Cam in a 460 Ford??

[Striker27]

Guys I have a CVX 20 with a 460 Ford in it and a Berkley JE pump. Right now I am running a 750 Holley with a Performer intake with some mild work on the heads through a set of Hardin logs. I was wondering what would be a good cam for alittle more get up and go with this package. I dont want to have to get to radical but I am willing to replace the springs and keepers, if need be. Are roller rockers worth it at all on this setup or are they overkill?
THANX

[77charger]

something around 220-225@.50 duration 535-545 lift should work well.i had my bbf cams on 108 centers w/248@.50 and a 590 lift that one was a lttle to big but the previous one worke well which was around 560 lift forgot the duration.Also your compression,intake,carb should be considerd when making a cam choice

[Jake W]

I run a Comp Magnum cam and lifters.Grind is 280h lift is 530.The RPM range is 2000 to 6000.And run a 429 timing chaine and gears,It will pet it up a little.Jake

[LakesOnly]

Whassup Striker,
Of course, choose the proper cam based on your other internal engine components and how you want your engine to perform in general.
One important thing to consider on the Ford 429/460 engines is that they suffer from poor exhaust flow--so much that it is actually a good idea to spend time porting the exhaust before even touching the intake. For this reason, select a camshaft with a split profile, that is, one with about .010" more lift and 10 degress more duration on the exhaust over the intake. This helps scavenging measurably.
LO

[Squirtcha?]

Striker. One thing to keep in mind when you pick out a cam will be your exhaust. That'll be the bottleneck that'll slow everything down for ya. You can pick a huge cam but your logs won't be able to get those spent gases out quick enough.
Hackjob can attest as he was running a fairly aggressive cam profile on his BBF and realized little benefit until he put on a set of headers.
I'll let him tell it, if he sees this thread. I just caught bits and pieces of it and it was a year ago.
Hack.........ya there?
Ya might want to consult an engine builder or two, or possibly some of the cam manufacturers for suggestions. Make sure you have your particulars in front of you when you call. They should ask all about your setup.
[ April 22, 2003, 08:21 PM: Message edited by: Squirtcha? ]

[Ken F]

Striker, I've got a Chet Herbert CH3N out of my 460.
112 lobe center, 215.500 intake, 215.525 exaust.
It is what they call their "Jet-Boat" cam.
Your stock springs, ect. will work with it.
$40 & you pay the shipping?
Ken F

[Jet City]

I would figure out what your working with in terms of compression ratio, that will dictate which cam makes sense. Most factory marine 460's are only 8.5:1 C.R. (with D3VE heads and dished pistons), if you go with a cam thats too large for the C.R. you'll likely have less power than what you started with. I have just such an engine and mine runs nearly 5 mph faster with Comps 268H (218@.050, .494 on 110 lca) than it does with Comps 280H (230@.050, .530 on 110 lca).

[DUCKY]

77charger:
something around 220-225@.50 duration 535-545 lift should work well.i had my bbf cams on 108 centers w/248@.50 and a 590 lift that one was a lttle to big but the previous one worke well which was around 560 lift forgot the duration.Also your compression,intake,carb should be considerd when making a cam choice A good recommendation, but if you are running water injected headers, watch the lobe centers. Overlap = Reversion, so stay above 112deg if you're running O/T's. The Crane drop in roller coversion frees up a bunch of power on BBF's and advancing the cam timing to straight up would be a great start. They come from the fact. 4deg retarded.

[76 Sleekcraft]

I have went through the same thing. I am just now putting my 460 back together.
You can contact Duane at Hi tech. He has a special ground Isky cam that is supposed to be designed just for a jet application. That is what I am running. I agree with everyone else on the exhaust. there are some major obstructions in the exhaust ports that need to be removed. Switch your timing chain set up and degree in your cam. I am GM oriented, so this ford stuff is new to me. I have learned a lot.
There is a lot of good advice here, get all you can, and weigh your options.
I can provide you with specifics on what I have done if you need them, but I must warn you, Mine has yet to be on the water, I am just going on what info I have collected. Again, Duane has a complete cam kit, cam, lifters, springs, pushrods, etc. I should know something about mine in a couple of weeks. Just my .02
Good luck!

