Engine Newbie Deciding On A Cam

^^^ I agree bro!

(edit) @mikestang63 Doesn't the custom cam guy want you to run certain springs, locks & retainers for their cams? Makes the $50 difference go up exponentially if so. What your $.02?

Of course they are going to recommend their spring kit. That doesn't mean you have to run it nor does Ed push it on you. Plenty of guys (including me) have run Comp Cams or TFS upgraded springs with custom cams. However, that doesn't answer the question if the current springs the OP has on those heads are sufficient for the cam he chose. If not, he needs new springs regardless. Then it's a question of what springs to go with- ones sold by the cam manufacturer or ones sold by a custom cam grinder.

You can order TFS heads with springs rated at .550 or .600 lift I believe.
 
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I'm gonna take some heat for this, but I'm not necessarily a big believer of jumping on the custom cam bandwagon at this level of the game. Of course they work, but they shouldn't make a drastic difference. IMO, if a person see's a huge difference in power and driveability going from their OTS cam, to a custom one, then it's probably because they picked the wrong OTS cam in the first place.

There are literally dozens, if not hundreds of OTS cam grinds available out there, from various manufactures to cover all the bases. I'm sure there are more than a couple out there that would fit the bill just as well as one of a "insert cam grinders name here" custom bump stick.

IMO, guys who shoot strait for the custom route and end up condemning others for not doing the same aren't necessarily telling me they made the better choice in most cases, but instead are telling me they were probably just too lazy to do the research themselves and would rather spend the additional money for someone else to do the thinking for them.
 
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Honestly, i think it took less effort on my part to do the research and figure out exactly what OTS cam would fit my application best, than it would take to fill out Ed's terrifying custom cam spec sheet.
 
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My $.02

You're not the first nor the 100th person to call with your setup for a 302. How do you think off the shelf cams became what they are? OTS cams are what they are because they work well for most of the typical popular setups on the market. Custom, IMO, comes into play when you have a high dollar stroker putting out 450+ HP or have a unique setup. Your typical TFS or AFR combos have been repeated so many times that from EXPERIENCE these cam manufactures already know what's going to work for a streetable setup.
 
Thanks Foxmustanglvr. That's what Mark @ Panhandle
performance said. He seems like a real knowledgeable guy. So do all of you. I just figured a custom grind wasn't really necessary for my basic build.