Hornet Cam Number?

The 1950 interchange book shows it's for 1950 6-cyl. engines. The 1951 parts book shows it for all six-cyl. engines that year. This number is not shown at all in the later '48-'54 parts book, so it may have been replaced soon after '51 or during that year.

I've reposted comments from a similar question posted earlier. The standard '56 cam was the 309742 "7X flat top" and was used with hydraulic lifters. The '55 cam is probably similar but used solid lifters.







"I've been doing some research on stepdown camshafts and regarding standard factory cams, there is some conflicting information. Most of the information on these cams comes from this website and the restoration website. Most print literature lists the standard '51-53 cam as the 306344, .356 lift, somewhere around 254 deg. duration. Two other cams have surfaced, the 304073 and the 304078 and possibly one other that I am still researching. The 073 has been found in '53 Hornet cars and has been measured, .356 lift, duration unclear. The 078, like yours, seems to have been found in '51 308s', I have no lift or duration info. It would be helpful if we had every example with a specific Hudson number spec'd and provide a table like the Clifford example in the restoration website, which in its current form is very inaccurate regarding cams.[/QUOTE]



Some additional info after checking MPC '48-'54:



306344 is listed as stock cam for the following:

1948: Super 6, Com 6

1949: Super 6, Com 6

1950: PM, PMD, Com 6

1951: PM, Suer 6, Com 6, Hornet

1952: same as '51

1953: Wasp, Super Wasp Hornet



I checked the Clifford Catalog back when he was actually make a store of parts:



"All Hudson engines (232, 262 & 308) come with a 306344 cam which became the standard low HP cam for Hudsons in '53. The '54 Hudsons first came out with the 309742 (7X) "Flat-top" cam and later in April '54 was replaced with the 306344A series cam. The 311040 cam (Super 7X high- lift cam .390" gross lift) came out in the fall of '53 for all-out oval track racing and has been a "severe usage" cam since. The HP rating of all 308 std. engines equipped with Twin-H power and 7.5 to 1 C.R. (alum. head) using a 306344 cam is 155 HP when using a 309742 (7X flat top) cam the HP is 170; and when using the 311040 Super 7X cam the rating is 180 HP. Our new 1956 mechanical grind cam has a HP rating of 170."



Haven't found any info on the 304078 as of yet. Alex Burr says he has no information on cam specs, as such. Someone like Randy or Russ Maas can probably fill in the missing blanks. "

ivanz62 wrote:

Be careful assuming that the casting number on the cam tells you the grind.



I have been collecting Hudson cam info by measuring what came my way with the "Cam Doctor" which is a sophisticated device for plotting the profile of an existing lobe. The "742" cam which everyone thinks of as the original 7X cam

known as the "flat top" or "chain stretcher" is one I have enver had my hands on to measure. I have measured two 742 cams and found one to be a hydraulic lifter grind for a '56 engine and one from Al Saffrahn's '55 engine to be

exactly the same as a 344 cam that was used in earlier Hornets.



Knowing which grind is on your 742 cam is a challenge as the lift of the "flat top"

and the hydraulic cams are virtually the same according to Clifford's old catalog.

So you need a cam doctor of to put the cam in a motor with a degree wheel and take some duration data to tell them apart.



Clifford Said:

Flat Top .355 lift 258 degrees duration



My measurements:



306344 . 354 lift 240 duration

56 Hydraulic .364 lift 246 duration (on 742 casting)

55 solid lifter ..356 244 dura (also on 742 casting)



311040 .389 255 duration



So if anyone has a real "flat top" to measure, I would love to borrow it. Then we'll have all the Hornet cams.

Ivan

I concur regarding the '56 hydraulic "flat top"cam, the one I have measures .366 lift, and it probably has 30-50000 miles on it.