Whats a good cam

[mtaylor530]

all right, my car has a knock so im goin through it, while its apart I would like to upgade my cam.

 

Car has the following

 

nonjet head from dads

new timing chain

BSEK

new stock lifters

ARP headstuds

3inch andrel exhaust from turbo back, no cat

trilogy turbos injectors

walboro fuel pump

programable boost controller

wideband air fuel meter

 

what I have on the shelf to install during rebuild

MAFT

20g with treadstone intake

new oil pump

 

so what cam ??? 274 with better spings and re use brand new stock lifters? they only have 435 miles on them

[mtaylor530]

sorry, MANDREL BENT EXHAUST....

[Frenchi934]

the stock cam is good for power.. and it doesnt cause the deteriorated base circle issues that a regrind does.

 

I have a 274h in my car, but because if the deteriorated base circle i couldnt get the hyd lifters to preload right and had to switch to mech lifters. :/

[Technology]

Well, a regrind can't add lift from the lobes, so they grind material away from the base circle, it's not deteriorated. you can put shims on the top of the valves and still use hydro lifters. Buy 'em from Jegs.

 

with TBI, I would stick with stock, it gives the most torque, and a high flowing exhaust housing will make power up top.

 

here is a completely stock 87 with a T3 with a huge 1.15 divided housing on a treadstone manifold. Green line is 9 psi, red line is 10 psi.

http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/66_512883930970_163906158_30970343_5147_n.jpg

 

Look at how flat that power is. Keep in mind, this is well within the flow limits of the stock head.

Edited April 9, 2012 by Technology

[MikeMeyerhoff]

Also keep in mind you will likely need to degree an aftermarket cam.

 

I have a 284H in one of my cars; the lift and duration were spot on, but the geometry between intake and exhaust was much different than the cam card spec. So checking the cam itself and adjusting it can make a difference (might be the difference between making power with the cam and losing power vs stock).

[CaliConquestAlex]

I have a 284 mechanical cam and I noticed that the idle is kinda choppy, like a v8 with a big cam. It also feels like it improved top end performance.

[JohnnyWadd]

OEM mechanical cam

[Technology]

OEM mechanical cam

Why?

[JohnnyWadd]

Why?

 

http://www.starquest...1

http://www.starquestclub.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=123102&hl=lifters&fromsearch=1

 

He asked what is a good cam. My answer is the stock mechanical it has slightly more lift and duration. I know we are gonna get all the guys saying it wont make a difference or you wont feel it but i disagree. Most of the links to thread i would post up and things i would say about it can be found in the link i just added^^.

 

I suppose he's wanting more of an aftermarket cam recomendation...

Edited April 9, 2012 by JohnnyWadd

[mtaylor530]

the stock one is fine, I figured a little more lift/duration would help with the bigger turbo. but f the stock cam will be the best all around. ill just use t to keep things

simple

[scott87star]

The small turbine most guys run overwhelms any cam changes, there is so much turbine inlet pressure (net reversion) that the stock cam duration is required to keep things from flowing backwards. Open up that turbine like Tech is talking about above and you can consider cam changes.

[StarquestRescue]

I think he has that td06h t3 14cm turbo that was sold a couple of times a year or two ago. I am still kicking my self in the tail for not buying that.

 

Good luck trying to fuel that thing with just a maft and stock size trilogy injectors.

[Caliber308]

Depends on what you are looking for in a camshaft: Low end torque, High revs or a combination of both. P.M.Tim C. on this site.

 

Bill

Edited April 10, 2012 by Caliber308

[mtaylor530]

Its quite simple really....I just want to decimate every car I run into on the street, and still be a daily driver....MUHUHHAHAHAHAAAAA

[Technology]

Ahh, I see. you may want to focus on other areas before the cam shaft. Like MPI! hehe

[Caliber308]

Ahh, I see. you may want to focus on other areas before the cam shaft. Like MPI! hehe

 

Or a V-8 transplant

 

Bill

[Tim_C.]

Anyone recommending the stock cam should know that the OEM roller cam in the Australian issue cars is an upgrade in every way from our stock slipper cams over here. Anything that is good about our stock cam, is better on that one. Except for maybe mileage, but I haven't had an opportunity to check that. I do offer a regrind version of it that runs the same, but it isn't so cheap. I am running the AU cam in one of mine.

