• Mustang Forums
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech

What's the Best N/A Cam?

  • Thread starter Thread starter fshawn50
  • Start date Start date Aug 28, 2009
Prev
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
First Prev 4 of 4

98COBRA281

10 Year Member
Nov 24, 2007
1,348
30
59
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Oct 20, 2009
#61
  • Oct 20, 2009
  • #61
^ will any of the NPI cams work with unnotched 4v pistons? i have ported npi's and the edelbrock intake, ive been thinking about some new cams to go along with the intake...
 

Mike97gt

it doe snot
Founding Member
Jan 26, 1999
10,633
7
89
the people's republic of massachusetts
Oct 21, 2009
#62
  • Oct 21, 2009
  • #62
moving this to tech.. very good tech in this thread


BTW nick.. any recommendations for cams for my PI head swapped 97

I know I am going to have to notch the pistons to run any decent sized cam
 

nickmckinney

Member
Sep 25, 2009
164
0
16
Oct 21, 2009
#63
  • Oct 21, 2009
  • #63
98COBRA281 said:
^ will any of the NPI cams work with unnotched 4v pistons? i have ported npi's and the edelbrock intake, ive been thinking about some new cams to go along with the intake...
Click to expand...


I know up to the Stage 2 will work. I have a set of the Stage 3.5 NPI cams here I am combining with a Logan intake, I will let you know what the clearance is with a stock piston (but give me time please)
 

nickmckinney

Member
Sep 25, 2009
164
0
16
Oct 21, 2009
#64
  • Oct 21, 2009
  • #64
svttech76 said:
moving this to tech.. very good tech in this thread


BTW nick.. any recommendations for cams for my PI head swapped 97

I know I am going to have to notch the pistons to run any decent sized cam
Click to expand...


If you change the intake valve you can run a much bigger safely. If you notch the pistons you can run pretty much any cam with the stock valve. If on the plastic intake and the PI head I like about 225-230 intake duration installed at 106-108 intake centerline, and a smaller exhaust lobe installed around 108-110 exhaust centerline. This seems to make the most street/strip power so far.
 

Mike97gt

it doe snot
Founding Member
Jan 26, 1999
10,633
7
89
the people's republic of massachusetts
Oct 21, 2009
#65
  • Oct 21, 2009
  • #65
nickmckinney said:
If you change the intake valve you can run a much bigger safely. If you notch the pistons you can run pretty much any cam with the stock valve. If on the plastic intake and the PI head I like about 225-230 intake duration installed at 106-108 intake centerline, and a smaller exhaust lobe installed around 108-110 exhaust centerline. This seems to make the most street/strip power so far.
Click to expand...

Sounds good.. I am planning on either some ported factory heads for it or maybe the trick flows..

When i take the heads off for that I will notch the pistons and whatever heads I get I will make sure they have the valves with a thinner face..

I heard you were working on a tool for notching the pistons?
 

nickmckinney

Member
Sep 25, 2009
164
0
16
Oct 21, 2009
#66
  • Oct 21, 2009
  • #66
svttech76 said:
Sounds good.. I am planning on either some ported factory heads for it or maybe the trick flows..

When i take the heads off for that I will notch the pistons and whatever heads I get I will make sure they have the valves with a thinner face..

I heard you were working on a tool for notching the pistons?
Click to expand...


If you get Trickflow heads no need to notch the piston.

I was working on the tool but its a biach to do so I just decided to offer cheap piston notching in a Bridgeport mill instead.
 

