SUGGESTONS ON A TURBO CAM

[DNA DOA]

Some have given a couple examples of a turbo cam. Some say have one custom ground while others say f-303 will work great.

What are your suggestions, what have you heard and where is the best place to purchase one.

This is what I will be running for 2008. Stock block, stock crank, JE reverse dome forged pistons (8.5:1) Edelbrock heads, stock rods with ARP bolts, studs throughout, main support etc. Going to start out with 8-10 lbs of boost, 70mm turbo kit from BG or Quicktime.

This will be my first turbo engine so I have much to learn. For 2009 season I hope to have the 408/88mm turbo running. Looking for 700-800 rwhp street/strip car down the road.

Thanks,

 

[LordMustangGT]

Some have given a couple examples of a turbo cam. Some say have one custom ground while others say f-303 will work great.

What are your suggestions, what have you heard and where is the best place to purchase one.

This is what I will be running for 2008. Stock block, stock crank, JE reverse dome forged pistons (8.5:1) Edelbrock heads, stock rods with ARP bolts, studs throughout, main support etc. Going to start out with 8-10 lbs of boost, 70mm turbo kit from BG or Quicktime.

This will be my first turbo engine so I have much to learn. For 2009 season I hope to have the 408/88mm turbo running. Looking for 700-800 rwhp street/strip car down the road.

Thanks,

I have heard alot of people say that the F-303 is one of the best boosted off the shelf cam, and when you compare it to custum ground turbo cams for your setup, its not far off. I'm running a F-303 in mine with spray and it pulls pretty well.

 

[352Ford2]

Stock HO roller cam, degreed in and retarded 4 deg with 1.7 ratio rocker arms

Cheap (free), idles well, good emissions, good fuel economy, great drivability, and while it may not be quite ideal for max power it will make more power than the rest of your stuff can deal with.


You know it’s cheaper and stronger to buy a set of scat or eagle I beam rods than set up the stock ones with new bolts…

 

[WaterPog]

If you're running a stock block you don't need the upgraded rod bolts or the JE pistons, and you certianly don't want to drop the compression any. You can run enough boost at stock compression on pump gas to overpower the engine block and it will spool up much better with the higher compression.

 

[Stangler]

I wanted the car to sound different, so I went with the TrickFlow stage 1 cam, it works just about as well as the F cam. With the stock block, i'd go with one of the 3...

1. TrickFlow stage 1 cam
2. FMS F cam
3. Stock cam


Nate

 

[wicked93]

I am going to use the TF stage one cam in my 91 notch. hopefully I will get the rest of the parts for my turbo kit soon. I will be running a TF R intake, 75mm t/b, TF 1 cam, GT-40 X heads, I will be using a 76mm turbo, probably the megasquirt dfi, with a stock block and keep the boost at a resonable level since this car is what I drive daily. when I can step up the block and rotating assembly I will do so then. I am still putting together my race car it is just that I am planning on going a little more into it than what I had first planned so this will have to work for now and I do have a nasty 07 to drive as well

 

[MyFordsFly]

I couldnt agree more with what waterpog said. There is no one individual part in a stock forged block that is weaker than the block itself. And you can make enough power to split a stock block clean in half with a stock cam and 1.7s. Even with a C4 I still see around 20 mpg on the highway and it fires up and runs as good as you can ask.
The only downfall is when I fire it up, it doesnt give you that instant gratification of a pissed off cammed up hotrod.

 

[352Ford2]

I am going to give what waterpog and EJ said another , with one amendment:

If your stock bolts are worn out (stretch out too much for the given torque) they need to be replaced with at least stock replacements (but then it becomes a game of cost of refurbing stock rods vs buying $200 aftermarket rods). This is determined with a bolt stretch gauge.


I was assuming you were replacing the pistons because you had too much bore wear or worn pistons and were going to bore the block. If you can just re-ring your factory HO pistons and not rebore the block freaking do it! Just put some good rings in there.

Keep in mind you just can’t Willy nilly swap pistons around (even if they are the “same size”, pistons need to be fitted to their bore.


One last thing, I would use a stock cam WAY before a TFS1 or any of the letter cams...

 

[Stangler]

One last thing, I would use a stock cam WAY before a TFS1 or any of the letter cams...

May I ask why?

Nate

 

[352Ford2]

May I ask why?

Nate

My first hand experience is I just haven’t been impressed with the actual results of the car’s that had them. If I had a dollar for ever mid 14 second car I have seen with an E cam in it I would have a lot of money. I not saying all cars with letter cams are slow, it just seemed like every letter cam car we set up at the shop I used to work at wasn’t much faster than it was before (at least fast enough to justify the cost and other issues). We stopped selling both TFS and letter cams (although the reason we stopped selling all TFS products was for other issues). There are plenty of places to make power on a 5.0, the factory roller cam is well enough designed that it is one of the last ones you look at.

My second hand experience is that one of the machinists I used to work with at that shop would always complain about TFS cams, claiming their quality control was tragic. Some would degree in fine, while most wouldn’t and it was issues you couldn’t fix by just advancing or retarding them. So you can take that for what it is worth…

 

[MyFordsFly]

May I ask why?

Nate

My reason is the 116 lobe sep. Excellent for a boosted application.

 

[2bfeard]

cam

I would stick with a 114 lobe seperation, that is the general rule on most of the fast turbo cars, good luck

 

[WaterPog]

LSA w/o duration is meaningless, what you're really looking at is overlap and you can't calculate that w/o both peices.

My oppinion is that the E or TFS1 are probably not going to make much more power if any over a stocker. As nate said, if you just want it to sound a little more "hotrod" then go for it, otherwise save your money. If you want to make power call an expert and get a custom cam, just looking at the spec sheet that a good cam designer will ask you to fill out should give you the hint that there are way to many variables in this for a layman to get it right w/o a large amount of luck involved.

 

[Stangler]

Yep, too right. I just wanted a little different sound, wasn't looking for it to add HP. If it did, cool, but I love them cam'd up small block sounds.

Nate :Track:

 

[AllFordPerf]

I would stick with a 114 lobe seperation, that is the general rule on most of the fast turbo cars, good luck

Untill you get into the crazy durration bbf Steve Petty cams then they go to 116 oh no I've said too much.