Cams

[tallpaul]

What kind of cams are guys running on your cars? My MM isn't s/c but I would like to give it some more power. Where did you get them from, what are their specs and price?

[dohc324ci]

Not worth it in these tanks. Eaton swap and be done.

[SC Cheesehead]

Not worth it in these tanks. Eaton swap and be done.


^^^^^ What he said. If I were NA, and had done just about everything else as far as bolt-ons, then maybe I'd consider cams to squeeze out that last little bit, but as a stand-alone mod, not worth it.

If you're bone stock, a Mo's or Lidio tune plus 4.10s will give you the most bang for the buck.

[99SVT]

I would stick with very mild cams to keep as much low/midrange torque as possible. These are heavy cars and maximizing torque is key. Unless you're willing to spin the crap out of the engine and build the rest of the driveline to handle it, which costs $$$$.

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[tbone]

Get a dyno tune. Tuner said cam no good.
I gained nearly 100 ft lbs at 2400 rpm and 50 HP at 4500 rpm.
I have a printout if anyone questions this.

Results vary.

[breeze]

I'm waiting on my 98 cobra cams and will have the degreed and advanced so I will pick up more torque.

[MOTOWN]

Get a dyno tune. Tuner said cam no good.
I gained nearly 100 ft lbs at 2400 rpm and 50 HP at 4500 rpm.
I have a printout if anyone questions this.

Results vary.

Those are great results! maybe i should install and degree in my 98 cobra cams!:banana:

[SC Cheesehead]

03mmmonroe has Cobra cams in his car, and he just had the car re-dynoed, can give you objective before and after data on gains he's seen.

[MrBluGruv]

Get a dyno tune. Tuner said cam no good.
I gained nearly 100 ft lbs at 2400 rpm and 50 HP at 4500 rpm.
I have a printout if anyone questions this.

Results vary.

There's no way that that's a gain from an OEM cobra cam, the difference in spec is too mild that even on 10.1:1 compression it couldn't make that substantial of a gain.

Are you running a Comp cam?

[tbone]

No cam. That was my point. "Tuner said cam no good" means he (Tim ant Mr. Norm's) does not recommend them on these 32v motors. Zack uses this guy on all his stuff, so he comes highly recommended. My mods are listed below.

To further clarify, my 50 hp gain started at about 3000 rpm all the way through about 4500 rpm. 100 lbs tq started at 2400 and stayed close to that through about 3800 rpm and then started to fall slowly to about 40 lbs at 4500 rpm. Peak hp gains were only 10 hp and 10 ft lbs. But the low to mid range is where you want the power anyway. I wound up with 286.24 rwhp and 296.82 rwtq. This equates to 357.8 hp and 371 tq at the crank.
I can punch the throttle and smoke the tires big time with no brake applied. Not too shabby for a heavy NA car.

[justbob]

To clarify, cams are fine if you have the cash to blow, the choice of cam is spot on to your set up and degreed properly. This is not a wise H.P. per dollar investment for a N/A car.

Cams can give you very nice gains when introduced to F/I but once again must be set up right.

I have Crower stage 2 blower cams that are waiting patiently next to my Cobra block and I can't wait for that day. But I am very picky with my parts and my money, I do happen to have plenty of time.


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[MrBluGruv]

To clarify, cams are fine if you have the cash to blow, the choice of cam is spot on to your set up and degreed properly. This is not a wise H.P. per dollar investment for a N/A car.

Cams can give you very nice gains when introduced to F/I but once again must be set up right.

I have Crower stage 2 blower cams that are waiting patiently next to my Cobra block and I can't wait for that day. But I am very picky with my parts and my money, I do happen to have plenty of time.


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I think people sometimes think of cams for these cars like they would a cam swap back in the day.

Cams show better improvement with heads that flow well (and of course exhaust and a good intake setup), as well as with bigger displacement.

The reason it's particularly not a worthwhile mod for an N/A Ford 32V is the cost for ALL the parts. I could have bought the cam and all supporting parts, had it installed and tuned for my LS1 for the same cost as parts alone in a Ford 32V. Even if it gains 50 crank horsepower for both engines, by the time the costs are added up it's just not prudent on a tight budget for a 32V.

There's a reason why most Chevy guys build N/A and why most Ford guys build F/I, it's just the most bang-for-buck that way for each respectively.

[MrBluGruv]

No cam. That was my point. "Tuner said cam no good" means he (Tim ant Mr. Norm's) does not recommend them on these 32v motors. Zack uses this guy on all his stuff, so he comes highly recommended. My mods are listed below.

