Cam selection

87street · Dec 12, 2008

Hey guys, I'm looking into a few different cams, and I just wondered what kind of reviews everyone has, and was wondering if each would work with a stock bottom end, besides just the notching of the pistons, etc...
The first is a Comp Cam 280 Magnum.. 280/286 adv. duration, .560/.598 lift 112 lobe seperation, 2200-6200 power band.
The second is the Trickflow stage 2 cam? I've heard a lot of good things about the stage 1 which is still a possiblity as well,
and my fourth choice is the F303 cam. I currently have my engine stripped down to the short block, and the pistons, cylinder walls are in excellent shape, i still may go with a .030 overbore, but I'm not sure, and the crank is solid as well.
The local custom engine builder says that he could get me a set of GT40/G40P's to flow good enough for either of these cams, and I still may look into a set of old style 289, or 351 heads.
I plan on running an Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap or Victor Jr. intake (leaning pretty heavily toward the Vic Jr unless i go with the TFS 1 cam) with something around a 650-750 cfm dual line; mechanical secondary carb.
The car already has a 3.55 posi rear end with a T5 5 speed.. All going into an '87 GT.
Anyway I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with these cams and what they prefer over another, please reply if you have any input. Thanks.

watchdogfour · Dec 12, 2008

.

to get the most hp i would use some afr 165 heads or the 185's and a custom grind cam.

riceslayer302 · Dec 12, 2008

if you cant make up your mind between the comp 280 and the TFS1, you gotta do some more research on what you want to do. figure out what you want to use for heads first.

57fairlane · Dec 12, 2008

My vote is for a set of GT40 heads (as long as you don't pay over $500 or so) with an RPM airgap and a TFS stage 1.

probably in the neighborhood of 270rwhp and 300rwtq and ought to do well with a stick and that 3.55

87street · Dec 13, 2008

really that much power with Gt40's and a TFS1? That'd be cool. I assume with that set up, it'd probably pound the ground pretty hard.

87street · Dec 13, 2008

Oh, and the reason I'm not investing in aluminum heads and a custom grind at this point, is that I already have an idea of that build, another member of this board walked me through a great build-up, and I plan on doing that when I can afford it. This will basically just be a relatively low budget engine build, that'll terrorize ricers when need be, and even make an occasional trip to the local track.

Simply Willens · Dec 13, 2008

heh

Not that I'm looking to stray off-topic, or open up some futile flame war, but the whole "ricer" persona makes me chuckle. I hope you genuinely mean the posers with no HP mods, big stickers, among other garbage. I've seen them as imports, Mustangs, etc. I only address this because I have built and raced multiple Z cars, and I can tell you this: A stock VG30DETT (that's a 3.0L 2960cc DOHC V6 Twin Turbo 300ZX motor,) can handle 690hp at the crank on STOCK guts before it rips apart. All platforms offer their strengths and weaknesses, and offer an inherent sense of driver passion. I personally miss the handling of the Z cars, but it is a lot of fun playing with muscle cars as well. I've been enlightened at both ends of the spectrum, and I just hope everyone else can choose to do the same with an unbiased eye; at least to the genuine offerings.

-Willens

Simply Willens · Dec 13, 2008

P.S., I would also second a custom-grind cam, if you choose to budget for it, coupled with a Trick Flow Twisted Wedge R. If you are planning on building the same block? The ability to reuse these amazing components might be a steep investment up front, but the TFTWR is undoubtedly the most amazing 302 head out there. Best of luck!

87street · Dec 13, 2008

The whole ricer thing is for the punks around town, with the stock civics and fart can mufflers, and suddenly they have the quickest car in town.. No offense intended, however to each his own I reckon, and I'll stick with my 8 cylinders

riceslayer302 · Dec 13, 2008

you need h/c/i to beat guys with stock civics? from personal experience with myself and friends' cars ide say that if you go with anything that even sounds halfway fast 90% of ricers wont even look at you at a stoplight and the other 10% will rev at you or something just to see you bake your tires off going down the road to get a laugh.

when my car was stock it used to be awesome to go out and beat up on the civics and stuff but around here at least, they wont even mess with you if your car even looks fast at all.

