Anyone use howards cams?/heard them run?

[SilverMachine]

Hey, I've ordered a howards cam #110991-08 cam for my sbc 350. The stats: 275 duration .470 lift (I have 1.6 rockers so .501 lift) and 221/221 @50 on 108 LSA. Wondering if anybody had had experience with this particular cam due to limited reviews/videos on the Internet...thanks

[geezer#99]

I haven't used that particular cam, but I need to ask what your compression ratio is?

[SilverMachine]

Should be around 9 5 to 9.7

[geezer#99]

If you've got the heads, intake etc to support it, then you're close.
Might be a fun time tuning with that tight lsa but doable.
Don't expect it to be happy below 2400 rpm though.
There's a chart here to help picking a cam.
http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/w..._compatibility

[SilverMachine]

Yeah I have some edlebrock aluminum heads to go with it. The truck is my daily driver (only drove it like 2 times a week during school though), and I want it to sound pretty mean when you are next to me at a stop light haha (super 10 downturns before the axle) but at the same time I want some decent performance too. I had 3.73 gears and positraction diff installed last week.

[geezer#99]

You won't be producing a lot of vacuum either.
You'll likely need a vac pump if you got power brakes.

What carb and intake?

[SilverMachine]

an edlebrock 1406 (might be a little small:waah) and a performer intake with a spacer

[geezer#99]

Don't forget you likely need a fuel regulator too.
Eddy carbs don't like more than 5 psi.

So are you starting to notice the rumpty-rump cam needs a whole lot of extra parts to make it run.

[SilverMachine]

Yeah i am, hopefully it will all be worth it when its finished! and maybe a little spin the tire action too

[SkinnyG]

I am running a Howard's 110961-08 it would be the next size up from yours.

Also Howard's #98212 valve springs (115@1.780″, 340@1.250″) with offset keepers and valve rotators deleted. Ye Olde "Z/28 springs" would probably have worked fine.

Mine is a 285 advertised duration, 231/231@050; 470/470; 108LCA; 104ICL

I am running 10.9:1 compression, 2500 stall converter, and 3.73 gears with a TH350. It has enough vacuum to "adequately" run power brakes. The Rochester has been heavily doctored via Cliff Ruggles book, and I'm running a 5inHg power piston spring. The idle air passages have been hogged out significantly to try and keep the throttle plates closed enough.

I'm getting 10mpg, which isn't at all bad, considering what it is.

The cam survived break-in, and hasn't lost a lobe yet in over three years of daily-driving. I currently use Shell Rotella Diesel oil and a ZDDP additive.

I'm a big fan of 108°LSA. The idle brings peace to world. I call it "Potato Therapy." Just a minute of idling in the parking lot at work, and I'm ready for my day. Fire it up to go home, and I'm at peace again.

[SilverMachine]

Sounds Good! yeah i really went through quite a lot of cams before i chose this one...i wanted to try and mix sound with performance instead of getting one of the all bark no bite cams.

[SkinnyG]

First road trip after break-in and engine fully warm:

https://youtu.be/zOHoiBIbWJc

After installing roller rockers, and engine mostly cooled down:

https://youtu.be/CwzJDWUaajE?t=217

[Desert1957]

Originally Posted by SkinnyG

First road trip after break-in and engine fully warm:

https://youtu.be/zOHoiBIbWJc

After installing roller rockers, and engine mostly cooled down:

https://youtu.be/CwzJDWUaajE?t=217

The first video sounds GREAT , don't know what it runs like on the low end but great idle.

[SkinnyG]

Yeah, the second video was a different camera and doesn't sound as rumbley (but certainly choppy).

The low end seems fine, but I never drove that engine before I built it. It has far more low end grunt than the Nissan Hardbody I had before.

The power delivery is smooth all the way through, it's not laggy and then comes on strong with the cam. Which means either the low-end torque isn't that bad, or it's truly gutless everywhere.

It's very, very driveable. I had a mechanic friend comment when he drove it that "it drives really well considering what it is."

Another friend swapped vehicles just to compare - he had a cherry 1977 Pontiac Lemans with the original Chevy 350. Difference between his car and my truck: I had Howard's cam, he had milder Edelbrock cam, I had 10.9:1 compression, he had stock (8.0:1?);I had 3.07 gears at the time, he had 3.73; I had 2500 stall converter, he had stock; . My truck just plain HAULED compared to his.

I think the cam you're picking will be very fine. It will have a noticeable idle, but be very driveable. You may want a higher stall converter, and you may have to muck with the carb to make it happy.

[69heavychevy]

As far as great sounding cams go, nothing beats a Thumpr cam. But theres plenty of cams that outperform them.