To further clarify, my 50 hp gain started at about 3000 rpm all the way through about 4500 rpm. 100 lbs tq started at 2400 and stayed close to that through about 3800 rpm and then started to fall slowly to about 40 lbs at 4500 rpm. Peak hp gains were only 10 hp and 10 ft lbs. But the low to mid range is where you want the power anyway. I wound up with 286.24 rwhp and 296.82 rwtq. This equates to 357.8 hp and 371 tq at the crank.
I can punch the throttle and smoke the tires big time with no brake applied. Not too shabby for a heavy NA car.

Ahh I see, sorry for the misunderstanding. :)

[SC Cheesehead]

To clarify, cams are fine if you have the cash to blow, the choice of cam is spot on to your set up and degreed properly. This is not a wise H.P. per dollar investment for a N/A car.

Cams can give you very nice gains when introduced to F/I but once again must be set up right.

I have Crower stage 2 blower cams that are waiting patiently next to my Cobra block and I can't wait for that day. But I am very picky with my parts and my money, I do happen to have plenty of time.


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Spot on, Bob. If you're staying NA and you want to squeeze every last pony you can out of the engine, then cams are an option, but certainly not a wise choice as an initial mod.


I think people sometimes think of cams for these cars like they would a cam swap back in the day.

Cams show better improvement with heads that flow well (and of course exhaust and a good intake setup), as well as with bigger displacement.

The reason it's particularly not a worthwhile mod for an N/A Ford 32V is the cost for ALL the parts. I could have bought the cam and all supporting parts, had it installed and tuned for my LS1 for the same cost as parts alone in a Ford 32V. Even if it gains 50 crank horsepower for both engines, by the time the costs are added up it's just not prudent on a tight budget for a 32V.

There's a reason why most Chevy guys build N/A and why most Ford guys build F/I, it's just the most bang-for-buck that way for each respectively.


^^^^^^^ Yup.

[justbob]

I think people sometimes think of cams for these cars like they would a cam swap back in the day.

Cams show better improvement with heads that flow well (and of course exhaust and a good intake setup), as well as with bigger displacement.

The reason it's particularly not a worthwhile mod for an N/A Ford 32V is the cost for ALL the parts. I could have bought the cam and all supporting parts, had it installed and tuned for my LS1 for the same cost as parts alone in a Ford 32V. Even if it gains 50 crank horsepower for both engines, by the time the costs are added up it's just not prudent on a tight budget for a 32V.

There's a reason why most Chevy guys build N/A and why most Ford guys build F/I, it's just the most bang-for-buck that way for each respectively.

Thanks for bringing up the heads. As for exhaust, I just figured the OP would have done that first.

As for parts... Don't get me started. Some fail to realize that the cam cost of almost $1300 is only the cams. You still need springs, adjustable gears, and a degreeing kit at minimum.

I've seen local cam and installs priced at under $1200 at local speed shops for LS motors. 😡


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[03mmmonroe]

03mmmonroe has Cobra cams in his car, and he just had the car re-dynoed, can give you objective before and after data on gains he's seen.

I had the cams installed with just advance 4 deg on intake and torque stayed the same and pick up 4 hp. Now 298 hp and 306 tq. at the rear wheels. Just installed my rebuild stock motor with the 98 cams degreed to 108 I/ 112 E. With the cams degreed I will say the mid-range torque has to be up. Seams to pull harder than before have just over 300 mile on this set up. I will see about getting dyno again soon.

[RacerX]

Just installed my rebuild stock motor with the 98 cams degreed to 108 I/ 112 E. With the cams degreed I will say the mid-range torque has to be up. Seams to pull harder than before have just over 300 mile on this set up. I will see about getting dyno again soon.
This WILL be interesting! Will you do the dyno with stocker then with the new addition or will that be in allready?

[03mmmonroe]

This WILL be interesting! Will you do the dyno with stocker then with the new addition or will that be in allready?

I have dyno number with stock and then with the cobra cams are above and only differance was with the HP went up. Now with the 98 cams degreed to see the change.

[RacerX]

I have dyno number with stock and then with the cobra cams are above and only differance was with the HP went up. Now with the 98 cams degreed to see the change.
What about the OTHER thingy? :D

[na svt]

Cams are a great mod and will result in a much quicker car if they are the right ones for your combo. The people saying they are no good have either never expereinced a properly cammed combo or are FI only kinda kinda folks.

The right aftermarket cams can add 35-40rwhp and 30 or more rwtq. 96-98 cobra cams installed at a 108 lobe center will add a good amount of power while adding even more tq.

The heads do not need to be ported nor does the intake manifold, but headers are needed to get the most out of them.