"... is there no place for it in any Pontiac engine?..."
I've read that those cams were made to increase cylinder pressure in low compression engines. There were plenty of low comp(7.6-8.5:1) 350 and 400 Pontiac engines in the 70's. So, for those just wanting to increase performance a bit, without switching to high comp heads, these steep ramps are supposed to fill the bill.
But, since you don't want the noise of Rhoads lifters, you may wanna go with a Lunati Voodoo 262, instead of that XE 262. I've read that the XE cams make noise, because of slapping the valves shut. I've even read of several guys who pulled their XE for this very reason.
And for the 455 cam question, if you can't stand the Rhoads, but want lots of idle vac, you'll just have to settle for less cam, or go with a high dollar roller set-up. But, since I said that, I'm sure somebody will come up with some cam that is bigger than the 041 and has more vac, without Rhoads. That seems to be the way this thread has gone. What don't work for some, seems to work great for others. So, I reckin it all depends on who you believe. Or you'll just have to try 'em in your engine and see how they do.
But, then I'm no expert.
Some of them will be along shortly.
