What cams are the best

[pghjeeper]

I warming over a 1978 360 that I plan on running in my CJ7 its mainly for off-roadin but I drive it to the trails and I like to take her out on sunny days. I'm running D44's front and rear with 4.56 gears in a SOA set up and 36 inch Super Swampers. Now to the question I want to know whoe makes the best AMC cams? I was going to go with the summit but after doing a search and seeing all the problems people are having with poor casting, I'm looking elsewhere. I like Crowly products and 2 cams stand out from there line up the Power Compu-Cam part #45240 and the BAJA-Beast part#45915. Anyone using one of those cams or have experience with them? Anyone have any other cams that they have good luck with. I'm looking for somthing with a smooth idel and power production from 1500/1800-4500 rpm range.

[JMSII]

Personally, I have had great luck with Reed Cams. They have been dealing with AMC cams for both racing and off road for quite a while. They really know AMC motors...

[MC]

quality

reed, laser

decent
edelbrock, summit, comp

They are the more popular

[Soylent_Green]

Isky

They'll custom cut cams for ya' too.

[jeepsr4ever]

hahah of course how could I forget Isky?

[JMSII]

I just remembered a cam company from my old hometown of Buena Park, California. Anybody remember Clay-Smith? They are still in business and they cut cams for AMC...

If you don't remember Clay-Smith, I bet you remember their logo - A Cigar-Chomping Woodpecker!

Just a trip down memory lane from my drag racing days of my youth in the "O.C."

Man, I'm getting old! :!:

[Goose]

Most folks probably remember the woodpecker from the Thrush mufflers.. What Junk.. I used to use them all the time, They sound like crap and they rusted out almost faster than you could get the clamps on em but they were cheap..Then came cherry bombs sticking up out of a garbage can Sheesh..

[JMSII]

Yes, Thrush mufflers were crap, but I used Clay-Smith cams for over 3 years running brackets at Orange County International Raceway and NEVER had a problem with one.... did pretty damn good too!

[jeepmonster]

If you can fork over the coin for the crane drop in retro fit hydraulic roller lifters I'd say get a roller cam. A roller cam will show virtually no wear after 100,000 miles. NO break in is needed with a roller cam, a hydraulic flat tappet can fail during break in if something goes wrong and now that a drop in hydraulic roller lifter is available from crane there is no need to run a flat tappet except to save money, however you can re-use the hydraulic roller lifters and swap in a different profile roller cam at any time. Right now I am strongly leaning towards a roller for my 343, sure it will cost more but I'll have a strong cam that will probably never wear out, that I can drive anywhere, and I'll have it custom ground to match my combo.

If cost is a major factor check out the comp cams AMX extreme 4x4 grinds, they have good lift for the duration, should build lots of stump pulling torque, but I wonder about longevity with hydraulic flat tappets ground with very agressive ramps? Any comments?

[ol' school power]

If cost is a major factor check out the comp cams AMX extreme 4x4 grinds, they have good lift for the duration, should build lots of stump pulling torque, but I wonder about longevity with hydraulic flat tappets ground with very agressive ramps? Any comments?

Based on AMC/Mopar lifter diameters, the lobes aren't extreme by any sense of the imagination. The Extremes are good off the shelf cams. I've had 2 of them done as custom grinds.
If you wanted to see aggressive profiles for the .904" diameter lifter, then look at their master lobe listing. The numbers would knock you off your chair.

[apxpred]

+1 for Lazer cams http://www.lazercams.com/
was very happy :t:

[jeepmonster]

If cost is a major factor check out the comp cams AMX extreme 4x4 grinds, they have good lift for the duration, should build lots of stump pulling torque, but I wonder about longevity with hydraulic flat tappets ground with very agressive ramps? Any comments?

Based on AMC/Mopar lifter diameters, the lobes aren't extreme by any sense of the imagination. The Extremes are good off the shelf cams. I've had 2 of them done as custom grinds.
If you wanted to see aggressive profiles for the .904" diameter lifter, then look at their master lobe listing. The numbers would knock you off your chair.

Thats why I ended up getting a Flat Tappet Hydraulic. The 904 lifter diameter is already an advantage over the smaller lifter diameter of the other manufacturers, so the price for the foller lifter and cam and custom lenght pushrods needed for the retro fit roller set up are just way too pricey for the application that I Am using. The specs I had in mind for my roller cam were readily available from Reed in a flat tappet profile and the price of the cam lifters springs retainers and locks was less than just a retro fit roller lifter set alone!! :? The choice was a no brainer, plus reed is awesome quality service and knowledge they recommended exactly what I had in mind!

[tarior]

Let's not forget General Kinetics, they have made AMC cams for racing since the early days