[TinInjun]

Planning on building a street/strip 400 with E heads. Looking for experiences/opinions using this cam.

[Ron H]

You need to post as much info about your combo as possible.
www.bulletcams.com has a recommendation form on there. Go through the form.

[TinInjun]

Originally Posted by Ron H

You need to post as much info about your combo as possible.

Ron, I'm just looking for what others have experienced using this cam and their combination. My combination is not important at this time as all of my options are still open. Thanks.

[Skip Fix]

Can tell you a buddy with a 454 rectangle port BBC and that cam made over 500 hp and still had street manners for power brakes.

[Ron H]

Head flow, CR, intake, carb, exhaust, trans, converter , gears, weight, and more all play into making a cam choice.
Anyone can say that cam ran well here and there. It may run well for you with your combo.
I guess it's a choice of build the combo around the cam or build the combo and then cam it. Or just shooting for, old faithful will probably make power and matches well.
If you have it go for it. Saves buying another.

[quick67bird]

I have used that cam in my 67 Firebird. I ran 7.71 in the 1/8th and 11.69 in the 1/4. The cam ran well on the street and sounded good, had a nice lope in my 455.

At the time I had 6x4 heads with nothing more than a slight and I mean slight bowl cleanup, casting flash removal in the ports, and the heads milled .030. Intake was a Torker 1 with a 2" spacer and an 850 Holley dp. The engine had flattop pistons with a compression ratio of 9.96-1. I had some ross pistons with crower steel rods.

My 67 Firebird has only a fiberglass hood and the back seat removed. I also had 4.10 gears, 29.6" drag radial, and a 3000 TCI stall convertor.

I liked the cam for an off the shelf grind and it worked pretty well, but I believe that unless you already had the cam I would get a cam to work with the heads you have. Those Edelbrocks will flow substantially more than my 6x4 heads. I would talk to anyone of the great Pontiac vendors that we have and get a custom grind from them.

Robert

[Mike Davis]

George--- Go BIGGER!

[David Holmberg]

Originally Posted by Mike Davis

George--- Go BIGGER!

Ya, 474 and a bigger cam.
But any solid cam in the 25x-26x range makes a lot of TQ, and usable power in a Pontiac.

[Mo]

Specs:
Camshaft Specification Table
Part Number 51-246-4
Engine 1955-1981 Pontiac
265ci-455ci
8cyl.
Grind Number P 294S-10
Description

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Intake Exhaust
Valve Adjustment 0.022 0.022
Gross Valve Lift 0.525 0.525
Duration At 0.015 Tappet Lift 294 294

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Valve Timing At 0.015
Open Close
Intake 41 73
Exhaust 81 33

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

These Specs Are For The Cam Installed At 106 Intake CL
Intake Exhaust
Duration At 0.05 248 248
Lobe Lift 0.35 0.35
Lobe Separation 110

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Recommended Valve Springs

[TinInjun]

Originally Posted by Mike Davis

George--- Go BIGGER!

You just want a spare engine available to you. Heck half of the parts were yours at one time. Now lets see if I can make 600 horse with this cam.

[Ron H]

Out of the box e heads, 400/406 CI, that cam. Probably closer to 550 hp.

[screamingchief]

Originally Posted by Ron H

Out of the box e heads, 400/406 CI, that cam. Probably closer to 550 hp.

If that,,,at that CID,,,I'd say closer to 525...

A few more cubes and it might be possible get to 550 hp with the 294S,but ask me even that would be a stretch.

So,IMHO there is simply no way in hell will any 400/406 cid engine will make 600 horses with that 294S cam.

I have "bigger" solids than that 294S in the 406's being used for my race car,these are all around 255/260+ in./ex. duration @ .050".

With the iron heads at the level they're at now,I'm not even expecting over 500 hp from the 406's till I get a chance to get the iron heads ported further,after I get around to porting the heads to 250-260 cfm those motors might make right at/around 525 hp...

With 290-310 CFM aluminum heads I would expect to eek 550+ horses from similar 400 engines with solid cams like the ones I use,but that 294S has some ground to make up comparing it to the solid cams I run,but even with my cams and the 290-310 cfm aluminum heads I doubt such a 400 would hit/surpass the 600 hp hurdle.

My primary 406 engine uses a custom ground crower:
Crower custom solid # E-27941: (Modern "fast" lobes)
Spec = intake/exhaust
Adv.dur. = 288°/292°
Dur. @ .050" = 256°/260°
Lobe lift = .360"/.365" Rec.lash = .018"/.020"
LSA = 108° ICL = 104° ECL = 112°

.050 events:
IO = 24° BTDC
IC = 52° ABDC
EO = 62° BBDC
EC = 18° ATDC
O/L @ .050 = 42°

Seat events:
IO = 40° BTDC
IC = 68° ABDC
EO = 78° BBDC
EC = 34° ATDC
Total O/L = 74°

The back-up 406 engine uses a comp 290b6:
Comp Cams 290b6 solid: (another popular catalog grind)
Spec = intake/exhaust
Adv.Dur. = 290°/304°
Dur. @ .050" = 255°/266°
Lobe lift = .360"/.356" Rec.lash = .026"/.028"
LSA = 106° ICL = 106° ECL = 106° (split overlap/straight up)

.050" events:
IO = 21.5° BTDC
IC = 53.5° ABDC
EO = 59° BBDC
EC = 27° ATDC
O/L @ .050" = 48.5°

Seat events:
IO = 39° BTDC
IC = 71° ABDC
EO = 78° BBDC
EC = 46° ATDC
Total O/L = 85°

The second back-up 406 engine is gonna use the UD 288/296 solid likely:
UD 288/296 solid: (Modern fast lobes,assymmetrcal.)
Spec = intake/exhaust
Adv.dur. = 288°/296°
Dur. @ .050" = 255°/263°
Lobe lift = .3600"/.3706" Rec. lash = .026"/.026"
LSA = 108° ICL = 102° ECL = 114°

.050" events:
IO = 25.5° BTDC
IC = 49.5° ABDC
EO = 65.5° BBDC
EC = 17.5° ATDC
O/L = 43°

Seat events:
IO = 41° BTDC
IC = 67° ABDC
EO = 81° BBDC
EC = 35° ATDC
Total O/L = 76°

Slowbirds 400 combo is similar to what is being discussed here,and has a solid much like that 294S,it made just a tic over 500 hp as I recall,but not a whole bunch more than that.

Also of note here is the fact that comp rates the advertised duration of that 294S solid at .015" vs. most other cams that are rated at .020",so watch the specs closely.

HTH.

[Chris Petersen]

I am running that cam now, I would go bigger. My motor is under cammed IMO...

It does run power brakes, but not by much.

See sig. below.