I bought a 65 Mustang in the fall of last year. I drove it very little since it was so late in the season. Now that spring is around the corner, I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the car.
Really the only thing that bothers me is that it's a little loud for my taste. I want a nice muscle car purr... and this sounds like a dragster. I was hoping that maybe I could just change the exhaust and tame her a bit. But, I'm not sure how the cam affects this.
So, I started looking through the paperwork that I received with the car and found stuff about the cam. Was hoping for some input. This is exactly what it says:
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Comp CAMS
Engine: Ford 351 Windsor (has a 331 stroker)
Bennett Racing, Inc.
Grind # FW 3315F / 3636F HR 110.0
SPC INSTR 1:
SPC INSTR 2:
Intake Exhaust
Valve adjustment HYD HYO
Gross valve lift .544 .576
Duration at
.006 Tappet lift 281 289
Valve Timing OPEN CLOSE
AT .050 INT: 5 BTDC 45 ABDC
EXH: 50 BBOC 10 ATDC
These specs are for CAM installed
at 110 Intake Center Line
So, what does all this mean? Is it good? Is it a big cam.. mild cam
Will just changing the exhaust help quiet the car down? It's been months since I've driven it... so I don't remember how "lopey" the idle is.. I'm guessing if it is I won't get a steady growl I'm looking for...
Any help is most definitely appreciated!
I bought a 65 Mustang in the fall of last year. I drove it very little since it was so late in the season. Now that spring is around the corner, I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the car.
Really the only thing that bothers me is that it's a little loud for my taste. I want a nice muscle car purr... and this sounds like a dragster. I was hoping that maybe I could just change the exhaust and tame her a bit. But, I'm not sure how the cam affects this.
So, I started looking through the paperwork that I received with the car and found stuff about the cam. Was hoping for some input. This is exactly what it says:
-------------------------------------------------------
Comp CAMS
Engine: Ford 351 Windsor (has a 331 stroker)
Bennett Racing, Inc.
Grind # FW 3315F / 3636F HR 110.0
SPC INSTR 1:
SPC INSTR 2:
Intake Exhaust
Valve adjustment HYD HYO
Gross valve lift .544 .576
Duration at
.006 Tappet lift 281 289
Valve Timing OPEN CLOSE
AT .050 INT: 5 BTDC 45 ABDC
EXH: 50 BBOC 10 ATDC
These specs are for CAM installed
at 110 Intake Center Line
So, what does all this mean? Is it good? Is it a big cam.. mild cam
Will just changing the exhaust help quiet the car down? It's been months since I've driven it... so I don't remember how "lopey" the idle is.. I'm guessing if it is I won't get a steady growl I'm looking for...
Any help is most definitely appreciated!
That is a good size cam for a street car. You need to change the mufflers and leave the cam alone.
Yeah, that's a pretty stout cam. If it runs well, I'd leave it alone. Changing the cam may change the frequency of the exhaust tone, but not necessarily the loudness. Exhaust pipe diameter, muffler design and placement and pipe length are factors. Resonators at the tailpipe end may help soften the noise. Different mufflers will too - most manufacturers have sound clips you can listen to.
Without knowing the rest of your engine combination it is impossible to comment on whether or not the cam is "good" or not. It looks to be a custom camshaft which means that the camshaft was designed for your engine which is a good thing. Also, hydraulic roller cams are more desireable then the original style flat tappet camshafts due to increased durability and length of service. Bennett Racing is a legit company which is also good for you. With that camshaft I'd guess that your peak hp is somewhere around 6250 and 6500 rpms but that is just a guess based on your cams duration. If the engine runs strong then I don't see a reason to swap the cam out. If you have to keep the engine up in the rpms to make any power then you may want to consider a different camshaft.
If the car is too loud your answer would be to install different mufflers. If you want something fairly quiet then a turbo style muffler would probably be a good place to start looking. Summit Racing sells a decent turbo muffler at an affordable price. Dynomax makes a popular turbo muffler as well.
