Retro-roller in 350

[Nova65]

I've got a 350 that is punched out .060 over with a set of Vortec heads. I was looking into the Voodoo line of camshafts and thought that an extra $400 would be well spent. Anyone out there ever went this route? The engine is ready to go together, so I'm open to my cam choices. I would like to stay under .550 lift so the car will not be too radical to enjoy. I can live with a 2500 stall and a decent gear.

[D-Man]

First off, it's gonna cost you more than $400 to make the retro-swap. (cam $$$, retro lifters $$$, different length pushrods $$, valve spring upgrade $$$ and if you decide NOT to get a Lunati roller and choose another brand then you'll either have to pay extra for the distributor gear change to a cast gear or be stuck buying a bronze or Comp polymer distributor gear $$..All of the Lunati rollers come with cast gears as standard equipment...proof of their striving for better quality and user friendly products!!)
Secondly, the actual lift has NOTHING to do with the operating range and vacuum characteristics of the cam. That's a product of the duration and amount of overlap.
Third, Your cylinder head choice (Vortec's) will dictate how much lift you can run (springs, retainer-to-seal clearance, valve length/installed height, etc.).

Your best bet would be to call Lunati and get their recommendation. They'll make sure you get the best possible match for your combo.

[DriveWFO]

I can live with a 2500 stall and a decent gear.

What cam do you have now? You typically would want to select a converter after choosing the camshaft.

[Nova65]

D-Man, I realize that there is the added cost of all the extra parts. The parts you had listed I have not purchased yet because of the cam choice I have to make. The Vortecs have not been modified yet because I did not want to do any added work or $ to the heads if it isn't not warrantied. A friend of mine has the machines for the head work. It will just cost me some liquid refreashment. I threw the lift out there just as a for-instance. The added money between the roller and the flat-tappet cam seems like good insurance in the long run, though. I guess I got one man's opinion.

[DriveWFO]

Bottom line, what do you want to do with the car? Cruise? Race? Street/strip?

[Nova65]

Mainly cruise. I guess I just like to keep my options open....

[270win]

Do you just want a radical idle or do you want it to be fast? I've got a .060 over 350 with Vortec heads too. It's making 400-425hp but the idle is pretty smooth and the heads needed minimal work. My cam is a .498/.498 .228/.228 LSA110 roller with comp roller lifters and rockers. The springs are cammotion. It's VERY streetable but it also runs pretty strong. Hope this helps. I had my cam custom ground by a guy in Thomaston if you're interested in his info pm me.

[D-Man]

D-Man, I realize that there is the added cost of all the extra parts. The parts you had listed I have not purchased yet because of the cam choice I have to make. The Vortecs have not been modified yet because I did not want to do any added work or $ to the heads if it isn't not warrantied. A friend of mine has the machines for the head work. It will just cost me some liquid refreashment. I threw the lift out there just as a for-instance. The added money between the roller and the flat-tappet cam seems like good insurance in the long run, though. I guess I got one man's opinion.

Don't get me wrong, I'd prefer a hydraulic roller over a hydraulic flat tappet anyday. You can get a LOT more lobe with the roller (more lift and duration @ .050 with the same seat duration). I was just afraid you weren't aware of the extra cost involved. The Retro lifters alone can run well over $400 all by themselves. Then you add the extra cost of the cam to it. If you haven't bought anything else then the price for those parts would be comparable between the two. As for durability and it's overall service life, if both were installed and serviced properly it would be a toss up. There's flat tappet cams out there with well over 200,000 miles on them and still going.