Engine Anderson N41 cam questions

Slygh93

Member
Apr 15, 2018
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Delaware
So I bought a Anderson n41 cam to go with my gt40p heads I plan to install. I had order crane cam 1.7 rockers before I went back and checked and realize it is recommended to run 1.6’s with this cam. This will be my first cam and head job, is it possible to run 1.7s with this cam? What would the effects be on the car? It’s mostly a “daily” but I have a work truck so my daily driving is minimal at best. My understanding of how the cam works is limited at best. Any help would be appreciated.

The car has a trick flow up and lower intake, 3.73s, headers, and your basic other bolt ons.
 
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You may be ok with 1.7's and that cam even though 1.6's are recommended. Only way to be sure is to put clay on top of the cylinders, torque the heads down (you can do this without putting a gasket on and then subtract the torqued thickness of the head gasket.. or you can use the old head gasket for this test. Put a very light spring on one intake and exhaust valve so the lifter doesn't collapse when you turn it over, go through one cycle for the cylinder and pull the head back off, slice the clay in half with a razor blade and then measure the thinnest part of the clay. The general consensus is .080" clearance for the intake and .100" for the exhaust.

Someone may already be running 1.7's with this cam. Also depends if you plan to run it at 0 degrees or retarded/advanced, as this will change the timing for the valves, thus possibly affecting Piston to Valve (PTV) clearance. Possibility of either exchanging the rockers or selling/trading them and getting yourself some 1.6's are there so do your due dilligence before you just bolt it all together and fire it up. I would be VERY surprised if you have an issue as the N41 is only .512 intake/exhaust with 1.6's. Cam specs are AFM N-41 - 222*/232* - 278*/286* - .512"/.512" - .320"/.320" - 110* - 106*/114*.

Good luck!
 
If you measure the clearance and find its too close, you can order Cometic head gaskets in custom thicknesses to get more clearance. A thicker head gasket can also be used to make up differences for head milling.

If the base lift on the N41 is .320 then the math is like such. .320 x 1.6 = .512

Do the same equation with a 1.7 ratio. .320 x 1.7 = .544

The Ford X cam is .542 lift with 1.6 and alot of people run the X.

I bet you can make the N41 with 1.7 work, if you want that much lift that is.
 
.....another thing to be careful with is the valve spring retainer to valve guide clearance. Check that too. Bottom line is to check with the cam manufacturer and see what concerns they may have about the matter.
 
If you measure the clearance and find its too close, you can order Cometic head gaskets in custom thicknesses to get more clearance. A thicker head gasket can also be used to make up differences for head milling.

If the base lift on the N41 is .320 then the math is like such. .320 x 1.6 = .512

Do the same equation with a 1.7 ratio. .320 x 1.7 = .544

The Ford X cam is .542 lift with 1.6 and alot of people run the X.

I bet you can make the N41 with 1.7 work, if you want that much lift that is.
You think this cam would work with 185s then with this math?
 
The math is just how much the valve head will move through the full stroke of the cam lobe given a rocker ratio. Whether it works with a particular head is a function of the head volume, piston type (dished, flat top, domed,...), and valve springs. A valve total lift of .544 is not huge but still needs to be checked.
 
You think this cam would work with 185s then with this math?
A lot of people run the x with 185s? I might not understand what your saying here, sorry for the noob like questions.
I know the 185s have bigger valves than the 165s.. The other thing I was wondering about was the afr renegade heads. Whats the difference in
power? they have larger exhaust side chambers which I think would be better for a coming turbo? I dont think they have any emissions stuff but Im deleting
anyway...Thoughts?
 
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