decide my new cam/ valvetrain set please

[Casperfast]

i just went though cam/ lifter (mainly lifter) failure and im looking at cam kits. ive had good luck with comp, but that was on mopar. all other cams ive bought have been HKS but that was in a much different engine. i had a few questions and i was hoping someone could answer them. 1. i dont see any metal and the lobes look ok, do i need to rebuild the entire engine? 2. is it really worth it to upgrade to a roller cam and lifters if the car might see 1000 miles a year ( also know i can run a higher performance cam profile and maintain streetability with rollers due to higher/ faster ramps) ? 3. based on mileage use, would i be well off with solid lifters/ cam? my last car i built i went too far and it ended up not being even close to streetable (no power steering, hoosiers(4 of em) and 580awhp[, yes all wheel hp , all wheel drive. this car is going the other way. i want it to run well while im slowly restoring the chassis. i plan to eventually tear the entire engine down and replace everything with forged internals and all arp hardware and run it procharged efi. but it will not see much track time. thank guys any info and recommendations on brands would be much appreciated. im trying to stay low budget until the body and chassis is complete.

 

[Don C]

For your interim rebuild find a hydraulic flat tappet cam from Summit that is in the 265° to 270° range. When you upgrade your engine replace that cam with one that matches the rest of your new components, transmission and rear end.

 

[Boss1Ray]

Here is a previous thread with some excellent cam and related drivetrain info!

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-408-cleveland-stroker-questions

Ray

 

[Casperfast]

Awesome!! Thanks

 

[c9zx]

Is it 2V or 4V heads?

 

[clevelandcoupe]

Casper,

I would suggest that you pull the oil pan and investigate whether or not there is a bunch of junk in the bottom. When I ate a cam lobe & lifter a year or so ago, I had a large amount of gray paste type material in the very bottom of the sump. The paste was an accumulation of metal material from the cam & lifters and I assumed it was floating all through the motor. When my motor was disassembled by the builder, my assumption was correct and it was throughout the entire oil system, scored crank & all...... Be aware, do it right the first time.

Thanks, Jay

 

[Casperfast]

4v heads. And I just had the oil pan off. Has 2 miles IF on it. I removed the engine to extract some broken manifold bolts while I was installing my Hooker Headers period while I had the engine out I removed and resealed the oil pan. I also looked at the cam from below just because it was there and I did not see anything to cause rise for concern. I will drain the oil for sure and send a Bottle Into My analysis lab to get tested for bearing and metal and crank material

 

[c9zx]

Something similar to this https://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=4100 should work well until you are ready to upgrade. It makes decent power, easy on the valve train, and has good street manners. Chuck

EDIT: use appropriate springs, keepers, and retainers

 

[Casperfast]

can anyone tell me if i will need differentsprings than come in this elgin kit due to having a 4v head.

 

[c9zx]

There are three Elgin cams with that "title". Can you post the specs.? Chuck

 

[Casperfast]

honestly and unfortunatelythe specs dont give all the ibfo i would like to see. i am more so looking for a reveiw or bit of input on if they are any good at all or junk to avoid

 

[c9zx]

honestly and unfortunatelythe specs dont give all the ibfo i would like to see. i am more so looking for a reveiw or bit of input on if they are any good at all or junk to avoid

Elgin cams are not junk. The lifter acceleration rates are not as aggressive as the newer designs but therefore they are easier on valve train components. Match the springs to the cam, make sure spring installed heights are correct, and use proper break in procedure and oil and it should be fine. Chuck

 

[Casperfast]

that's what i was looking for. thank you

 

[Casperfast]

this is thr cam i went with. kit comes with springs, retainers, locks and timming set

 

[barnett468]

that is a horrible, horrible cam for a stock low compression engine . i would return it and get one of these with crane anti pump lifters .

http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=847&sb=0

their cam spec catalog also lists it at 290 adv dur, not 310.

https://www.carid.com/images/elgin/items/pdf/elgin-product-catalog.pdf

 

[Don C]

I agree that is too much cam for the existing engine and intended use.

Here is a spreadsheet that you can play around with that gives some suggestions for cam selection:

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-camshaft-selection