Should I put a cam in it?

Ok I'm putting a stock 1974 460 from a Thunderbird into a 72 Torino.  I'm replacing the stock 74 EGR intake with a 70 pre smog stock intake.  I'm also going to change the timing chain for a pre 72 chain to get rid of the cam retard.  It will retain manifolds with dual exhaust.  My question is. I'm in this far should I put Summit's small 460 cam in it it has 204/214 duration at .050 .486/.512 lift. Or since everything else is stock it really won't make a difference.  Oh yeah the car has a 3.25 rear and it will have a 600 holley for a carb.

Carb is small, as for the engine you might wanna run it, no converter, high gears may not like more cam, if you want to cam it try to mimic the factory CJ/SCJ specs they will be close to what you are looking to do. GL

I would most certainly cam it. The Edelbrock Performer is a good choice. I would maybe step it up to something around 212 at .050 on the intake and around 218 on the exhaust. Stay around 110 LSA and around .500" lift. One of the tricks myself and many others used to do back in the day was throw a set of Rhoads lifters in with a bigger then ideal cam. Best of both worlds if you don't mind the ticking and slightly reduced oil pressure. I think your stock converter will be fine up to 212 at .050" myself. The engine will really wake up with a mild cam. That 600cfm carb will get you to almost 5,000rpm also.

http://www.rhoadslifters.com/


I ran their old VVT 211 cam and lifter package in a 351m with a stock convertor. It was as the name suggests 211 at .050" with .502" lift. Don't remember the LSA but likely 110. Night and day difference over the stock cam. Don't even bother Googling it, they quit selling them in the early to mid 90's before internet caught them. You can still get the lifter from them and other companies as well and pick a cam close to the spec.s they used. They had a 201, a 211 and a 222 series.

Thanks for the input. This is kinda on a budget. I agree the carb is too small, but it is what I have. I really just want the thing to create a lot of torque down low. It can be all over by 4500rpms as long as it pulls hard from idle to 3500. I know it isn't going to be a rocketship, and I didn't plan on a cam, but the Summit cam was only $120, so I thought if it made a difference I'd add that to the budget. If not I'm sure it will do what I'll need with the stock cam.

Yes change the cam and get a 750 carb

Make sure to out some new springs in it to.

For sure ... change the timing chain set, no matter which way you go.

(Be sure to remember that 8/1 compression ratio).

Little bit of an update.
Since I'm trying to keep this budget, I've been searching out some parts to get a little more bang for the buck. I originally asked about a cam for my '74 460 with stock exhaust manifolds and a 70 460 intake manifold. I planned on maybe a summit cam and a 69-71 timing set. Well I lucked into a set of small chamber heads off a running engine. Got the rockers/fulcrums and pushrods as well. I'm going to break them down and have my local machine shop do a basic valve job after I grind the exhaust hump out of them. I won a set of Edelbrock valve springs off Ebay for $24 shipped. They are basically stock replacements from the numbers I see, but at least they are fresh and not 40 year old fatigued springs. A friend of mine had a Crane cam in his basement he gave me, but I'll have to buy lifters. So here is the recipe.

1974 460 with 60k
D0VE heads with exhaust humps removed no other port work. Basic valve job.
Edelbrock 5867 valve springs
Crane H272-2 216/228 duration at .050 .518/.513 lift 112 LSA
Stock exhaust manifolds 2 1/2" exhaust
Stock 70 intake
Holley 600 vac sec.

The cam has a little more duration than I'd like and the carb is still too small, but I think it will work alright. I try not to get tied up in numbers as far as horse power, but I'm hoping this combo will make similar power to a 70 460, but with 9 to 1 compression be very pump gas friendly. What do you think?

72sport wrote:Little bit of an update.
Since I'm trying to keep this budget, I've been searching out some parts to get a little more bang for the buck. I originally asked about a cam for my '74 460 with stock exhaust manifolds and a 70 460 intake manifold.  I planned on maybe a summit cam and a 69-71 timing set.  Well I lucked into a set of small chamber heads off a running engine.  Got the rockers/fulcrums and pushrods as well. I'm going to break them down and have my local machine shop do a basic valve job after I grind the exhaust hump out of them.  I won a set of Edelbrock valve springs off Ebay for $24 shipped.  They are basically stock replacements from the numbers I see, but at least they are fresh and not 40 year old fatigued springs.  A friend of mine had a Crane cam in his basement he gave me, but I'll have to buy lifters.  So here is the recipe.

1974 460 with 60k
D0VE heads with exhaust humps removed no other port work. Basic valve job.
Edelbrock 5867 valve springs
Crane H272-2 216/228 duration at .050 .518/.513 lift 112 LSA
Stock exhaust manifolds 2 1/2" exhaust
Stock 70 intake
Holley 600 vac sec.

The cam has a little more duration than I'd like and the carb is still too small, but I think it will work alright.  I try not to get tied up in numbers as far as horse power, but I'm hoping this combo will make similar power to a 70 460, but with 9 to 1 compression be very pump gas friendly.  What do you think?

Personally, I think all those parts will make a well suited combination.
I would probably use a slightly higher stall speed torque converter in it; around 2,400 RPM.

I think you will like it. Don't be scared by those cam specs, it is a pretty tame cam and with around 14 initial timing I doubt you will even detect much or a lope at idle. If you don't run it much past 4,500 Rpm the 600 will work too.