CAM ADVICE

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seniorbear69

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steve
Truck Year
1984
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c20
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350
HI ALL i have a 84 c 20 and the engine is not well .good news i have a 87 engine that needs a rebuild .not a problem pistons crank polish bores etc etc ok now the problem whot cam do i put in it .this block has a one piece seal and a roller cam id like to stick with the roller cam but which one .dont want to go racing a nice tick over good vac may be performance help ! sory its a 350 with th400
 

Bextreme04

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Call a reputable cam company with the specific information for your build. A factory 87 350 would not have a 1-piece rear or a roller cam. A 97 L31 would have both of those things, as well as vortec heads. Compression, vehicle weight, expected usage(towing, street driving, racing, etc...) would all play into cam selection as well. If you just go with the generic Comp Cams, I've heard good things about the extreme energy cams and not so good things about the thumper ones.
 

seniorbear69

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ok thanks the engine is a 87-95 350ci with one peice seal and roller cam.dus not have vortec heads only id on block is 5.7 lg on side next to front of startor is 638 cast on block i beleve that the single piece rear seal and the casting for the roller cam spider drilled or not
started in 86 with a pasenger side dip stick weather this was avalable on the trucks not sure as thay always seam to be a few years behind i shall check the heads for casting# tomorow thanks for the cam advice i will look into the comp cams thanks
 

Ricko1966

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My 86 is 1 piece, I know, I'm e changed it never checked but engine seems like it's been in the bay the trucks whole life.
 

Swearbody

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Truck Model
C1500
Engine Size
355 sbc
If you just go with the generic Comp Cams, I've heard good things about the extreme energy cams and not so good things about the thumper ones.


Verdict still is not in on the XE lifters in my case. I think I have a faulty lifter and they are brand new with my xe262h. I think one of them is not "pumping up" and is "bleeding down" after sitting for a short period(1 heat cycle). Ive went through everything half a dozen times and am about ready to pull the lifters and send them to comp for testing/warranty. Ive read that others had issues with the comp cams/lifters but also read that they "fixed" the issue. I believe Comp themselves put out a technical bulletin that I read but dont ask me to produce it at the moment.
 

Ricko1966

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Verdict still is not in on the XE lifters in my case. I think I have a faulty lifter and they are brand new with my xe262h. I think one of them is not "pumping up" and is "bleeding down" after sitting for a short period(1 heat cycle). Ive went through everything half a dozen times and am about ready to pull the lifters and send them to comp for testing/warranty. Ive read that others had issues with the comp cams/lifters but also read that they "fixed" the issue. I believe Comp themselves put out a technical bulletin that I read but dont ask me to produce it at the moment.

The thumper cam has to much overlap that gives it the sound but not best for power. Swearbody what symptom are you having that you think your lifters are bad?
 

Swearbody

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355 sbc
The thumper cam has to much overlap that gives it the sound but not best for power. Swearbody what symptom are you having that you think your lifters are bad?
hey bud...was sharpening a knife and just cut the **** out of my finger... give me a bit to get back with you
 

Ricko1966

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hey bud...was sharpening a knife and just cut the **** out of my finger... give me a bit to get back with you
NBD. Whenever your okay.wanted to try to help you out with your lifters before you pull them and send them back.so whenever. And of necessary superglued as good as stitches.
 

seniorbear69

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c20
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350
hi all thanks for input masking tape fixes most wounds ! ok as promised the heads are 14096217 55-86 350ci 285-300 hp crate engine 64cc chambers thats whot it said so my block and heads are a difrent year are thease heads an good ? as i said i dont want a race engine but i dont want a slug ! never happy !!!!!!!!
 

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