Bullitt347 · Dec 13, 2008

You said you were leaning heavily toward the Victor Jr. intake. Do not use this intake manifold! Why? Because its power band is from 3,000 rpm to about 7-7,500 rpm and the cams you are considering are all done it at best @ 6,400 rpm. Most hyd. roller cams are done before 6,400 rpm's. So you would be using a intake manifold that has a flow efficiency well above your usable rpm range for the rest of the components that you are using. I would use the RPM Air Gap manifold as it has a power band similar to the rest of the engine. Now if you want to spin some rpm's, then go with a solid roller cam that will match up to the flow range of the Victor Jr.

moostangvert · Dec 13, 2008

ive got a tfs stage 1 id be willing to part with if you go that route. had it in for 2 months total. 90$+you pay shipping.

57fairlane · Dec 13, 2008

87street said:
really that much power with Gt40's and a TFS1? That'd be cool. I assume with that set up, it'd probably pound the ground pretty hard.

well not box stock gt40 heads, but usually you can find a halfway decent ported set for $600-700 complete.

In my neck of the woods you can pick up the heads for $250-300 . . .

87street · Dec 13, 2008

well i don't persay... "need" this to take on rice, I just would like it, ha.
From the replies I"ve gotten so far, I'm more interested in the RPM air-gap rather than Vic Jr. I am however still wondering about the reviews people have on the COmp 280 Magnum and the TFS 2 cams? The Stage 2 has a power band of 2500-6k. I really, really like the measurables on this cam as well, .542/.563 lift 286/294 adv duration. It should pull really nicely, and sit you back hard, while in the power band, and make decent power low end, while still being able to rev hard, all the while with a really incredible sound.
I've never heard anything negative on the COmp hyd. roller series cams however, and despite it being almost $100 more expensive than it's trickflow counterparts, I may be willing to spend the extra dough in the name of performance. I like it's power band a little more than the trickflow (2200-6200), and it's duration seems a bit more friendly with a 280/286 adv. However it's lift numbers worry me... Does anyone have any experience with either of these cams? or something similar? and to make it a bit more specfic- either of the mentioned (or something verrrry similar) cams with a worked set of GT40/40P heads and a carb set up?
I just really don't want to go the aluminum head route at this point in time, as I want to wait until the car is no longer a daily driver, and build a solid roller/aluminum head 347.

57fairlane · Dec 14, 2008

87street said:
. . . until the car is no longer a daily driver, and build a solid roller/aluminum head 347.

why not just buy a good set of heads once?

If the 302 isn't going to be around for awhile, I would just run the "347" stuff on it and call it a day.

Put some victor jr heads on it, victor jr intake and that tfs stage 2 and let it ride out. It will want some more gear with a 302 but you still should make some good power though not as much torque and then all you have to do is build the 347 and port the stuff you already got.

rbonella · Dec 15, 2008

cams

87street said:
Hey guys, I'm looking into a few different cams, and I just wondered what kind of reviews everyone has, and was wondering if each would work with a stock bottom end, besides just the notching of the pistons, etc...
The first is a Comp Cam 280 Magnum.. 280/286 adv. duration, .560/.598 lift 112 lobe seperation, 2200-6200 power band.
The second is the Trickflow stage 2 cam? I've heard a lot of good things about the stage 1 which is still a possiblity as well,
and my fourth choice is the F303 cam. I currently have my engine stripped down to the short block, and the pistons, cylinder walls are in excellent shape, i still may go with a .030 overbore, but I'm not sure, and the crank is solid as well.
The local custom engine builder says that he could get me a set of GT40/G40P's to flow good enough for either of these cams, and I still may look into a set of old style 289, or 351 heads.
I plan on running an Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap or Victor Jr. intake (leaning pretty heavily toward the Vic Jr unless i go with the TFS 1 cam) with something around a 650-750 cfm dual line; mechanical secondary carb.
The car already has a 3.55 posi rear end with a T5 5 speed.. All going into an '87 GT.
Anyway I was just wondering if anyone had any experience with these cams and what they prefer over another, please reply if you have any input. Thanks.

