460 roller cam

[webebob]

I have no complaints with my 486hp460 crate engine. The cam is mild and wild at the same time. Lovely piece. The idle is rock solid, the power is mind blowing and the mileage is great. (And it cost about half of what people are spending on small block strokers...icing on the cake!) But.
I understand that switching to a hydraulic roller cam can add more torque over a broader range with no penalty at idle.
Does anyone have a roller cam they would recommend as a replacement to the 486hp cam that would preserve all the good manors?
Bob

[Venom S]

Try the Ford Racing Parts website.

http://www.oemfordparts.com/partslist.asp?CategoryID=5

Venom_S

[webebob]

Venom S,

Thanks, I did. They don't.
They have a solid roller (600hp piece), and lots of small block hydraulic rollers, but no 460.

I know the aftermarket guys are starting to cut these grinds. Just don't know what part would be good replacement for what I have.

I assume the same duration and such as the tappet cam would NOT be the way to go. No? Wouldn't this have more "effective" overlap on a roller cam?
Bob

[Tom Wells]

Hi Bob,

The only 460 hydraulic roller cams I could find are made by Crane.

They can be found at

http://www.cranecams.com/motorsports...ler/359351.htm

http://www.cranecams.com/motorsports...ler/359341.htm

and

http://www.cranecams.com/motorsports...ler/359331.htm

These web pages give the specs for each cam. I bought the most aggressive cam (listed first above), part # 359351, because my engine builder said it would be best for my street motor - a 520.7 cubic inch crate motor from Ford Racing. This cam is a lot less aggressive than the solid roller cam that came in the motor, both in lift and timing. Also, I changed the valve springs because the ones that came with the motor were so stiff that they were said to possibly require renewing every 3,000 - 5,000 miles; not a desirable thing for a street motor!

For comparison, you can see the specs on the original crate motor's solid roller cam at the Ford Racing web site; sorry I don't have them handy here. That cam and valve train is meant for 8.90 - 9.90 bracket drag racing use.

Since my engine is a stroker I went for the most aggressive cam of the three on the theory that the bigger the displacement, the more tame the effect of a given cam will be - again, based on my engine builder's recommendation.

These are the only hydraulic roller cams I could find. Incidentally, cost was around $700 from Jegs for the cam and lifters. I also added new valve springs and had to get new pushrods, since the hydraulic lifters are taller than the ones that came with the engine.

I wish I could tell you how it performs , but the engine won't be running for another month or so. If you're not in a hurry, tune in then!

Hope this helps,

Tom

[cwmcobra]

Bob,

Here's another option from Crane. If you are making the investment in roller hydraulic lifters, you might consider the following camshaft:

Crane Camshaft Specification Card
Part Number: 35HR00013
Grind Number: HR-224/339-2S-12
Engine Ident: 1968-UP FORD-MERCURY V-8 370-429-460 CU.IN.

See the attached file for the Camshaft Specification Card details. We supply parts to Crane and this was the grind recommended by their Engineering staff for my 514 Cobra replica.

Now, like Tom, I've not fired or driven this engine yet, so I can't vouch for the performance. Being recommended by Crane's staff, I thought I would give you another option to consider.

Have fun with your decision.

Chuck

[COBRA9268]

Hey, just my two cents, i m gonna build a 429 roller motor and have been doing some research on them. The lift can be wherever you want it and still have a low dur @ .50 so the low and mid tq is not lost. Consider full roller, rockers, gear drive, guide plates, the whole works, about 1400.oo well worth the 100 plus gain and the response with roller is wild.

[Tigertracker]

I am also looking at roller cams for my 460. I talked to Crane the other day and got info on the #359351 and I think it will meet my needs. They recommend this cam for up to 10 1/4 compression, over that, he recommended cam # 35HR00001. One question that I have after reading about the heads and cams, the Edelbrock heads that I have picked out require 3/8 pushrods, while the lifters say 5/16. Is the bearing surface (tips) the same size on both pushrods and just the shaft diameter different?

[Tom Wells]

Hello TigerTracker,

That cam, #359351, is now installed in my 521 stroker along with Crane hydraulic roller lifters.

The bad news is it won't be in the car and running for at least another month .

It is combined with 9.8:1 compression, an Edelbrock RPM 460, an 850 vacuum secondary Demon and the CJ aluminum heads.

I hope it turns out OK!

Tom

PS: My oldest son is in BR. He & his wife are both graduates of LSU! Do I need to say Rabid Tailgaters?

[cwmcobra]

Tom,

No pressure, but I fired my engine this weekend. Haven't driven in the car, but it runs well and sounds great. No road experience but I reviewed with Ford Racing today and they say it will make excellent full range torque with max RPM about 5500. So far so good, I'm pumped! Desktop Dyno predicts 550 HP and 700 ft.-lbs. Can't get tires big enough.......

Tigertracker,

You are correct about the pushrods. The 3/8" diameter rods have 5-16" balls on them. They fit both the guide plates and the lifter sockets just fine.

A personal note. You can thank us up here in Michigan for training Nick Saban at MSU. Glad to see him successful at LSU as well.

Chuck

[Tigertracker]

Nick just got a small raise yesterday. New 5 year contract with a $400,000 per year raise and a $500,000 tax paid annuity if he stays for the whole contract. I think I got into the wrong business.