Just bought a 312 and will be rebuilding it. Was curious about any badass cams that would sound good in it or any websites that offer sound clips?

Betsy

It is very hard to tell a 312 from a 292 from the outside, there should be an aspirin sized dot on the flywheel flange if a 312, but not necessarily so.
If not, removing a head and measuring bore and stroke will tell you.
Your 223 gearbox will need replacing, later model autos can be fitted with adapters, or a T5 if you like manual gears.

John Mummert (Legend) has a full range of rebuild parts, including camshafts and alloy heads, link here...

http://www.ford-y-block.com/

Go to youtube and search 'y-block' , numerous videos of our favourite engine.

Keep us posted on your rebuild  


South Australia

Thank you Slick56

Probably a 238@50 - 107 LSA is a good start.  My 228@50-107 LSA could be a bit bigger etc. yet i'm running an EFI system
A pair of Aero chamber mufflers sound awesome aswell 2-1/2" the whole way through.

Yet you should have a chat to Eaton or Mummert before you go to far, its simply complicated.

Thank you!

Betsy, IF you are only concerned about sound, Comp Cams offers something they call their Thumper series.  They sound great, BUT may not be the best choice for your actual DRIVING agenda.
_______________________
As you get into this stuff, while 'sound' is nice to listen to, there are other factors to consider IF you also are interested in drive-ability, satisfactory performance for your driving type, and driving pleasure.  Things like idle quality and low speed throttle response in stop-and-go driving are examples.  The camshaft is a primary determiner in engine performance although its selection is based on numerous other vehicle and engine variables.

Selecting THE BEST cam for your application is NOT a one-fits-all proposition.

Considerations:
1) How will you be using your car?  (street [stop-n-go], highway travel [elevated operating speed]  )
2) What transmission are you coupling it to? (manual 3 speed, 3 speed w/ overdrive, automatic, or other)
3) What rear end ratio will you be using?  (IF you've got it, the glove box owner's manual should identify this for the engine your car was assembled with)
4) Engine variables
a. what cylinder heads are you using? (these determine the static compression ratio and the intake valve size;  see  http://ford-y-block.com/cylinderheadchart.htm  )
b. what rockerarms are you using? (Ford used two different ratios; the ratio affects valve opening rate and the actual valve lift;  see  http://ford-y-block.com/rockerarm.htm  )
c. engine displacement (VERIFY that your engine is a 312;  see  http://ford-y-block.com/identify312.htm  )
d. what intake manifold and carb will you be using?  (two barrel, four barrel, multiple carbs?  the casting numbers of your FoMoCo intake will tell us if it is early small porting ['56 312] or later big porting ['57-'60 312]  )   

General comments:  1) The same camshaft used in a 272, 292, or 312 engine yields substantially different engine manners in each!  2) The same camshaft used with different cylinder heads and different rockerarms will perform differently.  3) Also, I did not list vehicle weight as a variable because you told us that you've got a '54 Ford.  Vehicle weight is a factor in cam selection just as transmission type and rear end ratios are.

I don't mean to make this complicated, but you definitely want to get your cam selection right.  One of the nuances of the Ford y-block engine series is that the cam IS NOT easily changed after engine assembly as it is on other series of Ford or other manufactures' engines.

Hope this helps. 


NoShortcuts
a.k.a. Charlie Brown
near Syracuse, New York

Building that 312 your car is going to rock! You may want to upgrade the rear end to a 9" and posi!  and we will want to see you at Columbus taking out Greg Deitrich!

55 Vicky & customline

58 Rack Dump, 55 F350 yard truck, 57 F100

59 & 61 P 400's, 58 F100 custom cab, 69 F100, 79 F150, 82 F600 ramp truck, 90 mustang conv 7 up, 94 Mustang, Should I continue?

Not an endorsement, but this is the 'Sound' you're asking for, Betsy
_______________________
Follow-up Comp Cams info.

Go to the CompCams website at http://www.compcams.com/thumpr... for their three(3) 'See It', Hear It', and 'Feel It' videos

CompCams’ write-up:
Let's face it, nothing grabs our attention at a car show or cruise night more than the hard hitting sound a thumping, high performance idle. Thumpr™Camshafts deliver that aggressive, head-turning sound like no other cam on the market.
One of the most frequent questions fielded when customers call our CAM HELP® (1-800-999-0853) tech line is what cam will give my engine a mean-sounding idle? In response to this popular demand, the COMP Cams® engineering team proudly introduces the Thumpr™ series of camshafts.
The reason that the new Thumpr™Camshafts have such an aggressive exhaust note is that the lobe profiles and grind characteristics chosen by the COMP Cams® engineers produce a combination of early exhaust valve opening, long exhaust duration and a generous amount of intake and exhaust overlap to maximize the rough-idling characteristics of the cams without negatively impacting the power output or streetability.
Thumpr™ Camshafts are available in three different grind profiles (Thumpr™, Mutha' Thumpr™, and Big Mutha'Thumpr™) for each engine, all of which will produce a rough, racy exhaust note and impressive amounts of horsepower and torque. 

NoShortcuts
a.k.a. Charlie Brown
near Syracuse, New York

Add this to what has already been mentioned.

As a general rule and with all other camshaft specs being equal, reducing the lobe centerline angle on a given camshaft gives a rumpier sound.  While the peak torque numbers can increase with a reduction in the lobe centerline angle numbers, manifold vacuum at idle will be reduced which can force some additional carburetor tuning to eliminate a hesitation that would not have been there otherwise.  For these reasons CK and Charlie are both right in that there’s more to camshaft selection than just the sound.

How the vehicle is driven, the transmission type, transmission gearing, and rear end gearing must all be taken into account when selecting a camshaft.  When all those parameters are known, then the appropriate camshaft with the desired sound attributes can be properly selected.  Generally a wilder camshaft will be more tolerable in a standard shift application than in a automatic transmission application.  Where an overdrive gear is involved, then running at lower rpms must also be taken into consideration.  While a 108° lobe centerline might work okay with a standard transmission, a 110° or 112° lobe centerline may be more desirable in an automatic transmission applications depending upon the stall speed of the converter.  There is a fine balance between having a rumpy camshaft and still maintaining acceptable driving charactertics.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Betsy, do you mean like this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5EY-gY2yLM&list=UUzTwN0kYLfaw0Otd8byf8UA&index=83 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wo2qfWG-Rg

Gary Ryan San Antonio.TX.