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
39 Great Deals out of 836 listings starting at $15,900
Used Chevrolet Camaro
24 Great Deals out of 489 listings starting at $7,995
Used Dodge Challenger
33 Great Deals out of 685 listings starting at $12,979
Used Dodge Charger
38 Great Deals out of 790 listings starting at $6,995
Used Chevrolet Nova
4 listings
Used Chevrolet Impala
4 Great Deals out of 117 listings starting at $5,880
Used Ford Mustang
47 Great Deals out of 1,575 listings starting at $5,999
Used Chevrolet Monte Carlo
10 listings starting at $9,800
Used Pontiac GTO
7 listings

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.