[PontiacJim1959]

The 1970 Olds W30 455CI was a good competitor in stock class, and on the street.

How would the W30 cam specs play out in a Pontiac engine, 400/455? Just curious.

Specs:
Intake opens BTDC -----56 degrees
Intake closes ABDC -----92 degrees
Duration -------------------328 degrees
Exhaust opens BBDC ---96 degrees
Exhaust closes ATDC ----52 degrees
Duration -------------------328 degrees
Valve overlap --------------108 degrees

Valve lift Int/Exh ---------.475"
Int. Valve Dia. -------------2.07"
Exh Valve Dia. ------------1.6

Olds 455 - 4.125" bore x 4.25" stroke
HP -------------------365 @ 5,000 RPM
TQ -------------------500 @ 3,200 RPM

[Steve C.]

Intake Duration is 328.00 degrees.
Exhaust Duration is 328.00 degrees.
Installed Intake Centerline is 108.00 degrees ATDC.
Installed Exhaust Centerline is 112.00 degrees BTDC.
LSA is 110.0 degrees
Overlap is 108.00 degrees.

http://www.wallaceracing.com/camcalc.php


244° Intake @ .050, 244° exhaust @ .050




.

[Steve C.]

For a Pontiac application the Comp Magnum hydraulic flat tappet 292 H would be somewhat similar, but probably less seat duration. I don't know at what tappet lift Olds factory cams were rated at, the Comp is at .006".
The Comp lobe has a bit more lobe lift.
Same .050" duration.

292/292
244/244
.3340" / .3340"
.501" / .501"
110 LSA

( Comp lobe 5209 )

Or lobe 5204 listed on page 11 here:
https://www.compcams.com/lobe-catalog

Same 292 & 244 specs but lower valve lift like the W-30 cam


( Information provided in this post does not represent any endorsement and is offered for general interest only )


.

[Steve C.]

OK, here is a explanation why the large 328 duration number listed....

"These duration numbers are all measured at a mythical 0.000" lift, which is almost impossible to measure but lends impressive duration numbers for advertising."

Source:

https://oldsjunction.classicoldsmobi...sfaq/ofcam.htm
Mentioned under factory cams



.

[Jay S]

That vista cruiser is quite a car! What a sleeper.

A W30 optioned Vista cruiser with a automatic would have had the smaller 294/296 cam in it from the factory unless Mondello changed it to the big cam. I remember 294/296 cam in 455 automatics still had a fair lope to the idle.

I looked through YouTube to see if I could find a short clip of a W30 with the 328/328 cam idled slow.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=hroqbIwN2Xg

[Half-Inch Stud]

..0.000" lift is vignetting badly, not to a point like 0.003".

In THEORY: I sure do appreciate the original discussions by Ed Iskendarian about standardizing Opening Points for ADV Duration.

In PRACTICE: Seems a Hot engine doing the RPM thing at Highway, 1/4 mile or justa warming up from cold-start is going to have vacuum that recons with Overlap interval.

ZERO to 0.003" lift overlap has some effect at idle, yet no effect at highway and above. The agony over ZERO to 0.003" effects pales in comparison with 0.030" Overlap POINTS.

Really think we could wrangle a Checking Lift for meaningful onset of Vacuum-loss. Perhaps Overlap at 0.010" lift would bin Cams for idle quality.

[mgarblik]

If anyone has the .050", .100" and .200" duration numbers, that would tell a much clearer story. For reasons we can all relate to, the opening ramps were very gentle and slow on even the factory HP cams. The W-30 cam has a nasty snarly idle sound, and good power for the day. I wanted to attach a little video of a real 100% stock W-30 I looked at and got running after sitting 12 years. This was the original W30 Vista Cruiser Wonder Wagon, one of three built by Hurst and owned by Joe Mondello. Sounded great after a long hibernation. If someone is interested enough, and wants to PM me, I will be glad to e-mail you the Quick Time movie I took of the car. Its 150 MB and I have no idea how to post it here directly.

[Steve C.]

Mondello Performance Products
MW-30 Hydraulic Camshaft
W-30 Factory Reproduction Cam, 2200-5500 RPM Range
0.474 Intake lift, 0.474 Exhaust Lift
328° Advertised Intake Duration / 328° Advertised Exhaust Duration
244° Intake @ .050, 244° exhaust @ .050
110° Lobe Separation

Again, Olds rated their ADVERTISED duration at .000 lift.

https://mondelloperformance.com/

H-O also had their 240K single pattern hydraulic cam with the same 292 advertised duration as Comp Cams and 244 at .050 duration but with a different lobe separation. It has been listed with both 109 or 111 depending on the source.

Isky had their 292 Mega Hydraulic single pattern cam, again same 292 advertised duration and with the same 244 degrees at .050 but typical of Isky they put it on a 108 lobe separation.

.

[PontiacJim1959]

Here is another W30. Awesome sounding idle. With that kind of sound, who cares if it goes fast. LOL Music to my ears - what hearing I have left anyway.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU_HyTt5tBQ

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by PontiacJim1959

Here is another W30. Awesome sounding idle. With that kind of sound, who cares if it goes fast. LOL Music to my ears - what hearing I have left anyway.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU_HyTt5tBQ

Beautiiful car, sounded great too. Rock solid shifter sitting there with the lumpy idle! Also saw a quick glimpse of the possible W-27 aluminum rear end. Couldn't tell if it was the legit full aluminum center section or just the W-27 cover. Went by very quick.

