New-World 30-30
Q Several years ago, I pulled an old '68 Z/28 drag racer out of the garage, where it had been for 15 years. It was dissembled by the previous owner, but the car and engine parts were complete. I reassembled it all and got it running last summer. After 45 minutes, a cam lobe went down. I'm now rebuilding the engine (and planning on using an oil break-in additive in addition to the cam lube.)
Which cam should I go with? The engine is a 0.030-inch-over 302, about 11:1 compression, with a full race port on the original 2.02 heads. The intake stock. The original 12-bolt rearend has 4.11:1 gears. This car will be driven on the street. It's not going to be a racer except for the occasional quarter-mile outing. I'd like to go with a camshaft employs some modern technology, I don't want to lose the sound of the 30-30 cam.
I'm considering the Comp Cams Nostalgia Plus PN 12-673-4 solid lifter. has the characteristics of the original Z/28 cam but more power throughout powerband. What do you think?
Rich SutliffeVia e-mail
A Camshaft technology has come light-years since the 30-30 Duntov camshaft made its way to the streets back in '64. For its time, it was one rowdy camshaft. I've lashed many a valve with that stick pushing them.
Most camshaft manufacturers have released a blueprint line of camshafts to fill the restoration market. Some have taken it a step further by freshening up the old 30-30 with new technology. Yes, that camshaft will run much better than the original cam. But with your engine combination, you may want to take it a step further. Since you have fully ported heads, you could take advantage of some increased lift. The Nostalgia Plus comes in at 247/254 degrees duration at 0.050 inch tappet lift, peak lift of 0.504/0.498 before lash, ground on 112 centers. If you went with one of Comp's Xtreme Energy mechanicals, you could benefit from another 0.040 inch of max lift. The XS 282S comes in at 244/252 at 0.050 inch, 0.520/0.540 inch max lift, ground on 110 centers. With less duration and more lift, the Xtreme Energy camshaft has even more lift rate and should have equal overlap even with the tighter centers.
Either camshaft should run very well in your 302. And as for rpm range, the sky is the limit. If you want to tweak out the last bit of horsepower-and look the part-get an Edelbrock RPM PN 7101 and grind off all the markings to make it look stock. They sure run a lot better than the original factory dual-plane.
If you have technical questions for Kevin McClelland, send him an e-mail at chevyhi@sourceinterlink.com.