Camshaft

The stock Ford camshaft may not be the best camshaft for your BOSS 302 engine depending on what you plan to do with your engine. Ford had objectives for cost, quality, horsepower, torque, idle quality, emissions, just to name a few. Compromises affecting BOSS 302 performance were made in meeting those objectives. If you are building a stock engine with all stock parts then you can probably rest easy without too much thought using the stock Ford camshaft or one that is similar. But if you want more performance (it is a race engine, right?) and start going modified you probably cannot just pick a camshaft by some camshaft specification numbers and assume the engine/car will perform exactly like those numbers may suggest. You need to do your homework and consult with your engine builder.

Please read the following disclaimers and information carefully. Ron* was in the planning stages of his engine build. He did not build a 100% stock engine. He ran simulations based on his needs/desires to help choose his camshaft. The point of these curves is to compare the effect on a baseline engine. His main differences from stock are the carburetor size and compression ratio as noted below. Changing the carburetor size or compression ratio had the same effect on almost all of the cams so you can still compare one camshaft against another, apples to apples.

Disclaimers:

2) Camshaft data are believed to be accurate, but check with camshaft manufacturer for actual up to date data. Some camshafts may no longer be available from the manufacturer.

3) All output was obtained using DynoSim Advanced Engine Simulation program version 4.1.

4) The values for HP and Torque vs. RPM are for reference only. Many assumptions are made by the program designers for all input parameters so the actual HP and Torque values may differ from those achieved in reality.

5) The output is useful for determining the effect of changing camshaft parameters and keeping all other parameters constant. Changes in curve SHAPE will predict performance changes in combination.

6) To utilize curves for comparison purposes of different camshaft configurations, print out the last page for each desired camshaft combo on translucent paper and place one over the other.

7) Most curves utilize the following parameters:

• a. Head Flow data for stock Boss 302 head as listed on Boss 302 Forum Board at 28" H20 (water) depression
• b. Stock Valve Sizing
• c. Small tube headers with mufflers
• d. a 750 cfm carb.
• e. Dual Plane Manifold, High Flow configuration
• f. 10:1 Compression Ratio

8) Notes on camshaft specifications used:

• a. Gross lift was obtained by multiplying lobe lift by 1.73. Lash was not deducted so lift is Theoretical lift.
• b. Most curves used Advertised Duration. Some cams used lift at 0.050" where advertised duration was not available. File reflects which was used.
• c. Intake centerlines were assumed for cases where actual values not available.

9) Engine parameters were chosen for an engine Ron was interested in building at the time he generated the data. Compression ratio change to 10.5:1 yields same shape curves with slightly higher gross numbers for torque and hp. A 780 cfm carb. only increased the hp ratings slightly (1-2 hp).

10) Camshaft manufacturer and camshaft number are listed in the TITLE of the file.

* We always give credit where credit is due when we can. If we knew his last name we would include it.