hottest cam that passes calif. emission testing in 1985 tpi

[grumpyvette]

the hottest cam Ive found that has the California EMISSION clearance numbers is the CRANE 114132 if you can still find one, its a dirrect replacement and despite what the cam card says it runs great with the stock engines gearing, stall and computer setting totally unchanged, yes a 3.73:1 rear gear and an adjustable fuel pressure regulator help maximize the performance but they are not strictly mandatory

C.A.R.B. E.O. D-225-25) BASIC RPM 2000-5000 it easily passed sniffer tests, in my 1985 vette

http://crane.carshopinc.com/product_info.php/products_id/15916/114132

rane 114132 PowerMax Camshaft and Lifter Kit
by Crane
Key features
• Kit includes 99277-16 Anti-pump up Hydraulic Lifter and 99846-16 Single valve springs
• Kit includes installation lubricants and camshaft sprocket bolt locking plate

Description
The Crane PowerMax Camshaft and Lifter Kits include PowerMax Camshaft with grind number # 2040. They are specifically designed for computer-controlled vehicles.

ERSONS cam is a almost CLONE, and still available

http://www.pbm-erson.com/store.php?catId=334&parent=333&grandparent=327
E110020K
specs>> 275/278 209/216 .435/.455 112

self aligning rockers have ridges to prevent the rocker from moving off the valve stem

either works best with 1.6:1 ratio roller rockers and easily gets you 35 plus more hp with the rockers

http://crane.carshopinc.com/product_inf ... 916/114132


either cams got a slight lope to the idle ,more like a burble really but pleasant and powerful enough so you'll notice a difference in both the idle and power curve

 

[Truckedup]

In Comp Cams catalog they offer 4 smog legal grinds for later Gen 1 roller cam small blocks.The hottest one is the #08-422-8 roller cam ,218-224 duration at .050 lift with .500 lift at the valve.Comp's catalog says this cam is 50 state legal for 93 and down SBC.

 

[grumpyvette]

Ive tried that cam,
if you've got a manual transmission its ok,
but its a TOTAL P.I.T.A. to drive with, if your using the stock stall speed converter and rear gear ratio.

 

[Truckedup]

Grumpy,you mean a pain cause it's lumpy or the stock fuel injection gets upset by the cam?
I'm running a milder Comp Cam roller in a roller block 305,ya a miserable 305,but I got the disassembled fully machined engine for short money :mrgreen: It's the #408 grind,206-212 duration,.485 lift.With static 9.25 compression,600 cfm carb and Rams Horn exhaust manifolds it runs quite nicely for what it is.Slight lope at idle,good torque from 1600 rpm on up and revs freely to about 5200 rpm. This works out well in my 3200 pound El Camino with a wide ratio Saginaw 4 speed and 2.73 gears without overpowering the tranny and puny 7-5/8 rear end.Very good fuel mileage to and that's kinda important for this somewhat daily driver.
I plan to upgrade the driveline over the winter,got a roller block 350 and some Vortec heads laying around.I'm thinking a roller cam with about 220 degrees duration,.500 lift might make 325 HP with a carb and still be able to cruise the hiway in the 2200 rpm range.
What do you suggest?

 

[grumpyvette]

Re: hottest cam that passes calif. emission testing in 1985

I could care less if a cam has a lopey idle , in my opinion that's almost a non-issue, I hated that cam,for several reasons,
keep in mind I'm referring to its use in a STOCK AUTO TRANSMISSION EQUIPPED FLAT TAPPET CAM TPI corvette!
I hated that cam, because it acted restricted with the stock, intake& exhaust.(obviously wanting to pull higher than the components would allow)
because it required the engine to idle just high enough in the rpm band that the stock converter stall made the car harshly engage and jump when the trans was put into gear, because it lacked anything close to instant response at just off idle speeds,making stop and go traffic a p.i.t.a., because it made little torque below about 2000rpm , and with stock gears and an auto trans that was important.
keep in mind the STOCK TPI heads and intake virtually restrict your upper rpm power to below 4700rpm with a stock drive train and induction system,
it also cause minor tuning issues.(it thru trouble codes occasionally for no real reason)
the cam would be ok with a manual transmission or a 2500-3000rpm stall converter , and it certainly was far better once I installed a 3000rpm converter and 3.73 rear gears, but I was and still am not about to put up with those problems in a cam if its supposed to function correctly in a STOCK CORVETTE with all STOCK matched components.
Its not that the cams bad its just NOT a true trouble free, install and drive replacement if you expect to not have issues after its installed in a totally stock, auto transmission equipped corvette, now if you've got a 3.54:1-3.73 rear gear and a 2500rpm-3000rpm stall converter, and a better flowing set of heads and a better intake, THEN its a different story, BUT if youve got those, you can go for a slightly larger cam and gain even more hp.
when you select a cam,matching its designed power & RPM band to the displacement, gearing, compression, head flow , clearance issues and intended rpm band of the other components its to be used in are very important factors to consider

EMISSION COMPONENT LOCATIONS

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