Cam questions...

[87_stang]

I am switching my 87GT over to carb setup and had a few cam Q's. I was looking through summit and was looking at the summit cam kits. They are hydraulic cams and lifters and I believe the 87 mustangs came with roller cam. Correct? What is the difference between these and performance difference? I havent really messed with hydraulic cams before and not sure what they are all about. Second, is the distributor gear different on these? Do the points distributors and non-points distributors use the same gears? Sorry for all the questions, I know they might be stupid but my mind just went blank in the cam section! Thanks in advance fellas!

 

[86bluecobra]

ok you do not want to go to a hydraulic flat tappet cam from a roller hydralic cam. good news you can now run more cam then your computer controller (MAPS) 302 would have liked since you will be going carb'd.

 

[Michael Yount]

First off -- the stock roller cams/lifters in the HO's (like your 87) ARE hydraulic cams. You can have solid rollers or hydraulic rollers; solid flat tappet or hydraulic flat tappet. Solid cams (rollers or flat tappets) require some means of setting valve lash (adjustable rockers). You don't have to worry about that with the hydraulic lifters and your roller cam.

You do need to check on gear compatibility though. You'll have to switch distributors if you want to have some mechanical advance capability with the carb motor. Check to be sure the distributor gear on the replacement distributor you use is compatible with your cam choice. The cam and distributor manufacturer's can help you with that. Also, I wouldn't go with a points-type distributor. There a plenty of options that use a magnetic pickup instead of points -- much more reliable and accurate.