 

Needing to degree a cam has nothing to do with it being a regrind. All cams are better if degreed. If the cam was actually ground different than the card, then it was ground wrong, which is the case with the majority of cams ground by your larger companies such as Schneider. My grinder hasn't found one yet that was properly ground to spec by them. They know that most people won't check the intake and exhaust centerlines, so they aren't so worried about making them correct. It costs time and money to set up the grinding machine perfectly, and they simply cut that corner. however, those cams should run considerably better by degreeing them, so there is some truth to that.

 

Yes, you can have an engine set-up for high rpm, but if mated to a small exhaust wheel turbo, it will still nose over somewhere between 4,300 - 5,300 RPM at best with some exceptions. The turbo is a big factor and will give even better mid-range to top-end performance with a cam made for those ranges. Even better with the other mods needed to properly feed the system. That's where StarquestRescue and others have shown there is a lot of gain to be had even with the stock cam.

 

If I am building up an engine like you are, I like to include all of my end result goals into the initial build. The further you go to the center of the engine with improvements, the more gain you will achieve in the end. So I like to include a better mid-range to top end RPM cam on the initial build. Then it is ready to add that much more to the end result when finished. I have an upgraded TD05 -12A to a 17C, which is the most popular and less expensive upgrade to a 17C from our stock turbo. Mine does have good power to 6K RPM without nosing over, but it isn't Mustang killing power like these other guys have with their bigger (exhaust wheel especially) turbos. However, I have a T4 sized exhaust wheel turbo and a stainless header to install whenever I get around to it. And pretty much the same T4 turbo and header on my '86 now, which has the AU OEM roller cam in it. Niether have much for fuel upgrades, so I run low boost on both until I can upgrade. There again, I have MPI and pumps, etc.. to install when I get the time. In the meantime, both cars have great power and are fun on the highway, which is what I built them for to start with.

[JohnnyWadd]

Anyone recommending the stock cam should know that the OEM roller cam in the Australian issue cars is an upgrade in every way from our stock slipper cams over here. Anything that is good about our stock cam, is better on that one. Except for maybe mileage

 

And availability

[Tim_C.]

I have one that is $250 + a good core, shipped. That is with the AU 1.55:1 roller rockers it came with. I recommend using the 1.6 roller rockers out of the 3.0L Caravans.

 

this cam is a used, OEM cam. I also have my USA regrinds to the AU spec for the same price. They come with the shims since the base is reduced, but you have to ensure it is installed correctly with the lifters preloaded but not bottomed out to keep a valve open. It is pretty straightforward, but some people don't understand that a hydraulic set-up cannot have any lash, and must allow for the valves to close too.

 

It does require 100 Lbs of seat pressure on the valves, so the HD springs are a must, and usually work better with a .040 - .060 shim in there too. Those springs are rated to 100 Lbs at our stock intall height, but they lose 10 lbs in the first hour of runtime, so it is best to shim them.

[JohnnyWadd]

I have one that is $250 + a good core, shipped. That is with the AU 1.55:1 roller rockers it came with. I recommend using the 1.6 roller rockers out of the 3.0L Caravans.

 

this cam is a used, OEM cam. I also have my USA regrinds to the AU spec for the same price. They come with the shims since the base is reduced, but you have to ensure it is installed correctly with the lifters preloaded but not bottomed out to keep a valve open. It is pretty straightforward, but some people don't understand that a hydraulic set-up cannot have any lash, and must allow for the valves to close too.

 

Now you tell me i was trying to get one for a while

[lionbull]

Ahh, I see. you may want to focus on other areas before the cam shaft. Like MPI! hehe

 

 

^^^^^^^

The cam in your car is a good cam.

Piece together your MPI system. It is the ONLY way to maximize the true potential of this motor and "decimate other cars you run into" if that is what you really want lol. MPI will put 4 injectors exactly where they need to be to maximize power. You will not decimate anything anytime soon with just a cam swap but by all means proceed however way you like.

Edited April 24, 2012 by lionbull

[mstieg]

I'm interested in the AU cam, but will have the head worked & flowed spec'd beforehand. Might go with a mild custom roller grind if comprable. Good posts as always Tim.