318 camshaft?

What is the highest lift cam that can be put into a stock 318?

Thanks

Well, That could be a tricky question. What do you plan on mods with the rest of the engine? A big RV cam , dual-pane intake, a holly 600cfm carb and headders is a good start. A good set of 340-360 heads help. Also you want to get the right valve spring for the cam. That tends to be over looked.

The guys at Summit racing products are really good about answering technical questions like this. Also, as Benwah said, it "depends" on a few things.

My standard upgrade for a stock motor is an "edelbrock performer package" (carb, cam/lifters, intake), headers and electronic ignition or electronic modules in a points ignition. That tends to satisfy my need for speed on the road.

That being said, I eventually plan on building s 360 for my van and "saving" the stock 273 while it's still in good running shape. I'll put the heaviest cam in it I can just for "curb appeal" more than anything else.

I have the engine apart and I am just freshening it up on a low budget, head gasket went. I really only want a cam to replace the original but I have found that some of the cam lifter kits are .440 lift and cost less than a stock cam. The main goal of this undertaking is to make the engine run again with minimal expense.

I have an eye on a cam at summit, I will email them and see if they reply.

I am not replacing the cam for a performance gain. I have the engine completely apart and really the only worn parts are the lifters so I want to change them along with the cam. If I get a slight performance gain all the better but I am not trying.

I think that while possible my engine could be rebuilt with some performance upgrades but I would really like to invest in a newer engine when I can afford to do it right.

I emailed a guy about a cam .460/ .480 lift and he said it would work with a stock engine and parts but he may have just wanted to make a sale. I think the edelbrock performer is a .460 lift.

Thanks guys

theres more to a cam than lift. theres lift, overlap, duration, lobe center line, all to consider. that cam your speaking of is way to much for a stock engine with a 2bbl carb. you would never get it to idle. i know, i have the t-shirt to prove i made the same mistake. putting a cam in an a-100 is bad enough but taking it out after a couple hours of run time sucks. stock cam should look like;
gross lift intake 373
gross lift exhaust 400
centerline 110 degrees
those numbers equal a stock cam that looks like a bad broomhandle but if stock is what you want thats what you need.
to much cam in a stock 318 results in rough idle and bad fuel economy.
my 2 cents worth..........

The actual lift I get is .260 avg. Oreilly has one for 103 that is .280/.295. I guess I will go that route. With new lifters it will cost about 170. Could be worse.

Thanks for the heads up.

I have only upgraded a cam once on that was on a 79 vette. Went with the performer package and on that I didn't notice much.

those numbers actually sound like duration specs but i could be wrong. and if they are they are numbers for about a 275 hp 69 340 cam. reading it right out of the book.

•Not California Compliant 3.91 Bore
•Class I Hydraulic Not Computer Compatible. Except Roller Lifters. Improves Low-Mid Performance Check For Coil Bind. Use [VS-1120] Spring With Installed Height Of 1.65. Cam Lift .280 Intake .295 Exhaust

It is only .020 to .030 more than what I have now so it should be ok.

Those sound like the cam lift. To get valve lift which is the more common advertised number this must be multiplied by the rocker arm ratio, which is 1.5 stock. It's really more like 1.45 stock, with manufacturing tolerances and slop.
typical mild valve lift numbers are ~450. High performance ( Higher RPM operation and rougher idle) are 480-500. The 68 340 manual trans cam had 484, the biggest to even think of on the street is the "509" cam from Mopar. In a stock 318 this would be way too much. Even in a 340 with more compression and carburation is marginal for the street.
Call summit and a couple cam dealers and give them your info on what you have. Model, engine specs, weight, trans, rear axle ratio, rear tire size, and intended use. They will give you a pretty good idea what will work.

ahh, yeah sorry walker, I didn't notice it was you regarding the broken motor. I remember your thread on the quick rebuild.

You are correct, those numbers are cam lift and I was not paying attention. The aftermarket performance cams are rated in valve lift mostly. I feel kinda embarressed I didn't pick up on that. Doin to much at once. The edelbrock cam lift for the performer should be about .290. I am going to call summit tomorrow.

Thanks