[Ponchy]

Originally Posted by mgarblik

If anyone has the .050", .100" and .200" duration numbers, that would tell a much clearer story. For reasons we can all relate to, the opening ramps were very gentle and slow on even the factory HP cams. The W-30 cam has a nasty snarly idle sound, and good power for the day. I wanted to attach a little video of a real 100% stock W-30 I looked at and got running after sitting 12 years. This was the original W30 Vista Cruiser Wonder Wagon, one of three built by Hurst and owned by Joe Mondello. Sounded great after a long hibernation. If someone is interested enough, and wants to PM me, I will be glad to e-mail you the Quick Time movie I took of the car. Its 150 MB and I have no idea how to post it here directly.

I believe this is Comp Cams "Factory Muscle" version of the W30 cam.
Duration @ .050" is 233 in/ex.

https://www.compcams.com/factory-mus...e-260-455.html


Ponchy

[Steve C.]

First you must decide which is the real W-30 cam. And the source for that number. Comp uses the 402194 specs.

Mondello the noted Olds experts state their W-30 Factory Reproduction Cam as part number MW-30 Hydraulic Camshaft here:

https://mondelloperformance.com/prod...lic-camshafts/

As noted in post number 7

One source:

Two cams for the hi-perf 455's. One, #402194, is for the 390 HP, the other is #402569. This is for the W-30 unit

The 402194 specs are: (.050") 232*/232*x (Adv.) 308*/308* x .474"/.474" x 113* LS.

The 402569 specs are: (.050") 244*/244* x (Adv.) 328*/328* x .475"/.475" x 110* LS.


.

[PontiacJim1959]

Great responses. Always thought the cam specs seemed radical for a factory car and as noted, heard they had a great rumble.

Have read many articles on how a cam is measured and that it is not universal and one of the best way to compare is using the duration number at .050"

Thanks for all the cam choices that equate to a similar Pontiac cam. I don't plan on using such a cam, just was always curious of how W30 Olds spec'd cam might work in a Pontiac. I have a 455 build and going with a Crower solid, #60310 just to see how it'll perform - and because I gotta have a solid cam.

[Jay S]

I remember seeing a blue printed stock 70 455 w30 dyno at 485 HP @ 5200 through the factory exhuast manifolds with the stock cam, stock carb settings. The big cam killed the torque though, IRC it was in the mid 400 ft lbs @ 3600 rpm. IRC, The stock exhaust manifolds on a w30 aren’t bad, similar to a Ram air manifold. Seems to gain about 20 hp.

With the loss in tq from the big cam they seem like they are a little hard to get great ET’s. More than likely it would be even worse with the same cam in a d port 455 pontiac unless it had some head work.

I think the big w 30 cam would be pretty awesome in a round port car. In a d port 455 I think the tq would be really missed. It would take some deep gears to get it moving with the loss of tq.

My family has 2 70 tornados and my 71 Chevelle has a 1970 tornado w34 Tornado engine in it, same as an auto 455 w30 car. We have the interior from a 442 in our Chevelle to match the engine. Makes a normal Chevelle pretty plain looking. Dad has 2 68 M6gt McClaren replicas with 455 olds. They are a blast.

Olds 455s had a decent intake flow, better than a Pontiac, comparable to a round port. But the exhuast do no flow good at all stock. They have a very shaper exit of the exhaust. A stock 1970 W30 flowed 250 cfm @ .5 and the exhuast is 150 cfm. My 455 in the chevelle started out in the upper 230s cfm and I ported the to mid 260s. I did not have much luck porting the exhaust, it needed the floor raised, IRC the flowed around 160-170 on the exhaust. It has just over 430 hp at 4700 with headers and a mild cam.

Mike I would love the hear a w30 cam, been a long time since I heard one.
Jaystukenholtz@hotmail.com

[mgarblik]

I will be happy to send you the little movie. It would be great if you could resize it and post it somehow. Way beyond my capability and the file size allowed on the forum is tiny.

[Steve C.]

Isky 2004/2005 catalog description of their version of the cam, the 292-MEGA hydraulic for Pontiac application....

High Performance use / bracket racing. Rough idle. 2800 stall
10-11:1 compression / 4.11-4:56 axle ratio. Up to 780 cfm carb
RPM range 2800-7000

But again they ground it with a 108 lobe separation not the 110


.

[PontiacJim1959]

Here are the AMA cam specs for the 1970 442/455CI showing both the manual trans cam and automatic cam.

Also have the cam specs for the 1970 W31 350CI engine used in the F-85 and Cutlass bodies. 325HP @ 5,400 RPM 360TQ @ 3,600 RPM

2.0" Intake Valves, 1.60" Exhaust and both share the same lift @ .474".

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Originally Posted by Jay S

... my 71 Chevelle has a 1970 tornado w34 Tornado engine in it, same as an auto 455 w30 car.

Is the W34-455 the same engine that would have been in a 70 Toronado GT ?

Friend of mine has one from a 70 GT , with E heads (Olds E heads - Not Edelbrock).
Its a W-something
Plans to build it for a 69 Hurst/Olds clone

He said W30 used an F head.
So he's going to massage the raised E marking on them - into an F

[Jay S]

Yes the W34 was the tornado GT engine. They had the bigger valves, air induction and dual exhuast with and the same cam as the W-30 442 automatic cars. Pretty restrictive manifolds though to clear the 425 transaxle. Both our 70 tornados are the over rated 375 hp 455s.

I have heard of guys grinding the E and making it into an F for 442’s. Buyer be ware sometimes. The heads on my chevelle are E’s. Olds has been in the car longer than the Original sbc now, it was my first car.

Watching Mikes W-30 video makes me want to put a W-30 cam in my Chevelle and put the 4000 stall back in. Lol

Both the McClarens have Olds 455s and 425 transaxle. This is Dads Black one, it only weight 2500 lbs.

[Jay S]

I recalled wrong, the headers were a 30 hp gain on the w30. Here is the dyno run, headers vs manifolds.