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John, I thank you for taking the time on the topics I have been talking about. I think in the end I am going to keep it original or maybe use the "j" cam. I won't be highway riding, but my biggest concern is getting good lifter blocks and lifters which is one reason I had interest in the EVO kit. Those .003" over size sure are pricey and then I need to find someone to hone the blocks. (I know how to run the Sunnen hone machine but do not have access to one anymore.) But... I did see a Crane cam for the shovel that had longer duration on the exhaust, kind of like a stock cam but with .450 lift. I read that the stock cam had a longer duration on the exhaust to help cool the rear cylinder. Does it help, I do not know. This is my last project and do not need to make it complicated or more costly than it already is.
I wonder how good the quality of the Crane stuff is?
Ran that one a few other Crane cams in mine testing them, you come away from the 288-2b underwhelmed if you are expecting anything ut a hair more torque feeling. I test bedded a LOT of cams over the years when i got them wholesale priced. And here's the bottom line I learned about this subject. Toss all the info you think you're getting scrubbing through tech article's , spec sheets, youtube videos or whatever. Take a hard realistic look at your day to day riding habits, what do are you going to use the bike for, your habits. If you can find it look dyno tests for shovel cams and look at the power curves and where the magic happens, sooner is better for a mild machine
I haven't been following but if the engines near stock and you want to ride it regular you want a cam that start making power as low in the rpm range as you can get. This puts 3/4 what you think you want and the popular stuff out the window. Yes the number and specs say all kinda things, look at WHERE it comes in at on the RPM range. Doesn't start making the increase till 2500 rpm or later you aren't getting anything out of it till highway speeds. around town it's flat. The average shovel rider lives in the under 3500 rpm range, what good is a cam thats making the power between 2800 to 6000 rpm going to do for you?
Don't expect a very noticeable change right off with anything you install or you'll be disappointed. My favorites can't be found anymore, still have a few Sifton's and an oddball big Andrews "6" for shovels, rest I got rid of.
Been doing a little poking around on this as my old favorite seem to have gone away. I've had no hands on with leineweber cams but I've heard good things. I'm like the specs & numbers I see on the L2 & L3 for a mild build shovel.
Been doing a little poking around on this as my old favorite seem to have gone away. I've had no hands on with leineweber cams but I've heard good things. I'm like the specs & numbers I see on the L2 & L3 for a mild build shovel.
The beauty of the EVO conversion they tell me is that one gets a wider choice of cams from the EVO cam line up. Comp cams had one that made power from idle up to mid range that caught my eye. But... I have now noticed that the EVO tappet guides look different than the shovel and since I am doing a restoration that conversion kit is now out for sure. I would like to "sneak" a bit of a performance hydraulic cam in there. I will have to be careful and check clearances especially since I have a "81 with the taller valve guides. Thanks for the lead!
The beauty of the EVO conversion they tell me is that one gets a wider choice of cams from the EVO cam line up. Comp cams had one that made power from idle up to mid range that caught my eye. But... I have now noticed that the EVO tappet guides look different than the shovel and since I am doing a restoration that conversion kit is now out for sure. I would like to "sneak" a bit of a performance hydraulic cam in there. I will have to be careful and check clearances especially since I have a "81 with the taller valve guides. Thanks for the lead!
Vtunder SHV-4001 if you can find one, bolt in no headwork or springs needed, isn't big but feel more grunt off the line till you run out of carb, is torque cam. Leineweber, L2 is another bolt in, both these will use hydraulics. The 288-b, meh, Let me see what I do have in Siftons, 109 is or was in the pile. Oh you do decide to play with the evo valve train I have several sets of S&S evo rocker arms, even have 1 set of the roller rocker's.
Last edited by TwiZted Biker; Dec 26, 2025 at 09:11 PM.
Having More choices is Not always a good thing...I prefer Better Choices...Ones that actually Do what is Desired...Easy if all you want is Peak HP numbers.. Hard for Driveability...Manners... I suspect that an EVO Cam...actually designed around an Evo Combustion Chamber is Just as Hard to Find as one Made exclusively for the Shovelhead Combustion Chamber.. wanting low/mid performance increase...
made Doubly hard, to Pick one that does "this" for an EVO...but expecting it to do The Same for your Shovel..
But, Again, ...I like My Shovelheads...All Shovel...
Here's the S&S 450s cam I went with. I decided to spend my money on the S&S heads, lifters and pushrods so hopefully it will all work together. If not, I have one company I can complain to. Lol. Unfortunately I don't have it back together yet to let you know how it worked out. It seemed to me if you start using Evo parts and modifying things it gets confusing and expensive really fast. I was totally happy with the way the bike ran with the stock H-grind cam, the only reason I decided to upgrade is because I had a bad roller bearing and the cam was a little chewed up. Here's what YTcoinshooter had to say about his in a thread you were in last year, Ken.
"For that broad power spread you might consider the S&S 450s cam. Often overlooked for more popular cams. My setup uses the super E carb, 84” S&S balanced assembly and that cam. Call S&S, I can confirm it requires no mods to the valve train, bolt in goodness. It pulls hard from off idle to 4500 rpm. Shifting at 3000-3500 rpm is riding a wave of effortless torque."
Here's the S&S 450s cam I went with. I decided to spend my money on the S&S heads, lifters and pushrods so hopefully it will all work together. If not, I have one company I can complain to. Lol. Unfortunately I don't have it back together yet to let you know how it worked out. It seemed to me if you start using Evo parts and modifying things it gets confusing and expensive really fast. I was totally happy with the way the bike ran with the stock H-grind cam, the only reason I decided to upgrade is because I had a bad roller bearing and the cam was a little chewed up. Here's what YTcoinshooter had to say about his in a thread you were in last year, Ken.
"For that broad power spread you might consider the S&S 450s cam. Often overlooked for more popular cams. My setup uses the super E carb, 84” S&S balanced assembly and that cam. Call S&S, I can confirm it requires no mods to the valve train, bolt in goodness. It pulls hard from off idle to 4500 rpm. Shifting at 3000-3500 rpm is riding a wave of effortless torque."
Haven't run that one myself but I have heard it’s a solid choice for a good torque cam for a stock to mild shovel, has a solid pull from the owners I have talked to running it. Have to add this it’s a solid lifter grind on the lobe profile. Keep that in mind.
Last edited by TwiZted Biker; Dec 29, 2025 at 03:25 PM.
It might be a little tough to tell from the pics but the lobe profile is considerably different than the stock H-grind cam. I think it's actually made for hydraulic lifters but can also be run with solids. It's says you'll get slightly more torque when using them. When I called S&S the tech guy said it's fine either way.
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