blackdog6124

I restored a 1970 Cutlass S a number of years ago and I now need to replace the camshaft and lifters.
The engine is a Chevy BB 454. Yeah, you can bitch at me later, not being an Olds engine, but it was in the car when I bought it. My problem is it's a street show car and I just want to put a stock cam in it and I can not find the stock cam specs. I do not want anything radical as I am not wanting to gain any power or anything, I just want it to run smooth and quiet at idle and not overheat in normal driving.

The research I have done have got me here:

Lobe separation: - 112 deg to 118 deg
Lift under - .550" (I'm assuming mils)
Duration - under 230 deg

Out of all the research I have done I still don't understand the difference between duration and advertised duration. Any help there will be appreciated. This coming from a retired Engineer.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

66SportCoupe

Okay I'll give you a pass on the 454. There was never a factory chevy cam at .550 lift

66SportCoupe

Comp cams makes a restro cam for a LS6 454. Not even close.

blackdog6124

That's just what I got off of youtube. Any recommendations?

66SportCoupe

A stock 454 cam is not hard to obtain. What are you looking to achieve?

blackdog6124

Thanks. replacing it with a Rocket Olds 350 small block was not an option..

66SportCoupe

Also realize duration advertised does not give you the whole picture. Duration at . 050 is what you need to look at.

66SportCoupe

So now you replacing with a 350 oldsmobile will not give you the same performance

blackdog6124

Just want a smooth idle show street car

fleming442

You can literally get a BBC cam at Walmart.

oldcutlass

Send a pm to Vortecpro, link below.
ClassicOldsmobile.com - View Profile: VORTECPRO

harner

I'd talk to Summit Racing, Speedway or even Lunati or Comp Cams directly and tell them what you want and they will find the cam that is right for you. The BBC platform was around for a long time and a ton of research was done. Perhaps they can find one for you that increases efficiency yet doesn't shake your teeth at idle.

Or just ask them for something stock, of course.

68post

Howards has a lot of small cams listed , even some that are directly spec to stock cams, and you can buy them very reasonably priced at Competition Products. Go to the Howards website and check out their warrantied cams.
That said I would be more likely to prefer one of the small Voodoo cams by Lunati to anything else currently being made in an "off the shelf" cam.
I'd purchase the lifters from either Mike Jones or Chris Straub , of course you can also buy a cam from them too, it will be higher priced but tailored to your specific application.

My first 442 (in 1978) came with a lo-po sbc 350 and it got yanked and a '66 bbc 396 installed, that also got a Crane solid lifter cam and we proceeded to wreak havoc 'n break shyt !

VORTECPRO

I have the factory hyd GM 390 HP 427 cams, with vintage old school lifters. 460/480/214/218/115