98COBRA281

10 Year Member
Nov 24, 2007
1,348
30
59
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Oct 21, 2009
#67
  • Oct 21, 2009
  • #67
nickmckinney said:
I know up to the Stage 2 will work. I have a set of the Stage 3.5 NPI cams here I am combining with a Logan intake, I will let you know what the clearance is with a stock piston (but give me time please)
Click to expand...

i have after market valves, if that helps, modmax SS swirl polished and undercut..

what are the specs? currently im running powerheads regrinds 225/230 dur. @.50, 540/540 lift, 112 lsa, and they are NOT degreed

do you think i would gain some decent power with your cams, and all of my mods(in sig)
 

nickmckinney

Member
Sep 25, 2009
164
0
16
Oct 22, 2009
#68
  • Oct 22, 2009
  • #68
98COBRA281 said:
i have after market valves, if that helps, modmax SS swirl polished and undercut..

what are the specs? currently im running powerheads regrinds 225/230 dur. @.50, 540/540 lift, 112 lsa, and they are NOT degreed

do you think i would gain some decent power with your cams, and all of my mods(in sig)
Click to expand...


The modmax are nice but on the NPI head they don't help with PTV like the PI head.

I would take your current cams and advance them 4 degrees first, you can get adjustable crank gears from TFS now for about $50. They will still have the same peak power as before but your midrange will come up a good bit. You should always have more torque than HP with the plastic intake NA I recently learned, if you don't then your cams are installed too retarded and need to be advanced some.

No need to change cams unless you do go to a different intake and shift the RPM curve higher.
 

98COBRA281

10 Year Member
Nov 24, 2007
1,348
30
59
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Oct 22, 2009
#69
  • Oct 22, 2009
  • #69
nickmckinney said:
The modmax are nice but on the NPI head they don't help with PTV like the PI head.

I would take your current cams and advance them 4 degrees first, you can get adjustable crank gears from TFS now for about $50. They will still have the same peak power as before but your midrange will come up a good bit. You should always have more torque than HP with the plastic intake NA I recently learned, if you don't then your cams are installed too retarded and need to be advanced some.

No need to change cams unless you do go to a different intake and shift the RPM curve higher.
Click to expand...

i have the edelbrock victor jr. with a ported C&L upper and custom adapter plate.....
 

Mike97gt

it doe snot
Founding Member
Jan 26, 1999
10,633
7
89
the people's republic of massachusetts
Oct 22, 2009
#70
  • Oct 22, 2009
  • #70
nickmckinney said:
If you get Trickflow heads no need to notch the piston.

I was working on the tool but its a biach to do so I just decided to offer cheap piston notching in a Bridgeport mill instead.
Click to expand...


Did not know that thanks..
 

nickmckinney

Member
Sep 25, 2009
164
0
16
Oct 23, 2009
#71
  • Oct 23, 2009
  • #71
98COBRA281 said:
i have the edelbrock victor jr. with a ported C&L upper and custom adapter plate.....
Click to expand...


You really need to do a proper upper elbow like this for the Edelbrock intake:



He sells them dirt cheap for the amount of labor needed to make it IMHO.

Wait on the cams, you need bigger ones for sure. I will have my Stage 3.5 NPI together with a Logan intake in the next few months. Then we can see what the powerband really is.
 

98COBRA281

10 Year Member
Nov 24, 2007
1,348
30
59
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Oct 23, 2009
#72
  • Oct 23, 2009
  • #72
nickmckinney said:
You really need to do a proper upper elbow like this for the Edelbrock intake:



He sells them dirt cheap for the amount of labor needed to make it IMHO.

Wait on the cams, you need bigger ones for sure. I will have my Stage 3.5 NPI together with a Logan intake in the next few months. Then we can see what the powerband really is.
Click to expand...

who makes them? and what the price on them? i would love to see 350+rwhp N/A........
 

nickmckinney

Member
Sep 25, 2009
164
0
16
Oct 23, 2009
#73
  • Oct 23, 2009
  • #73
98COBRA281 said:
who makes them? and what the price on them? i would love to see 350+rwhp N/A........
Click to expand...


6061.com 6061 IntakeElbows.com intake elbow elbows valve covers ls1 lsx mustang camaro fuel rials injector bungs efi conversion aluminum fabrication 6061 6061.com Aaron Larsen edelbrock fuel rails 4150 dominator lsx injector bungs 90mm 105mm throttle

I don't know the price he would give you but its going to be well worth it IMHO.
 

nickmckinney

Member
Sep 25, 2009
164
0
16
Oct 24, 2009
#74
  • Oct 24, 2009
  • #74
For anyone interested, I just posted some matched cam gears in the for sale section for those folks that are unable to degree their own cams and don't want to wonder if they have a +4 advanced gear in their motor when swapping cams.
 