Keep the cam, and put on some sublte mufflers. What's the rest of your exhaust like? Headers, X, or Hpipe? What muffler is on there now?
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Love me a Stang
68 coupe with a 351W and fmx
Mods: a lot... just ask if you're interested
07 gt
99 Gixxer 750 (When four wheels are too many)
6t9mach1 has some great advice there. If you don't mind the idle quality and the "lope" and it is only the volume that bothers you, start with the mufflers, hopefully should solve your problem.
I am sure a lot of us would like to have the problem of having buying a car with a custom cam that someone setup correctly.
I don't have mine on yet, but I chose the DynoMax VT, here is a link with a sound clip. Not sure if classics suffer from "drone" as much as fox bodies, but my setup is almost exactly like a fox body, so I chose my mufflers with that in mind. I will also run an X-pipe and I was on the fence about high flow cats (just in case I get gas smell in the car), but I decided to wait till after I got it going and put them on if it is a problem.
And being the greedy posters that we are, maybe you could post a video up of a before and after so others in the future can make a more informed decision. Sharing is caring.
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1968 Fastback: 331 stroker, FTI cam, N351 Heads with a few upgrades, 4r70w w/3600 stall, 9" locker w/3.70 gears
Bennett Racing won't sell a cam unless they have all the specs of the combination and its intended use. Question is, is the previous owners intended use similar to yours? If the "dragster" idle bothers you, then you have a couple of options. Changing the mufflers will quite it down some but that won't change the idle. You may consider a set of Rhodes lifters.Those will bleed off oil pressure at idle which will tame down the idle and make seem you have a smaller cam then restore full lift as rpms increase. I've used Rhodes lifters in the past and have had good results . Lastly, you can do a can swap. Doesn't matter if the cam was spec'd for your combination, if your not happy with it, then you should have someone help you pick a cam to meet your needs.
Really the only thing that bothers me is that it's a little loud for my taste. I want a nice muscle car purr... and this sounds like a dragster. I was hoping that maybe I could just change the exhaust and tame her a bit. But, I'm not sure how the cam affects this.
I'm not surprised your having this problem. That's an extremely aggressive cam, more suited to the dragstrip than the street.
The stock 351W cam had .425i/.450e lift. Sounds like you want something in the .470-.500 range, no more. Do that, and your exhaust will change to a much smoother note.
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Amateur restorer. (Well, once in a while I have been paid for it)
Lift really has no effect on sound or idle quality.
Also, this is a roller cam, not a flat tappet cam so lift comparison between the two is not a fair or equal comparison. I doubt that this cam is that wild.
I'm not surprised your having this problem. That's an extremely aggressive cam, more suited to the dragstrip than the street.
The stock 351W cam had .425i/.450e lift. Sounds like you want something in the .470-.500 range, no more. Do that, and your exhaust will change to a much smoother note.
A cam change would certainly make everything tamer...need the OP to chime back in and clarify "dragster" and "too loud" for us...to much lope at idle, loudness outside, inside, drone at highway, etc. The cam is one of the most integral pieces of that build and may suit his driving habits perfectly, who knows till we get more information.
A cam with a less duration will certainly increase the idle quality and smooth out the note some, but if it has glass packs underneath, it may not make the change he is looking for.
Need more information.
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1968 Fastback: 331 stroker, FTI cam, N351 Heads with a few upgrades, 4r70w w/3600 stall, 9" locker w/3.70 gears
The Rhoads roller lifters require a factory "dogbone" retainer system which requires drilling and tapping the block if the block is not a late model block as well as a small base circle camshaft. Not really practical for this application.
The Rhoads roller lifters require a factory "dogbone" retainer system which requires drilling and tapping the block if the block is not a late model block as well as a small base circle camshaft. Not really practical for this application.
Not entirely true. Rhodes can also convert conventional roller lifters to Rhodes system. Then they bolt right in.
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Amateur restorer. (Well, once in a while I have been paid for it)
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Cam specs and questions HELP!
