What kind of Cam should I get?

As many of you know, I am very interested in buying a 1977 MGB that used to belong to Mr. Baxter. The car is ready to go but the engine is at the Machine shop. So far, the shop has done the following:

Clutch assembly balanced
Rods resized and rebushed
crank balanced and polished
Block cleaned and bored and resurfaced
cam bearing installed

All I supposedly need to do is buy cam and lifters. I am told that the labor to install the cam, lifters and reassemble the short block is $250 so I'd like everyones input as to what kind of cam I should buy. JDW has a 286 cam and he loves it but it has a bit of a lumpy idle yet pulls "like a freight train" at 2,000 rpms on up. Bax tells me a 270 is a good all around performance cam but there's a lot of flavors of them.

This is my first MGB and I want a fun ride....the kind where you get the feel of a true MGB and also pleasant for the wife...I may even let her drive it once in awhile...

Thoughts? I have the engine # if it helps in research....
Thanks,

I haven't posted this much in a year...

I installed a Piper HR270 in my 18V - I have been very happy with the performance of the car. I have owned 2 previous MG's and this is like a different car (I did some other things to the engine beyond the cam). Engine idles smoothly (a necessity - somewhat daily driver in Houston traffic) and really pulls strong.

BTW, if you are thinking of going with the 270, I had Peter Burgess do the head on my engine and he used 1.625" waisted inlet valves which he felt was a perfect compliment to the 270.

With my lack of experience compared to others here, I feel ridiculous giving advice like this, but I thing the Peco exhaust system is a very good bang for your buck if you are trying to pep-up the engine.

I bet you are about to get a nice long thread here with mucho good advice.

My engine is also an 18v but I have no idea what kind of inlet valves I have...all this is kinda french to me....Thanks for the advice.

check out crane as well...they sell a billet cam that is mild performance..billet is lights ahead of a reground.

incidentally....also search this board....this has been a very hot topic through the years and many ideas given...piper, crane, kent, regrounds, home-grown, etc. and many technical explanations about proper grinds (such as a full race cam would be worthless to you - but mild is perfect sort of thing).

To give everyone a bit of background on this engine... it was fairly built up on it's last go-round, if I recall correctly, among the things done were: 40-over flat top pistons, dual valve springs, big valves, some mild porting and port matching in the head, some type of cam, headers, DGV and probably some other stuff I'm not thinking about. I'd say it's in the neighborhood of the typical stage two engine. There's probably other stuff I'm not thinking about. It's definitely a runner.

Marc, one of the things you may want to pay particular attention to is carb/cam match. Since JDW runs a DGV, you may want to give extra weight to his 286 suggestion, if you don't mind a slightly bumpy idle. It will definitely pull strong.

ok suppose I go with a 286 cam...Who makes it and what specs do I need? Thesame goes with a 270...You mentioned flavors to me...what does that mean to the everyday layman?

Thanks Bax, you and JDW have been a great help in this process...

When I ordered my BP270 camshaft from Britek I received a Delta reground camshaft (Made in the USA). I like it, but I don't know if I'm missing anything, am I?

The later 18V engines (1975-1980) don't have the larger intake valves. I'm convinced now that the best thing to do with the lifters is to reface the originals since aftermarket ones are showing up to be soft.

David. THIS head has big valves.... or did when I left it. I'm telling you, this motor was built to be a runner, and it was. This is the B I topped 110 in out in the texas desert. It still had more in it, but I ran out of nerve.

BTW Marc, FWIW, I'd probably go with the 286, but I'm willing to put up with a lot for some more vroom. Heck, I might consider something higher than a 286.

<http://www.mgbmga.com/tech/mgb20.htm>

Marc, I have 2 engines one built in england and one built in the usa...AND I have both cams....the pros put a 270 in the first engine in England because it had great torque with FLAT TOP pistons. The 286 was used here on the second engine because I could not get flat top pistons for the engine and the 286 can make up the slight difference with a higher lift and duration going through the revs. So if you have dished pistons the 286 will be there for you if you hace flat top pistons that 270 is a screamer....both will feel a little lumpy but will hold a good idle.....happy trails

Some specs:
http://www.teglerizer.com/mgstuff/mgbcamspecs.htm
http://www.aptfast.com/cam_chart/Mini_Cooper_MG_Triumph_Cam_Chart.htm

Not sure if this one has been listed, but LOTS of info here:
http://www.mgbmga.com/tech/mgb20.htm

Finally, according this site, the Moss cam is actually the ordinary ol' Crane unit, available from just about anywhere:
http://mgaguru.com/mgtech/power/pp202.htm

I used the BP270 cam and am well pleased with it.