I'm looking at stepping up my cam and am tossing up between:
Crow Cams billet 2222549 - 210/200*@.050 .530/.500 112*LSA
Custom regrind Wade 1673 - 206/198*@.050 .512/.484 113*LSA
Custom regrind Wade 977B - 206/206*@.050 .512/.512 112*LSA
On a custom regrind, I could go for a 114* LSA to make it more automatic-friendly. I would love to have a billet cam as it theoretically has more area for the same duration. And I don't want to over-cam and have a rubbish bottom end and throttle response.

My current cam is a:
Franklin regrind RH24B - 195/192*@.050 .503/.478 113*LSA

The car is an EF XR6 wagon with automatic:
- SS Inductions, 3" airbox exit, headers and cat delete, so easy breathing
- mildly-ported EF head
- 9.8:1 compression
- vernier cam gear, so can dial the cam in
- 3.45 LSD
- high-stall torque converter (2850rpm at current torque level)
- TI Performance J3 chip and tuning pack, so I can tune the ECU to the cam
The car is mostly a daily driver, but I do DYO drag racing over the summer.

What do you all recommend? Thanks heaps.

I have done some more research and checked out others' experiences, and I'm tending toward a Wade 1673 profile 206/198*, probably on 114*LSA.

My next question is whether to stay with the split pattern 206/198* or go with a single pattern 202/202* (same average duration). Falcon cams come in both split and single pattern, with no apparent reason for the difference. Can anyone tell me what differences would I notice between the two?

The split pattern, with its longer intake duration should theoretically have rougher idle, less vacuum and more induction noise. The shorter exhaust duration should reduce exhaust noise and probably hurt top end. Typical American V8s, with their poor wedge-head exhaust ports, normally have longer duration on the exhaust to compensate. The "reverse split" like in most Falcon cams is used in turbo engines to prevent exhaust gas reversion which reduces exhaust pressure and boost. But why would a Falcon six need that? Does the intake port need the help of the extra duration? If anything, the weak point in the E-series head is the exhaust port, so why not have longer exhaust duration? Just trying to make sense of all this.

Thanks.

I have tried three different forums and two cam grinders, and no one can answer the question. So, I'm just going to not worry about it.

I have found a cam that is almost identical to the now-extinct Wade 1673. Auckland Cams has an AU profile 1258 that gives 208/198 duration, and he can grind onto an EF cam with 114 LSA, so problem solved.

I can't say much for the cams you are comparing, but have you contacted Surecam? He made a custom cam for my EL and I got exactly what I wanted!
He maybe able to make your choice easier.

High I’m no expert

I’m running a crow 2222549 cam in a manual EL with J3 chip and had it tuned by Bruce Hienrich in Adelaide and it’s got 185RWK.

XR6 Head with the short turn radius laid back on the exhaust.

Pacemaker 4480 with 2/12” redback exhaust.

10:35 compression with flat top AU forged pistons and late BF Conrods

I cleaned up the intake manifold as there quite rough in side, and had it machined to fit the Barra butterflies. And used 3” aluminium tube from air box to throttle body with a hole cut in the side of the air box facing the hole in the inner guard.

How much of what I did really accounts for much I don’t know. I think the most important thing would be more compression and good exhaust when upgrading your cam.

My next step, I’m ringing Sure cams and getting a bigger cam with 110 LSA and AU XR6 head, I want to rev it to 6200 and think that AU 1:8 ratio rockers will be more stout.

I’m going to cut my pace makers and extend the secondary’s and attach a merge collector that goes down to 2 1/2” then transitions back to a 3” system.

I hope I don’t go backwards

Good luck

Pekkerwood, that sounds like one stout combination. Did you have any issues with 10.35 compression using the Crow 2549 cam with 112 LSA? Any detonation or knock sensor pulling out timing? That compression and LSA would normally create quite high peak cylinder pressure.

My setup is very similar to yours, though a bit milder. I'm running an AU bottom end, now 10.0:1 compression, intake manifold cleaned up around the bends and matched to the intake port.

I'm running Coby F19 headers (no cat). Have been looking for 4480 headers for ages. They are horrifically expensive new here in NZ, so am waiting for a used pair to come up.

I picked up my reground cam today. I had it done with 114* LSA to tame the idle a bit and limit peak cylinder pressure. It's 2 degrees tamer than the Crow 2549, but mine's an AU profile with the higher ratio EF rocker gear, so it lifts fast and has good lift and area under the curve.

I'm aiming for 165-170rwkw, but we'll see when it's back together and I take it to the dragstrip.

How you going

No problems at all with detonation, I ask the tuner Bruce Hienrich where next as he is the man with 6 cylinder fords in SA, he says more compression.

I think you want zero deck hight and chase 035” to 040” piston to head clearance, get that tight quench so when it compresses it squishes violently and causes high turbulence for a complete atomised charge. I think that goes a long way to arresting detonation. Deck your block to zero my pistons hang out .003”.

The combo I use now is the EF XR6 head with the 2:1 rockers. I’m going to try the AU XR6 next with the 1:8 ratio as I want to rev it more and think they would be stronger. I hear the speed way boys go that way. There’s a company in Melbourne called Tunnel Vision and they are right out there with there builds and make billet AU rockers so maybe the geometry is better it did come after and AU, and are know as smooth revers.

I’m going 110 LSA as mines a manual with 3:7 diff and I love that perky aggressive power band. As yours is auto with that awful first gear taxi ratio it might not work as well. I’m going to see if I can fit a 51.3 Pep Pro stainless intake valve, it’s .020” longer I’m sure the machinists can work around that.

I’m also starting a new head so if it turns out a backwards experiment I can always put back the old combo 185RWKW.

I want to beat a BMW M3 of the same vintage, Australian made crush that Euro trash, and there’s this magical 200RWKW barrier that I’m obsessed with I know what women mean about glass ceiling.

There’s not much information for our engines or sixes in general, and not being a learned man I look at 383 chevs and brake it down to individual cylinders and they are close. So interpolate from 8 to 6 and I come up with a bigger intake valve and 3” exhaust once your getting around 200RWKW AND revving to 6000-62000. Read David Vizard material as well.

How did you get on with that Auckland Cams 1258 grind? I'm interested in getting one.
Cheers.

Yeah, it's good. I'm surprised how tame it is. From the idle, you wouldn't know it was hotter than the RH24B. If I did it again, I would probably go with a tighter LSA - maybe 112*.

I have had issues with my AU bottom end, so the car has been off the road for a while. I haven't been able to get the full benefit of the cam. I am organising a new AU bottom end, and have a mildly ported EF head to go on it.

I finally bit the bullet and bought a new set of PH4480 headers. With the 1258 cam and 10+ compression, it should go OK.