Thread: lunati VS. Comp Cams

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"they seem to have less duration that comp cams but higher lift."

Yeah, this reminds me of the "extreme energy" cams where they maximize the lift for each degree of cam rotation. To my way of thinking, there has to be a mechanical limit there somewhere and I'm thinkin' that there will be some pretty horrific pressures encountered between the lifter face and the cam lobe, possibly enough pressure to wipe off the lube and allow metal to metal contact. I keep hearing more and more stories about cams failing and I can't help but wonder if some of this max lift theory isn't responsible. It's getting to where you can't talk to anyone who hasn't experienced a cam failure. Of course, some of it can be traced to using too much spring pressure on start-up or improper preparation or improper lube, etc.

"If I simply switch the heads to the older 64cc heads, run a thin steel shim gasket to make some compression with my dish pistons, and use the cam you suggested, with a performer intake and a good carb, either my Q-jet which needs rebuilt correctly, or maybe an edelbrock, do you think I will have a noticable increase in power?"

You'll want to measure the deck height when you get the heads off (block deck to piston crown) and use a gasket which will give you as close to 0.040" piston to head clearance as you can get. My guess is that you won't be able to get as close as you want. I'd guess that the piston is down in the bore by at least 0.035" at TDC and the thinnest gasket you might put in there is 0.016" for a total quench figure of 0.051". Still, it's better than using a thicker gasket and having a dismal quench figure. If you don't know the cc's of your dish pistons, you really should cc them while the heads are off. If you are not familiar with how to do this, read this paper I wrote on the subject....
http://streetmachinesoftablerock.com...opic.php?t=124
You really need to know your exact static c.r. before ordering the cam.

But to answer your question, yes I think you'd have a nice running car. One addition I would definitely make is a good set of 1 5/8" headers with duals and an "X" pipe.