98COBRA281

10 Year Member
Nov 24, 2007
1,348
30
59
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Oct 24, 2009
#75
  • Oct 24, 2009
  • #75
nickmckinney said:
For anyone interested, I just posted some matched cam gears in the for sale section for those folks that are unable to degree their own cams and don't want to wonder if they have a +4 advanced gear in their motor when swapping cams.
Click to expand...

what do you mean by matched?, i never degreed my cams, bucause im not 100% sure how to do it,

what do these gears do? would they be good for my setup?
 

nickmckinney

Member
Sep 25, 2009
164
0
16
Oct 25, 2009
#76
  • Oct 25, 2009
  • #76
98COBRA281 said:
what do you mean by matched?, i never degreed my cams, bucause im not 100% sure how to do it,

what do these gears do? would they be good for my setup?
Click to expand...


They are QC tested to be at 0 degrees + or - 0.5 degrees on a stock deck height stock head deck engine that it itself was QC against multiple combinations. I can actually pull everything apart and repeat within a 0.5 of a degree every time now.

Stock specs from Ford seem to be + or - 4 degrees so one of your cams could be 4 degrees advanced and the other 4 degrees retarded. There have been stories of being even further out but I have never seen one more than 4 out.

I am going to be uploading a cam degree how to shortly, its a bit of work and you need some specialty tools to do it. The average time in car spent on it is roughly 4 hours from the people I am talking with. With my "test jig" I can do it a lot faster but its still a bunch of time to test each gear.
 

westgastang5.0Coyote

15 Year Member
Sep 24, 2008
192
3
18
Temple,Ga
Dec 20, 2009
#77
  • Dec 20, 2009
  • #77
This has been an excellent thread and it's convinced me to stay npi. But i'm still unsure about which cams i should go with. I may go with the pi cams or maybe something else.
 
Prev
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
First Prev 4 of 4
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

H
Forced Induction On3 Turbo Kit- Parts list NEEDED - 302 Stock Motor
  • Hirothecool1
  • Feb 27, 2026
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech
  • 2
Replies
21
Views
1K
Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech Mar 7, 2026
slow84lx
S
S
Best place to source power steering parts for a '67? (control valve, ram, hoses)
  • SophiaTatum
  • Jun 15, 2026
  • Classic Mustang Specific Tech
Replies
2
Views
85
Classic Mustang Specific Tech Jun 18, 2026
SophiaTatum
S
Engine Suggestions on an engine rebuild. Stock cam/GT40Ps or aftermarket on both for a fun weekend driver?
  • MadSquirrelTech
  • Apr 28, 2026
  • Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech
  • 2
Replies
23
Views
833
Fox 5.0 Mustang Tech May 7, 2026
MadSquirrelTech
Considering widening my rear wheels, would like to verify my thoughts on fitment
  • 2000xp8
  • Jul 9, 2026
  • 1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk-
  • 2
Replies
20
Views
421
1979 - 1995 (Fox, SN95.0, & 2.3L) -General/Talk- Jul 15, 2026
FastDriver
K
Engine 2000 Mustang GT - Fuel issue post-blown spark plug repair
  • kenster1092
  • Feb 26, 2026
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech
Replies
4
Views
362
SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech Mar 10, 2026
kenster1092
K
Share:
Bluesky Email Share Link
  • Mustang Forums
  • 1996 - 2004 SN95 Mustang -General/Talk-
  • SN95 4.6L Mustang Tech
Menu
Log in

Register

  • Forums
  • What's new
  • Media
  • Resources
  • Contact
  • Sponsor
X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?

X

Privacy & Transparency

We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

  • Personalized ads and content
  • Content measurement and audience insights

Do you accept cookies and these technologies?