very nice street cam and works with the stock valve train as will the L78 cam. A little heavier valve spring might be advised if you want to turn wild rpms but you won't be making any power up there anyway with these cams. Nice street operation though.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Squatt
    Reputation
    1,060
  • #2
    ChevelleGuru
    Reputation
    600
  • #3
    rr8786
    Reputation
    470
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Chevrolet Corvette
26 Great Deals out of 699 listings starting at $10,989
Used Chevrolet Camaro
15 Great Deals out of 468 listings starting at $11,749
Used Ford Mustang
46 Great Deals out of 1,664 listings starting at $5,977
Used Chevrolet Impala
7 Great Deals out of 132 listings starting at $4,888
Used Chevrolet Nova
2 listings
Used Dodge Challenger
34 Great Deals out of 746 listings starting at $12,979
Used Chevrolet Malibu
54 Great Deals out of 1,065 listings starting at $2,495
Used Chevrolet Monte Carlo
4 listings starting at $9,800
Used Dodge Charger
26 Great Deals out of 879 listings starting at $5,495

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.