cam shafts
- Thread starter kenny170
- Start date
Crane only offers the 144, 170, 200, 250 cams by custom order and they will regrind your core. You would need to call their tech department (866) 388-5120 to find out the profiles available.
I never had Crane do a regrind cam but have used many of their cams in V8 builds. About 3 or 4 years ago I was planing on a regrind for a 223 Ford six build project that didn't get very far. Clay Smith is a good company been around many years and is in this locale area (SoCal).
Hey, a Paso sixer! I'm looking forward to the Paso Robles car show this year, it's one of my favorites right after the Ironstone concourse de elegance in Murphy's.
here's a link to the classic inlines tech article on choosing a cam. I've never personally heard anything bad about any of them, but you can see what a good variety of grinds the clay smith cams have through classic inlined.
http://www.classicinlines.com/SelectCam.asp
here's a link to the classic inlines tech article on choosing a cam. I've never personally heard anything bad about any of them, but you can see what a good variety of grinds the clay smith cams have through classic inlined.
http://www.classicinlines.com/SelectCam.asp
parkwood60
Well-known member
Clay is one of the original guys from back in the day. Sadly he passed away many years ago, but his company is still around and specializes in doing small batches of cams for motors no one else cares about anymore. Here's a Hemmings article about him:
http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/200 ... ure12.html
The fringe benefit of actually running a Clay Smith cam is that you can honestly slap a Mr Horsepower sticker on your car.
About the only other regular production cam I have seen for these motors is by Comp Cams, but they only offer 2 part numbers.
http://www.hemmings.com/mus/stories/200 ... ure12.html
The fringe benefit of actually running a Clay Smith cam is that you can honestly slap a Mr Horsepower sticker on your car.
About the only other regular production cam I have seen for these motors is by Comp Cams, but they only offer 2 part numbers.
Isky has a couple grinds available also. My next cam will probably one of Mike's Clay Smith grinds, looks like it is the most modern design of all the choices. The stuff from the other suppliers is kind of antiquated having a very mild ramp design and such. This is coming from a guy who is currently running a Comp 260 that features a 40 year old design that I am happy with, but the newer Clay Smith grind is a better product nonetheless. Just sayin'.
parkwood60
Well-known member
First off, I meant to mention in the earlier post: Their is no 250/300 engine family. The 250 is based on the 140/170/200 nd I believe uses the same cam. The smaller version of the 300 is the 240 and is totally different.
I don't think the Clay Smith design uses the more modern lobe profiles. I wanted to run it specifically because I prefer the slower opening/old style cams for the type of endurance road racing we are doing. The gentler the ramp up/down the less stress on the valve train. When we blew up our last motor (by running green flag laps in 2nd gear of the C4) the factory tach was reading close to 8000rpm when it let go with no sign of the valves floating. This was with stock 1979 valve springs with 100k miles on them and just a .060" shim.
What you do get with the Clay Smith grind is a larger variety of durations and lobe centers.
I don't think the Clay Smith design uses the more modern lobe profiles. I wanted to run it specifically because I prefer the slower opening/old style cams for the type of endurance road racing we are doing. The gentler the ramp up/down the less stress on the valve train. When we blew up our last motor (by running green flag laps in 2nd gear of the C4) the factory tach was reading close to 8000rpm when it let go with no sign of the valves floating. This was with stock 1979 valve springs with 100k miles on them and just a .060" shim.
What you do get with the Clay Smith grind is a larger variety of durations and lobe centers.
Gene Fiore
Famous Member
I love my Clay Smith cam... 
Clay Smith cams are a good value for the money. Decent lift with moderate spring tension required.
Comp Cams such as the 260 is just a little better than the stock cam. Any camshaft that requires only 50# of valve spring seat tension is real mild. Comp Cams can grind you a custom profile with a much faster rate of lift, but you will need 110-120# of valve spring seat tension. They also have the option of nitriding the camshaft for increased hardness which will eliminate distributor gear wear on the camshaft. If you are running solid lifters they offer a .005" laser cut oiling hole in the surface of the lifter to prevent wear on camshafts with a faster rate of lift.
If you race the solid lifter is the only way to go allowing a faster rate of lift & higher lift.
Schneider also offers a wide selection.
Bullet can also custom grind what you want.
the Isky 262 is a nice street cam. Just a little milder than Clay Smiths 264-264 grind.
Comp Cams such as the 260 is just a little better than the stock cam. Any camshaft that requires only 50# of valve spring seat tension is real mild. Comp Cams can grind you a custom profile with a much faster rate of lift, but you will need 110-120# of valve spring seat tension. They also have the option of nitriding the camshaft for increased hardness which will eliminate distributor gear wear on the camshaft. If you are running solid lifters they offer a .005" laser cut oiling hole in the surface of the lifter to prevent wear on camshafts with a faster rate of lift.
If you race the solid lifter is the only way to go allowing a faster rate of lift & higher lift.
Schneider also offers a wide selection.
Bullet can also custom grind what you want.
the Isky 262 is a nice street cam. Just a little milder than Clay Smiths 264-264 grind.
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