Cam recommendation

[thrice 11]

I'm getting a stock 1988 351W from an Econoline van and would like to put it in my Mach 1. For a little bit more power I have a pair of Windsor jr. iron heads and Hooker Super Competition Headers, hoping to raise the compression to about 9.3-9.5:1 with the heads. It's a 5-speed car with 3.55:1 differential. 

My intention is to drive it on the street and take it to a race track 1-2 times in a year. What cams would you recommend? It should be a budget build, because the plan is to put a 393W stroker in the engine bay in about 2 years.

Any help is appreciated!

 

[cavboy78 28]

I'm not sure if that is a roller block...I'm assuming it is. Your build is similar to mine. I have a 351w roller block (RHS heads) with a T5 and 3.89 gears. I settled on the comp cams xe274HR which works well. Idle is a little lopey, but very drivable on a day to day basis and it pulls strong up to about 6000 rpm. Specs are at the link below.

 

http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=1057&sb=0

[1969_Mach1 333]

In 1988, the 351W is not a roller block.  1995 was the first year Ford installed 351W roller blocks in vehicles.  I believe the casting number for 351W roller blocks starts with an E4.  Good luck with a cam selection.  Howard's Cams has a fairly large off the shelf selection.   

[thrice 11]

2 hours ago, cavboy78 said:

I'm not sure if that is a roller block...I'm assuming it is. Your build is similar to mine. I have a 351w roller block (RHS heads) with a T5 and 3.89 gears. I settled on the comp cams xe274HR which works well. Idle is a little lopey, but very drivable on a day to day basis and it pulls strong up to about 6000 rpm. Specs are at the link below.

 

http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=1057&sb=0

It‘s not a roller block. 1988 was one of the first EFIs. I will change it to a carb intake. I have an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake and an 650 AVS carb. 

For the German highway speeds, i should be able to go 100-120 mph (won‘t go that fast often though).

[barnett468 418]

5 minutes ago, thrice said:

It‘s not a roller block. 1988 was one of the first EFIs. I will change it to a carb intake. I have an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake and an 650 AVS carb. 

For the German highway speeds, i should be able to go 100-120 mph (won‘t go that fast often though).

I hope you have a lot if suspension mods done to do that speed. 

I can post some cams later as well.

[barnett468 418]

This cam with 1.72 rocker arms and around 10.5 compression will let you run 110 mph pretty easily, but you need high octane gas equivalent to or higher than around the us 98 rm/2 octane rating.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hrs-220951-10

here's another

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-35-246-3/overview/make/ford

 

I would use the crane anti pump up lifters with it and group IV or group V oil.

I would also do several other engine mods.

 

 

 

 

[unilec 57]

I see you have a shaker hood, just bare in mind that the Edelbrock Performer RPM intake is nearly an inch taller than the standard performer, so may or maybe not be a height issue.

[thrice 11]

1 hour ago, unilec said:

I see you have a shaker hood, just bare in mind that the Edelbrock Performer RPM intake is nearly an inch taller than the standard performer, so may or maybe not be a height issue.

Good point! I thought about getting adjustable engine mounts before, but will test fit that setup first.

 

3 hours ago, barnett468 said:

This cam with 1.72 rocker arms and around 10.5 compression will let you run 110 mph pretty easily, but you need high octane gas equivalent to or higher than around the us 98 rm/2 octane rating.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/hrs-220951-10

here's another

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-35-246-3/overview/make/ford

 

I would use the crane anti pump up lifters with it and group IV or group V oil.

I would also do several other engine mods.

 

Ok so let's drop that speed limit thing, I'll save that for the stroker ;-) 90-100 mph should be possible with a more conservative camshaft, right? I do enjoy daily driving in summer nd the car should be streetable too.

I really don't know much about cams, but what can I expect from a Comp XE262H:
https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/cca-35-238-3/overview/make/ford
It's a bit more conservative in all manners but isn't that more drivable?

My suspension specs:
Moog LCA & UCA
Roller spring perches by Open Tracker
Shelby Drop
1" stabilizer bar
Zray's crossmember
Export brace
Monte Carlo bar

[Hux 45]

Realistically you need to pull under 4000rpm for 100mph in 5th. 

That is eas8ly achievable. 

Go whatever and it will work

[ClubSport 29]

I use this one

https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/hrs-220051-12

Driving in France - small roads and Highway : nice idle around 850 rpm and power up to 6000 rpm. Very street-able 

[barnett468 418]

Both the cams i listed are very streetable. The second cam will have a very noticeable lope at idle but it will not be extreme. It is also the most popular cam for ford 347 strokers and 351 windsors. The first cam will have less of a lope but more than a stock cam.

The 262h cam is completely lame and useless as a performance cam in a 351. A comp 268h is the smallest cam you should consider if you want more performance than a stock cam. You will also not easily be able to run 110 mph or more with a 262h cam unless you are going downhill.

To safely run 110 mph you need to reinforce your control arms and run stiffer springs like 610 in the front and at least 140 in the rear. You also need to lower the entire car at least 1 inch from stock, plus the front should be at least 1 inch lower than the rear and 1 1/2 lower than the rear would be even better. You should also install better strut rod bushings and very good shock absorbers like custom bilsteins from street and track, or high quality shocks with separate damping adjustments for compression and rebound or ones with high rebound damping like drag racing or road racing shocks, and sub frame connectors and a small rear sway bar if you don't currently have one.

[barnett468 418]

6 hours ago, ClubSport said:

I use this one

https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/hrs-220051-12

Driving in France - small roads and Highway : nice idle around 850 rpm and power up to 6000 rpm. Very street-able 

That is just a tiny bit bigger than the howards cam i posted. If you have aftermarket heads and want a little more power you can use the 1.72 rocker arms i mentioned.

[thrice 11]

Thank you guys! I think I will order the Howards cam barnett468 recommended.

Sorry that I forget half of my suspension data. I have the Bilstein shocks front and rear plus 4.5 leaf mid eye springs in the rear, but the wrong shackles installed atm. The front springs are Grab-A-Trak progressive springs. The car seems a little high, but there's no engine installed right now. Subframe connectors are not allowed on cars with historical registration in Germany but I have a rear stabilizer bar also. lca reinforment plates are waiting to be installed in the winter.

I think the setup is not that bad for a classic mustang :-)

[1969_Mach1 333]

The back of the car is so tall because of those aftermarket extra long rear shackles.  Those should be replaced with stock shackles or stock length shackles.  That will help drop the back of the car down.

[thrice 11]

Yes, I know. Had no others at hand when I put the rear axle in.