Valve Lash for a 59A Block with a Howard M8 Cam

[1962300]

Hello,

I have a 59A Block.
It houses a Howard M8 Camshaft.
Looking for the valve lash for both the Intake and the Exhaust Valves.
I suspect it is .012 for both....but what do I know.

Thanks!

[flatjack9]

My specs show .014 intake and .016 exhaust.

[Dale Fairfax]

Odd--my M-8 card from Donnie J. says .012 on intake and .014 on exhaust. (Of course it's possible that no two were alike).

[Pete]

Little known fact about OLD Howard cams, you could gain a tenth of a second in your 60 foot time by loosening the valve lash .003 to .004.

[OLD...BILL]

some spec's please on the HOWARD M12.... attn Flatjack9 and Pete....your input please, and yes he did drink beer out of a quart bottle, I never saw a drink in a can tell I cam back from Korea in 54, talk about dating my self. Compare the Howard to the 1007-B, for a 276 street engine, I do like the promise of the 1007-B for low end, and off the line pull..
thanks ............OLD.............BILL

[Pete]

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Originally Posted by OLD...BILL

some spec's please on the HOWARD M12.... attn Flatjack9 and Pete....your input please, and yes he did drink beer out of a quart bottle, I never saw a drink in a can tell I cam back from Korea in 54, talk about dating my self. Compare the Howard to the 1007-B, for a 276 street engine, I do like the promise of the 1007-B for low end, and off the line pull..
thanks ............OLD.............BILL

I can't help. I have no info on Howard cams.

[Ol' Ron]

I ran the M-8 for a while, good low end but pretty mild. Converted it to an 8BA style cam now.

[Walt Dupont--Me.]

I'll tell a little story about Howard. Around 1978 I was building a 55 Buick engine for a friend restoring. It was just a stock engine. I needed a new stock cam, couldn't find one, called Howard and he answered the tel. told him my sad tail of whooo, he said he had a couple of cores, he asked what I wanted for a grind, I said it was just a stock engine, he said he'd give me a little street grind, I asked price, he said 35 bucks, 50 bucks with shipping. Funny I remember some things but cain't what I had for breakfast. Walt

[flatjack9]

Originally Posted by OLD...BILL

some spec's please on the HOWARD M12.... attn Flatjack9 and Pete....your input please, and yes he did drink beer out of a quart bottle, I never saw a drink in a can tell I cam back from Korea in 54, talk about dating my self. Compare the Howard to the 1007-B, for a 276 street engine, I do like the promise of the 1007-B for low end, and off the line pull..
thanks ............OLD.............BILL

My specs show 274 duration on the exhaust and 277 (at .015) on the intake with .360 lift on both. Overlap is 53 deg with 115 deg lobe separation. Intake clearance is .014 and exhaust is .016. Listed as a full race drag cam.

[HotRodmicky]

Originally Posted by Pete

Little known fact about OLD Howard cams, you could gain a tenth of a second in your 60 foot time by loosening the valve lash .003 to .004.

Hi Pete, how could that happen?
I dont understand .
Please explain.

[JSeery]

I'm not Pete, but fairly simple if true, it shortens the duration and decreases the lift, which increases the lower RPM torque. It would indicate that the original cam specs were reducing torque in the lower RPM (a common feature of high performance cams).

[V8COOPMAN]

JSeery is right. I discovered this idea fifty years ago playing with factory solid lifter cams in 340 and 365 HP Chevys. Even makes the idle lope sound different. DD

[Pete]

Yup.

[supereal]

When installing an aftermarket cam, be sure to use a break in oil with ZDDP (zinc) as they are not as tough as the original Ford cams. We coat them with a special lube during the rebuild. After the first 500 miles, you can go back to your regular oil.

[HotRodmicky]

I am surprised that it is noticable, i would choose a cam with less lift and duration
If i want that effect.....