No more purple on purple shaft cams

[BLK 68 R/T]

I was researching cams last night and saw that purple shaft cams are no longer purple? how long has that been the case?

[Ghoste]

Were they ever purple?  I seem to recall them as just having a stripe of purple painted at one end. 

[ODZKing]

No they were actually kind of purple, at least the ones I'd seen.

[Ghoste]

Cool.  As far as not being purple any longer, I'm surprised they still sell the grinds at all given the lack of enthusiasm within the company for motorsports in general and the fact they haven't updated those cams in decades.

[ODZKing]

Cool.  As far as not being purple any longer, I'm surprised they still sell the grinds at all given the lack of enthusiasm within the company for motorsports in general and the fact they haven't updated those cams in decades.

SRT is in full swing as far as I know.  But I'll tell ya, I had a friend a few years back with a 67 Belvedere II, 318 with a purple cam. That thing would HAUL! I had trouble keeping up with him in my 383.

[Ghoste]

Yeah all true enough, but there are some much better grinds on the market today from the aftermarket.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Newer is not always better, at least not in all cases. Alot of the "new" and "modern" grinds are not my 1st choice for a street car. When i choose a cam for a street car, i am not just looking at power and low end performance. I want longevity as well. Many of the "new" grinds are great in the fact that they take full advantage of mopars large lifters. The downside to that is a fast rate ramp. While great for powerbands, if you are not careful, longevity can be comprimised. Im not saying they are bad, im just saying be careful.
    The best option in my opinion, is always a custom grind. Off the shelf cams are just that.... off the shelf, generic if you will. They fit a wide range of options. The max potential and driveability should be custom selected for your exact build, or if you select a standard grind, be sure your engine is being built to the cam. I see 90% of complaints be thrown at the cam, its not the cams fault, its the person who selected it.
   We talk about purpleshaft being outdated, lol, our entire cars are outdated. I had a purple cam in my 440 belvedere. The 484 version with tight lobe, not the modern wider version. It was a tire burner (drag radials) and went low 12s all day long on stock 906s that i gasket matched myself, 3.55s and a converter that flashed at roughly 2600. Fwiw, that cam was used, and was not purple, just had a stripe on it.

[Ghoste]

Agreed.  I didn't say they all were better. 

[BLK 68 R/T]

So maybe they used to be all purple, then a stripe, and now nothing? This is only relevant to me because I'm trying to help my brother figure out what cam was installed in his engine when he had it built (2009) he requested the "509 purple mopar cam" along with 10 to 1 pistons. And we can find no evidence of purple on it. His car does not run like it should and if the engine builder did install a 509 cam in it along with the 8.5 to 1 slugs that they installed then I don't think that is the best combination.

[Ghoste]

Could be.  I had one that was from the late 90's and it just had a stripe.   

[c00nhunterjoe]

Color is irrelevant, whats the grind number on it?

[BLK 68 R/T]

I don't know what grind # it is. No part # is listed on his receipts that I can find either. To find out for sure what it is, means it would have to be pulled from the engine. Which may or may not happen, depending on which route he decides to go with the motor.

[303 Mopar]

Mine is purple...

[c00nhunterjoe]

Mine is purple...

Looks pink to me...

[HPP]

...and its only the front segment.

I bought a purple shaft in the mid 90s that only had a stripe on it. 

[ODZKing]

Forgive me for asking but I am unfamiliar with technical stuff on these cams.
I know what they look like but the difference between them is what?
What is "grind" and what does it do? 

[Ghoste]

The grind is how the lobe was created.  The cam begins as a solid steel shaft and the lobes are made by using a grinder to shape them in their offset pattern.  We use the term "grind" as nickname for the way the offsets (cams) are shaped as the shape and position determines the lift, the speed valves are open and closed, when they are open and closed etc.
The Purple Shaft series are a nickname (actually an official title I guess) that Chrysler gave their performance camshafts back in the Direct Connection days (perhaps even the "Hustle Stuff" days?).  They desginated them with a little purple paint as a marketing tool really.  Two cams from Chrysler for the same engine can both be Purple Shaft cams but have VERY different specs.

[Mebsuta]

Mine had some purple paint towards the front.  Like the picture above, it turns pink after it's been in the motor a while.  I don't care if they're purple or pink.  You can't see them once you install them anyway. 

[1974dodgecharger]

everyone hates the 509 cam, but they all LOVE the sound 

[Rolling_Thunder]

the 509 cam with the wider LSA was a little more street friendly...      but who needs vac at idle?   Do some squats and run a 4-speed with manual brakes. 

[c00nhunterjoe]

the 509 cam with the wider LSA was a little more street friendly...      but who needs vac at idle?   Do some squats and run a 4-speed with manual brakes. 

Or change the master cylinder and run discs on the front. My car stops great with manual brakes and 1 foot.... also, have you driven a big block, 4 speed charger? They are SO MUCH FUN!!!!!! 

[1974dodgecharger]

the 509 cam with the wider LSA was a little more street friendly...      but who needs vac at idle?   Do some squats and run a 4-speed with manual brakes. 

Or change the master cylinder and run discs on the front. My car stops great with manual brakes and 1 foot.... also, have you driven a big block, 4 speed charger? They are SO MUCH FUN!!!!!! 

You just described my car setup, lmao....

[Nacho-RT74]

I got a NOS 440 resto HP cam from an old dealer locally ( probably stock from early or mids 80s,  it was hard to find the PN application since was a superseded one ) and a way newer ( maybe 5 years ago ? ) 280/474 and both were same painted, purple on front end.

[timmycharger]

Here is a pic of my wall art 292/509 cam, vintage late 90's I believe.  I'm running the 284/484 version in my 440. Vacuum is terrible but it pulls like a beast.