Camshaft suggestions NA & Blown

[66FAIRLANE]

Currently running a 390 with a fairly healthy solid, 590/590, 245/245 @.050, 110 sep installed with ICL at 106.

Old age and fuel prices, along with the urge to drive it more often and further are getting the better of me so I am going to tone it down a little. Add some gear in (higher) take some converter out etc.

I am thinking a hydraulic roller that would be kind on the valve train. As future plans may include a blower I would like a cam that could give good results both NA and blown.

I suppose my questions are:
1) Is this possible?
2) Is my current solid suitable to blow?
3) What characteristics should I look for in a blower cam? (sep angle, overlap etc)
4) Any suggestions?

It still needs to go hard.

[ToddK]

It may not be in your budget at the moment, but with the high Australian dollar, why not consider going the stroker route? More cubes will make your current cam more docile as well as adding more torque and hp. You could then still go with the lower numerical rear gears, as the torque will be both higher and come in at a lower rpm. Just something to consider.

[jayb]

+1 on the stroker kit, there's almost no downside to that modification.

If you are just looking at the cam right now, you can get a pretty good selection of lobe profiles from the Comp Cams web site.  Go to the Information tab at the top, then Catalogs Online, then Cam Lobe Master Catalog.  On pages 14 and 15 you will see the hydraulic roller lobe profiles; I think you need to pick one from the Ford journal section, but I'm not 100% sure.  Looking these over, I'd be looking at the 3634 lobe.  This lobe has advertised duration of 282 degrees, and 232@.050".  With an FE 1.76:1 rocker ratio, you would get lift of around .620", so the cam would be shorter duration for better idle and low speed response, but with the aggressive profile of a roller cam and more lift, your car would be making more power.  If you want to go supercharged at some point, specify the lobe separation angle at 114 or 116 degrees to minimize blowing air/fuel out the exhaust during overlap. 

If you want to go a little milder, then the 3633 or 3632 might be more appropriate.

To answer your specific questions:

1.  Definitely yes.
2.  The current solid is not ideal for a supercharged setup because of the 110 degree LSA.
3.  Primarily for a blower cam you are looking for a wide LSA angle.  Some people recommend more exhaust duration than intake duration, but I've run single pattern cams in my blower motor, and on my new turbo motor the Ford engineer I work with has actually recommended a smaller exhaust lobe, with less duration.  So I don't think whether or not you go with the larger exhaust lobe is critical to good performance.
4.  If it was me, I'd run a single pattern cam, 3634 or 3633 on both intake and exhaust, with a 114 LSA.

Good luck on the project - Jay

[66FAIRLANE]

Thanks guys. I have considered a stroker kit but I am looking to tone down the whole package which includes reduced fuel usage, easy on valvetrain etc. At the moment it is a bit of a street stormer and pretty much confined to the city. I want to be able to jump in it and drive it 700 miles comfortably if I want to which at the moment is out of the question. More cubes would help acheive this end but I would probably not see the reduction in fuel use I would like. If I stay around 390 cubes, install a hyd roller, blower when possible, come back at least 1000rpm on the converter and a taller gear (3.5-3.25)  I reckon that would acheive my goal.

My biggest issue at the moment is deciding exactly what to do and stick to it. It is a toy and everytime I drive it now I love it! But then when mates are going on a 100 mile cruise I don't like it so much. Fuel usage is horrendous, brake vacuum is low, low speed carb tuning with poor signal is difficult, valve springs don't last all that long etc. It shits me so I park it for a couple of weeks and when I get in it again I love it again! I am really torn at the moment and am looking for the best way to have my cake and eat it too. It really helps to talk things through on a forum, get opinions, and then way all that up against my expectations.

Trying to distill my requirements down I am probably looking to build more torque now suitable for a 2500 converter, 3.25 gears, still have a redline of 6000rpm, a motor I won't have to open for years and be suitable for forced induction.