Camshaft

The camshaft requires careful consideration and selection when building or rebuilding our favorite engine, the BOSS 302. Camshafts are one of the hottest topics on The BOSS 302 Exchange. When we say consideration, we are not just talking about the camshaft, we are talking about all the other parts of the engine and drivetrain. The pistons and the compression ratio, carburetor size, carburetor jetting, the valve sizes, the rocker arm ratio, the transmission gear ratios, the rear end ratio, the wheel size, the tire size, the exhaust system... Well, we hope you get the idea that choosing a camshaft is not to be taken lightly and you must understand its importance on your car's performance and meeting your expectations.

Believe it or not 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 Manna 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:
1) All data is for reference only. No guarantee of actual performance of any engine/camshaft combination can be made. No recommendations for camshaft manufacturer or camshaft part numbers are intended or implied. Use information at your own discretion and risk.

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 at 28" H₂O (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 were 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.

Click on a title to view the file in a new tab. Note all files require Adobe Acrobat Reader software.

Accelerated Motion 23350
Bullet Racing
Clay Smith C3048b
Comp 270S
Comp 282S
Comp 294S
Comp C30Z
Comp Nostalgia 271+
Crane 278021
Crane 278371
Crane 363841
Crane F-278-2
Crane F-280-0
Crane POWERMAX H-282-2
Crower 15313
Crower 15321
Crower 15322
Crower 15415
Custom Comp camshaft
ENGLE 2122
ENGLE 2123
ENGLE 2125
ENGLE 2126
ERSON 210021
ERSON 210301
ERSON 210322
Ford Motosports 313
Ford Stock BOSS 302
HERBERT CF4N
HERBERT CF5N
HERBERT CJ4S
HERBERT CJ5S
HOLMAN and MOODY C30Z
HOLMAN and MOODY C7FE
Howards 212241
Howards 212271
Howards 212341
Howards 212351
Isky 381360
Isky 381370
Isky 381380
Lazer 2860639
Lunati 306A4LUN
Lunati 306A5LUN
Lunati 40608
Lunati 41207
Melling
Schneider 1300
Schneider 1302