426 Hemi Camshaft Specs: Street and Race Hemi Engines

The 426 Hemi Engine is known mostly for its cylinder head design. This sometimes makes people wonder about the lesser known internals of the engine like the camshaft. Let’s take a close look at the 426 Hemi cam specs.

The 426 street Hemi in 1966 and 1967 had a cam duration of 276 degrees with a lift of .467″ intake and .473″ exhaust. From 1968 to 1971 the duration increased to 284 degrees and a lift of .490″ intake and .481″ exhaust.

This article will also include the race Hemi cam specs for both track and drag. In addition, find out other cam information like which years had mechanical cams and the issues associated with them.

426 Hemi Camshaft Specs

Chrysler produced the following 426 Hemi engines each with different cams:

  • Street Hemi for production cars
  • Race Hemi Competition Track for Nascar
  • Race Hemi Competition Drag for NHRA

The three different Hemi engines had different camshafts which also changed for certain years.

Let’s take a close look at the specifications for each cam starting with the one most people are familiar with.

426 Street Hemi Cam Specs

The cams for the street Hemi were less aggressive than the race engines to make it more suitable for street use.

The street engine had three different camshafts. The cams used from 1968 to 1971 have the same specs. Although since 1968 and 1969 they were mechanical and since 1970 and 1971 they were hydraulic.

The hydraulic cam was considered more street friendly requiring less maintenance.

Early cams were known to wear out quicker than the other RB blocks. Chrysler recommended rocker arm inspections and adjustments when needed.

Check out my article about all the Hemi problems, What Problems Did the 426 Hemi Have? Street and Race Hemi

1966-1967
Mechanical
1968-1969
Mechanical
1970-1971
Hydraulic
Lift.467″ Int / .473″ Ex.490″ Int / .481 Ex.490″ Int / .481 Ex
Duration276° Int / 276° Ex284° Int / 284° Ex284° Int / 284° Ex
Overlap526060
Centerline112112112
Intake installed108106106
426 Street Hemi Camshaft Specifications

426 Race Hemi Track Cam Specs

The competition track engine was developed for the ovals and Nascar. The track engine had a single four barrel carburetor and different camshaft specs than the drag engine.

The following table contains the cam specs for competition track race Hemi.

1964-1965
426 Race Hemi Track
1966
426 Race Hemi Track
Camshaft Lift.540″.565″
Camshaft Duration312 degrees328 degrees
Overlap8888
426 Race Hemi Track Engine Cam Specs.

Check out one of my latest articles, 426 Hemi Firing Order.

426 Race Hemi Drag Cam Specs

The competition drag engine was developed for the NHRA and drag racing. The drag engine had two four barrels carburetors and different camshaft specs than the track engine.

The following table contains the cam specs for the competition drag race Hemi.

1964
426 Race Hemi Drag
1965
426 Race Hemi Drag
Camshaft Lift.520″.540″
Camshaft Duration300 degrees312 degrees
Overlap7688
426 Race Hemi Drag Engine Cam Specs.

Most of the Hemi cams were manufactured by Racer Brown or Isky. The cam specs in this article were referenced from the Chrysler service manuals and by Willem Weertman himself, the Chrysler Chief Engineer in charge of the 426 Hemi.

Find out who else invented and designed the engine by checking out my article, Who Invented the 426 Hemi and Designed It.

I learned about the 426 Hemi and cam specs by reading Mopar books, articles, magazines, seminars and watching videos for approximately 37 years.

More Mopar Engine Cam Articles

If you have any questions or if you have more information you’d like to contribute, send us an email found on our contact page.

Read More Hemi Articles

Find out all the engine’s specs in my article, Hemi Specifications – Complete Engine Specs.

Find out about the engines REAL Horsepowe, Hemi Horsepower and Torque: Rated and Real.

Race and Street Compression in my article, Hemi Compression Ratio.

I question many people ask about, 426 Hemi Oil Capacity (Each Year)

Hemi Intake Manifold Torque Specs

426 Hemi Miles Per Gallon: Each Year and Model

Hemi Wrist Pin Size and Pistons

426 Hemi Timing Specs

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