1974 SBC 350

by JF74chevelle Sun Oct 09, 2016 2:35 am

I have a small block 350 in my 74 chevelle and I'm just curious to know what cam came in this thing. Meaning is it a hydraulic flat tappet or a roller etc. just curious to know. Also for my future motor build I plan to use a ZZ4 short block as a base, has anyone ran this motor and did you guys like it. Thanks-Justin

by Hs1973 Sun Oct 09, 2016 7:05 am

I had a 68 camaro with a zz4 350 in it. It was a Nice strong running motor. It was reliable and had Nice sound. It had good power and tourqe without Being to rough for the street. It easely broke the tires loose If the pedal was not handle with care. I would buy one again If i had the need. I know the camaro is alot lighter than the malibu but i will still be a Nice engine in a streetmachine.

by clanceman427 Sun Oct 09, 2016 7:54 am

Your stock cam is a hydraulic flat tappet type. And it was the same cam that came in several small blocks dating back to 1970. .390 intake .410 exhaust lift and 310 intake and 320 exhaust duration. Same cam for 307's, 350 2 barrel, 350 4 barrel (L48 in my car) and 400. Some of the hotter corvette 350's of our era were L82 which had a bigger cam for instance.

by JF74chevelle Sun Oct 09, 2016 10:50 am

Okay the last guy that had my car put in an RV cam so that's why my car has some mean lope but doesn't run all that well until I fine tuned the carb. And the ZZ4 short block is tempting for me because I don't have the time or money to build my own short block so I believe the ZZ4 is a substitute.

by Joe73 Sun Oct 09, 2016 8:37 pm

An RV cam should not have a mean lope. They are designed for torque at low rpm. Lopey cams are for high rpms.
Everything must work together. Especially timing with a cam change. Forget factory specs. A small block needs 32-36 degrees TOTAL timing. Thats the timing you set PLUS what the vacuum advance adds PLUS what gets added with the dizzy weights kick in.

by bracketchev1221 Mon Oct 10, 2016 11:47 am

Joe73 wrote:An RV cam should not have a mean lope. They are designed for torque at low rpm. Lopey cams are for high rpms.
Everything must work together. Especially timing with a cam change. Forget factory specs. A small block needs 32-36 degrees TOTAL timing. Thats the timing you set PLUS what the vacuum advance adds PLUS what gets added with the dizzy weights kick in.

Total timing is only going to be mechanical advance. 36 degrees is nothing when the vacuum advance pulls in. That can put it near 50. You set total timing at 32-36 with the vacuum advance disconnected and plugged. Then you tune your vacuum advance based on the vacuum of the engine and tailor the canister to it.

by Joe73 Mon Oct 10, 2016 12:03 pm

Thanks for the correction. Yes, 32-36 with the vacuum disconnected and plugged. The vacuum canister only works at idle to fire the lean mixture then drops out as rpm increases and then its all on mechanical.

by fasrnur Tue Oct 11, 2016 4:18 pm

I myself rely on Comp Cams help line. I use to think I could pick the right cam for my car. Man was I wrong. lol
Since using Comp Cams help line I've never had a bit of problems with whatever engine or car I put an engine in. Just call them, tell them everything you have,heads-intake-carb-compression ratio-torque conveter-rear end gears and they'll recommend the correct cam for your use. Just my two cents though.

by JF74chevelle Tue Oct 11, 2016 7:51 pm

I already did that for my future build, thanks!

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1974 SBC 350

1974 SBC 350

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