I need help buying a camshaft
- Thread starter Gbodyrock
- Start date
- Joined
- May 26, 2001
I'll second that.
Call a real Turbo Buick vendor who knows about camshaft selection before throwing a generic cam from Summit or Jegs in there. I would recommend you call DLS, Hartlines Performance, Weber Racing, Full Throttle, or Cottons Performance before going with Summit or Jegs. Nobody knows cam selection better than the supporting vendors on this site who have all been there and are currently doing that. Not to bad mouth the big two, but Summit and Jegs = big no no as far as cam selection goes. Their ok for the small stuff, but not for cams.
Patrick
Call a real Turbo Buick vendor who knows about camshaft selection before throwing a generic cam from Summit or Jegs in there. I would recommend you call DLS, Hartlines Performance, Weber Racing, Full Throttle, or Cottons Performance before going with Summit or Jegs. Nobody knows cam selection better than the supporting vendors on this site who have all been there and are currently doing that. Not to bad mouth the big two, but Summit and Jegs = big no no as far as cam selection goes. Their ok for the small stuff, but not for cams.
Patrick
chasmat2316
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 7, 2006
Comp cams 212-212 from Summit works for me!
Totally depends what you want to do with the car. There is ALOT more benefit in heads/intake/turbo selection than a cam, on a forced induction motor. Like I always say, you can be down 40hp with the wrong cam, but you can be down 200 hp with the wrong heads and turbo.
Just keep in mind that every 10 degrees added duration will raise your powerband 300-500rpm. It can actually move you right out of the range where your stock heads want to flow, and you end up with a peaky, slower car. Everything has to match. I personally think the stock heads are perfectly suited for the stock cam. If you want to do a small port job to the valve pockets, then add 10 degrees duration. A moderate port job through the entire runner, add 20. A full on port job, add 30. Sounds very simple, but it really is, especially when you're dealing with a turbo engine. Keep in mind that the air has to go through the intake manifold before it gets to the heads. My car runs much stronger with the intake I ported than it did before. It was an incredible improvement....its important that you know alot about airflow and engines before taking a burr to a set of heads or an intake though...and a steady artist like hand. Some will port their intake and lose power, and some will gain power because they had the experience and understand what helps and what hurts.
Just keep in mind that every 10 degrees added duration will raise your powerband 300-500rpm. It can actually move you right out of the range where your stock heads want to flow, and you end up with a peaky, slower car. Everything has to match. I personally think the stock heads are perfectly suited for the stock cam. If you want to do a small port job to the valve pockets, then add 10 degrees duration. A moderate port job through the entire runner, add 20. A full on port job, add 30. Sounds very simple, but it really is, especially when you're dealing with a turbo engine. Keep in mind that the air has to go through the intake manifold before it gets to the heads. My car runs much stronger with the intake I ported than it did before. It was an incredible improvement....its important that you know alot about airflow and engines before taking a burr to a set of heads or an intake though...and a steady artist like hand. Some will port their intake and lose power, and some will gain power because they had the experience and understand what helps and what hurts.
For a stock-type performance rebuild the following works well:
Edelbrock Performer-Plus Cam and Lifter Kits: EDL-5487 - summitracing.com
HTH
Edelbrock Performer-Plus Cam and Lifter Kits: EDL-5487 - summitracing.com
HTH
"I personally think the stock heads are perfectly suited for the stock cam"
I agree! And as Enzo Ferrari allegedly said "Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races". Turbo Buicks have a nice, wide torque band, and it you overcam, or overport, you might make more power but less torque- and end up going slower.
I agree! And as Enzo Ferrari allegedly said "Horsepower sells cars, torque wins races". Turbo Buicks have a nice, wide torque band, and it you overcam, or overport, you might make more power but less torque- and end up going slower.
The flat curve is why the stock gearing works so well. But if you were to raise the whole powerband, the only way to take advantage of it, would be to stay in the higher area of the band. Only way to do that is through stall speed and gearing.
The mustang cobras are severely undregeared. They come with 3.27 gears, but have a powerband thats really peaky. Starts to kick in about 4000 and peaks at about 6000. Switching to 4.56's is like adding 100hp to those cars.
The mustang cobras are severely undregeared. They come with 3.27 gears, but have a powerband thats really peaky. Starts to kick in about 4000 and peaks at about 6000. Switching to 4.56's is like adding 100hp to those cars.
