I recently bought a stroker Shovelhead project. After going over it and the internet, I've determined it's an 88" stroker with Delkron cases. I'm not sure but I think the cylinders are aftermarket and longer. The heads have been setup for dual plugs and external oil drain back.

The cam that came out is an Andrews "AB". In an other post, it was suggested that the "AB" is too short on duration. It was also suggested that it would cause hard starting. I decided to play with some numbers and confirmed what was suggested.

I decided to look at other cams and see what was available off the shelf. Personally, I have found that for engines with static compression at and above 9.2 to 1, a camshaft with a duration in the area of 270 degrees works well all around.

I found a number of cams in this range but there was a catch. The lift numbers were high. I was looking for a cam with a lift in the range of .450, not .650 ! It started to look like I was going to need a custom grind.

I found a used cam. It's a Comp Cams V-Thunder custom grind. The numbers are: Intake open 24 closed 56 Exhaust open 61 closed 29. Duration Intake 260 and Exhaust 270. Lift is .501, but it was ground on an EVO blank, so from what I understand, the lift will be decreased by 9% if I use stock tappets or lifters. This should put the lift at around .455. I also like the fact that the exhaust is a bit longer than the intake. There is also the possibility of changing out to an EVO type valve train later.

I hope that with this set up, the old rebuilt starter can turn this thing over or my old self will be able to kick it. Most of all, I just hope it runs well. We'll See !