408w 185AFR setup...

[PUNISHER RACING]

Agreed totally the 185's will work perfect on that combo. The runners are not small at all and most flow closer to 190. You are getting the best of both worlds with those heads the runners flow great and are not oversized to do so keeping the velocity up and making them really potent street performers, as well as an all out head. I would however run a Vic. Jr style open plenum intake to help aid the high RPM power and soften the blow on the tires off idle. As far as camshaft I assume you are still running the flat tappet style. I would recommend the Comp Cams 35-250-4, or the 35-254-4 if you are going more race oriented. Run them with 1.6 rockers and the 3.73's or even 3.50's will work great in stick shift form. I however would recommend a 3" exhaust kit to keep things moving nicely and again to soften the bottom up just a smidge to make life on the tires a bit easier. This car is gonna be real fun!!!!

 

[67staaang]

thanks punisher.. everything on this thread is exactly what im going to do! you guys are great! thanks for the info..

punisher.. are those cams solid or hydraulic? if i go hydraulic would i need the retro rockers? I was informed that i would.

 

[Edbert]

Use roller rockers no matter what kind of lifters you choose, roller fulcrum and roller tip.

I'm a fan of roller-hydraulic lifters myself, best compromise of both worlds in my opinion.

 

[PUNISHER RACING]

they are hydro flat tappet and you could use any old 3/8 studded roller rocker arm! you are not set up for roller are you?

 

[67staaang]

i dont believe so. how would i know?

 

[PUNISHER RACING]

what year is your block, and do your current lifters have rollers on the bottoms?

 

[StaffAmerica74]

Im getting in on this too since I have the same setup.

Should I spend the extra 450 and get the retrofit lifters? Whats the difference between solid and hydralic? If I do that do I need different valve springs? Thanks Punisher

 

[67staaang]

it is 74 block. its a bare block too.

 

[Edbert]

it is 74 block. its a bare block too.

The it is set up for flat tappets, but you can have it machined to work with roller lifters.

 

[PUNISHER RACING]

it is not worth it just get a roller block if you want to run a roller cam, you will save about $300.00 bucks doing it that way. however there is nothing wrong with flat tappet camshafts I use alot of the X energy cams that are flat tappet. and yes you will need to get the springs to correspond with your camshaft more ofter than not 986 Comps. the tie-bar lifters are nice but not needed in street app's!

 

[67staaang]

ok. so if i use flat tappet cam, what cam would you recommend? as well as lifters and springs?

would i really need to swap the stock springs on my afr 185s? thanks

 

[PUNISHER RACING]

It sounds like your are trying to build a real healthy street car here so I would recommend the Comp 35-250-4 cam and lifter kit. They use a Comp 986 spring which is a 125 lb spring at 1.800 so use those numbers to relate with your AFR springs. You can get a set for $80.00 bucks so you might br farther ahead to just swap them but hey call AFR they might use them. The Comp 254 Xtreme is a little more radical and would be better suited for a 205 headed strip car it would also work well but is not as streetable. That kit sells for like $200.00 bucks in Jegs!

 

[67staaang]

so im not really following.. can i use a hydraulic cam? sorry thanks guys

 

[Edbert]

so im not really following.. can i use a hydraulic cam?

Yes.

Flat tappets can be hydraulic or solid, same with rollers. The terms are not related.

Unless you machine your block you must choose either a hydraulic or solid FLAT TAPPET cam and lifters. Whatever you get make sure the cam and the lifters are compatible. Getting them as a kit makes that simple.

I prefer hydraulic over solid for anything other than racing, they are (usually) considered lower maintenance, (usually) considered easier to setup and tune, and they are quieter. Solids offer a slight edge in high RPM and/or high performance applications, but since you are building a stroker you have probably chosen a low RPM approach.

EDIT TO ADD: That last comment refers to the 351W having such large main bearings that high RPM can sometimes be an issue, and generally speaking increasing the stroke limits the ability of an engine to rev. So stroking a 351W is generally done by folks who build for low-end torque as opposed to high-end horsepower. That is exactly what I did, for a street motor I think torque is the thing to shoot for. Of course if you ask five people that question you might get six opinions...so YMMV.

 

[67staaang]

what hydraulic flat tappet cam and lifters would you guys recommend to get the most hp and tq? thanks again for schooling me!

 

[Edbert]

For my 351W I chose a 272ish cam, it should provide plenty of torque, more than enough vacuum for brakes etc., idle smooth and purr like a kitten, yet have a slight lope at idle and more than enough power to get in trouble when I want it.

With your increased displacement, I'd suggest something in the low 280s. Anything over that and you are getting into what I would call pretty serious output levels. Judging by your questions I'd think you should stay out of that area for this build...no offense...I thought the same thing for myself

These things are highly subjective, everyone has a different opinion. Take into consideration the rear gearing, the type of transmission, stall speed (if applicable) on the TC, what type of intake/carb, and several other factors like the strength of the bottom end and what RPM range you intend to do most of your operation at.

Best advice I can give is to talk to your shortblock builder. I listened closely to mine (DSS), they asked me all the questions and gave their recommendations.

 

[67staaang]

yeah im gaining all the knowledge that i can right now before my build. What was the numbers you ran with you 351w edbert?


thanks tho!