The big question is are you going with airgap intake, or victor jr. if it is a street/strip car, go with airgap. you'll make more torque down low and it will be more pleasing on the street If you go with victor jr., call up comp. and tell them what you are running ....victors jr.'s like higher reving cams but you will surely feel (seat of your pants) a lot less torque down low. Question? Where do you want the power? low to mid...airgap, 5000+ rpms...victor jr. Trust me, get it right the first time, time and $ are limited

rbonella · Dec 15, 2008

Bullitt347 said:
You said you were leaning heavily toward the Victor Jr. intake. Do not use this intake manifold! Why? Because its power band is from 3,000 rpm to about 7-7,500 rpm and the cams you are considering are all done it at best @ 6,400 rpm. Most hyd. roller cams are done before 6,400 rpm's. So you would be using a intake manifold that has a flow efficiency well above your usable rpm range for the rest of the components that you are using. I would use the RPM Air Gap manifold as it has a power band similar to the rest of the engine. Now if you want to spin some rpm's, then go with a solid roller cam that will match up to the flow range of the Victor Jr.

Bullet 347 knows what he is talking about! it all depends on where you want the power. Trust me, you will not be happy with a all top end motor on the street! you'll be like all the imports out there that don't make squat untill 4500+. kill everyone on the street with lowend torque, use the airgap and a nice cam that is happy around 2000+. Everyone wants the most power possible, but if you have to wait until 4500-5000+, that only gives you a little over 1000 rpms of fun! Listen to bullet 347! Remember, you can't have your cake and eat it too, there is always a trade off!

87street · Dec 15, 2008

I'm really diggin the RPM air-gap right now, I've seen a few buildups online where when tested with both the intakes, the Victor made only 5 or 6 more horsepower but about 8 less ft. lbs of torque on a high rpm engine.

57fairlane · Dec 16, 2008

87street said:
I'm really diggin the RPM air-gap right now, I've seen a few buildups online where when tested with both the intakes, the Victor made only 5 or 6 more horsepower but about 8 less ft. lbs of torque on a high rpm engine.

on a 347 you would see a larger difference.

87street · Dec 17, 2008

A friend of mine is making me a deal on a B Cam, but in the future I'd like to upgrade... With what I know on the flow of GT40's, the cam I would like to eventually upgrade to would be about the max I could go with on GT40 heads, and would really be a screamer, especially with the RPM Air-Gap intake, and about a 650 or 700 CFM mech. sec carb... it's a Lunati grind and its specs are as follows:

Basic Operating RPM Range: 2,500-6,000
Intake Duration at 050 inch Lift: 218
Exhaust Duration at 050 inch Lift: 226
Duration at 050 inch Lift: 218 int./226 exh.
Advertised Intake Duration: 284
Advertised Exhaust Duration: 292
Advertised Duration: 284 int./292 exh.
Intake Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio: 0.500 in.
Exhaust Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio: 0.510 in.
Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio: 0.500 int./0.510 exh. lift
Lobe Separation (degrees): 112
Intake Valve Lash: 0.000 in.
Exhaust Valve Lash: 0.000 in.

This is an expensive piece as well as it is $289, ha, so I'll just save my money and enjoy at least driving my car when it gets put back together with the B for a while.
I know CobraIIStorm has had some great experience with his flat tappet Lunati, as his car just flat out moves, and sounds great. What do you all think about this Lunati for a future piece to build around though?

Cam selection

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