All Small Six Cam for early block?

[ShaneB]

Hey folks... I am pretty new to these motors and just trying to learn and pull a plan together. The motor I have is a newly rebuilt 170 4 bearing motor.

Question is... does anyone make a cam for those? I see the Clay Smith cams say 144-170-200-250... but my understanding is that the cam is NOT the same in the early block and the later block. Is that correct?

Yes..... I have the book.... no... there is not much information at all about the early motors in it.

 

[aussie7mains]

Hey folks... I am pretty new to these motors and just trying to learn and pull a plan together. The motor I have is a newly rebuilt 170 4 bearing motor.

Question is... does anyone make a cam for those? I see the Clay Smith cams say 144-170-200-250... but my understanding is that the cam is NOT the same in the early block and the later block. Is that correct?

Yes..... I have the book.... no... there is not much information at all about the early motors in it.

From my recollection the only difference was in the cutouts to clear the con rods. The aftermarket cams seem to be all made on the same casting, which is setup for 250ci engines. The 250, having the longest stroke has the largest cutouts, so it should be OK in any of the smaller engines. I would however give carefull consideration on your cam choice, as the 170 doesnt have a lot of toque, you wouldnt want to loose too much going to a long duration cam profile, especially when constrained by the "log head'. And, this is especaily true if you have a slushie!

 

[awasson]

Also, make sure the 170 has the oil passages for hydraulic lifters. If not, you'll definitely need to go with solid lifters. If it was running fine with hydraulics, you can just ignore this.