[hack job]

Squirtcha?:
Striker. One thing to keep in mind when you pick out a cam will be your exhaust. That'll be the bottleneck that'll slow everything down for ya. You can pick a huge cam but your logs won't be able to get those spent gases out quick enough.
Hackjob can attest as he was running a fairly aggressive cam profile on his BBF and realized little benefit until he put on a set of headers.
I'll let him tell it, if he sees this thread. I just caught bits and pieces of it and it was a year ago.
Hack.........ya there?
Ya might want to consult an engine builder or two, or possibly some of the cam manufacturers for suggestions. Make sure you have your particulars in front of you when you call. They should ask all about your setup. well you got my atten.
first off i ran my bbf with a 645 lift with logs and ouch it was not fun, i did it for aobut 5 mins and headed home and then i went and bought some lighting headers only beacuse i dont like getting burned i picked up 500 rpm and got a shit load of mph out of her and she rana tone better. that major down side toa a big cam and little exhuast is the fact that you can cause clyinder wash wich will ruine every thing in your motor. it starts with the oil and thin s that out and that gose ot the bearings and you knowt he story form there. so if you are going to run a big cam then you need to look in to exhaust ( headers) other wise the comp cams one that 77 said or maybe a isky 278 hydro those are good cams i ran one in my old eliminator and it ran well! wink
[ April 23, 2003, 09:11 AM: Message edited by: hack job ]

[spectras only]

Stryker27, you don't need a really big cam for a jet ,just get the A443 ford motorsport cam from the local SVO dealer ,rhoads antipumpup lifters and springs with 130 pounds seat pressure .Your Hardin logs probably still have the step on the risers .Cut them off ,this will increase your ID by 1/2" , and will scavenge exhaust just fine with the A443 cam.With better heads yet, 5400-5600RPM is attainable w/"A" impeller .800-850 holley vac secondary carb [84 primary ,94 secondary jets ,6.5 powervalve] is beneficial over the 750 carb you have now.

[Danhercules]

i have a 460 with super corba jet heads. The cam that is in it now is stock. I have 2 750's on a highrise and tunnel. I want to change the cam. The local speed shop guy (seems to know what he is talk in about) reccomeded this......rpm range 2000-6000 intake 280 lift 530 and exh 280 530 lift. Is that a little to big? What are the specs of that "jet boat cam"? You can contact Duane at Hi tech. He has a special ground Isky cam that is supposed to be designed just for a jet application. That is what I am running.

[spectras only]

the 443 cam's specs as follow; valve lift 563 intake ,588 exhaust , duration 234 in , 244 exh at 0.50 .RPM range is 3000-6500 .There's also a smaller cam for marine use [A460] .I put the 443 cam in the 19 spectra ,and the A460 in the 20 spectra in my avatar.CJ heads ,19 spectra runs 72 GPS with "A" impeller.
[ April 23, 2003, 02:17 PM: Message edited by: spectras only ]

[77charger]

DUCKY:
77charger:
something around 220-225@.50 duration 535-545 lift should work well.i had my bbf cams on 108 centers w/248@.50 and a 590 lift that one was a lttle to big but the previous one worke well which was around 560 lift forgot the duration.Also your compression,intake,carb should be considerd when making a cam choice A good recommendation, but if you are running water injected headers, watch the lobe centers. Overlap = Reversion, so stay above 112deg if you're running O/T's. The Crane drop in roller coversion frees up a bunch of power on BBF's and advancing the cam timing to straight up would be a great start. They come from the fact. 4deg retarded. I do run bassets and have had NO problem been doing so for 8 years.I did have the bassets plumbed as per the bassets instructions so they were dry around 1800-2000rpm and under.

[Striker27]

Wow!! You guys know your stuff!!! I think I will end up getting a Ford motorsports cam. The heads are ported on the intake and exhaust side as well as polished so that is a good thing. I will probably look to keep the lift around .535 to 550. Plus I will look for a cam that favors the exhaust side alittle more. But now you guys got me thinking I might need a bigger carb too. HMMMM hope this all works with that 250hp shot of NOS i got.

[SB]

I'm also looking for the right cam. I have Dove c heads, ported. Looking for about 400 hp and 4800 rpm with Agressor A impeller. I need to idle to teach kids to ski. I need to know which cam I need, why not stock?, and how much dish on the piston?, what c/r will get me 400 hp? Thanks.

[spectras only]

the A460 cam will get you the desired HP [approx 400-450HP] with your dove-c heads .The dove-c heads will put you in about 9.3:1 comp with stock dished pistons and a nice idle to boot.The A443 cam with dove-c heads and 10.25:1 pistons will yield 475+HP with a good intake and 800+ holley.

[FordTech]

I have a cvx-20 and you can not install a set of headers in that boat. no room. not without cutting half the boat apart. also I have run that ford motorsport cam and was not impressed. I am running edelbrock torker plus cam that favors the exhaust a little with roller rockers and got rid of the snails and went with riser pipes ported and polished heads paying much attention to the exhaust. alot better now. much happier. :cool:

[Jet City]

Stryker, if you are running D3VE heads with pedestal type non-adjustable rockers, be cautious of exceeding the lift that set-up can tolorate, I believe .535 lift is about the safe maximum with that set-up. That will somewhat limit your choices. I'm sure someone will correct me if my figures are wrong, its been a while since I went through this stuff, and if you already have adjustables, then disregard all the above.