Has anyone used the Sealed Power CS650 camshaft in their build?

[Ron Tanzi]

I was wondering if anyone out there has used a Sealed Power CS650 in their Cleveland build. This cam is listed as a stock 4 barrel replacement (D2ZZ-6250-A) .This is the same cam as the D1ZZ-6250-A but ground 4* retarded.  I had bought it a couple of years ago before it became unavailable. I have been running a Comp cam since 2002 with basically the same lift and duration specs difference being the LSA is 110* for the Comp and 115* LSA for the SP650. The LSA of the SP650 is closer to the 117* LSA of the original Ford stock cam. I am pleased with Comp as far as power, my engine made 305 horsepower @4600 and 357 lb ft torque @3600 on the dyno. This was done with stock 2 barrel open chamber heads, Edelbrock performer  intake, stock manifolds and 600 cfm vac sec 4150 Holley. I degreed the cam when I installed exactly to the cam card.  The main issue I have with the Comp since the beginning has been that it has always sounded like a mechanical cam once the engine warmed up. I improved upon the noise issue early on by **** canning the Comp lifters and putting in a set of Crowers. This was after Comp gave me another free set of their lifters. Their lifters do suck. And yes, the pre-load is right on. Over the years I have spoken to many Comp cam owners that had the same problem. From what I understand is that the opening/closing ramp speed of these cams are aggressive and that causes the noisy operation. I have heard this complaint from Chevy and Mopar guys as well. Which brings me back to my main point of changing said cam.   Thanks everyone.  Ron

 

[TommyK]

I haven't used it but I believe that is a reproduction of the 72 CJ cam. Might want to advance it 4 degrees if you want to maximize torque.

 

[c9zx]

With 117 LSA it is not going to build torque as quickly or as much as the 110 LSA cam. It will idle very well. If you still have the 2V heads the cam it needs is not the same as 4V heads.  The 2V heads are going to stop increasing in flow at about .425-.450 lift. The 4V will increase to .600+. I don't know what your goals are for the car but, a cam swap is a fair amount of work to do only to be disappointed in the end. I'd suggest you contact Lykins Motorsports in KY. and inquire about a custom cam. It is not much more money and he has tons of experience with Clevelands 2V and 4V. Good luck with the swap. Chuck

 

[Ron Tanzi]

With 117 LSA it is not going to build torque as quickly or as much as the 110 LSA cam. It will idle very well. If you still have the 2V heads the cam it needs is not the same as 4V heads.  The 2V heads are going to stop increasing in flow at about .425-.450 lift. The 4V will increase to .600+. I don't know what your goals are for the car but, a cam swap is a fair amount of work to do only to be disappointed in the end. I'd suggest you contact Lykins Motorsports in KY. and inquire about a custom cam. It is not much more money and he has tons of experience with Clevelands 2V and 4V. Good luck with the swap. Chuck

Thank you Chuck for your input. My theory is that with my current cam specs (with the Comp) being similar to a stock Cobra jet cam I might be Ok with it. It does idle well with the current cam.  The CS650 is -2* of the CJ cam with an LSA of 115*  When I did the first engine overhaul on my engine 25 years ago I went with a stock 2 barrel cam, intake and 2100 carb and I have to admit it was still snappy.  I agree that cam changes are a pain. I do work on modern cars for a living and just about every repair operation on those is a major pain. Which makes a cam change on a Cleveland seem not that bad. It creates a happy "good old days" feeling for me. Lykins does remain an option. 

Cheers, Ron

 

[Don C]

One problem with a quick cam change, it often uncovers other things. Last year I thought I would change the cam and bearings, got the cam out, oops,  chipped tooth on the distributor drive gear, long story shortened, I wound up buying another block, at least this one is a 4-bolt with a standard bore. This one wasn't project creep, more like project landslide.

 

[Ron Tanzi]

One problem with a quick cam change, it often uncovers other things. Last year I thought I would change the cam and bearings, got the cam out, oops,  chipped tooth on the distributor drive gear, long story shortened, I wound up buying another block, at least this one is a 4-bolt with a standard bore. This one wasn't project creep, more like project landslide.

I am not too concerned about the dreaded project creep on this one. I partially tore it down after the dyno runs and nothing was amiss. I did that due to my OCD issues. Lol. There is always that possibility of any and I mean any project turning into a **** show. 

Ron

 

[c9zx]

Ron, I absolutely hate working on my newer cars and truck. I don't know how you do it. Fortunately I don't need to work on them very often. I recently changed plugs on my 2007 mustang 4.6. I was worried about breaking the stupid 2 piece spark plugs off in the head. I got them all out without breakage and replaced with Brisk 1 piece plugs. Let us know what you decide to do. Best of luck. Chuck

 

[Ron Tanzi]

Ron, I absolutely hate working on my newer cars and truck. I don't know how you do it. Fortunately I don't need to work on them very often. I recently changed plugs on my 2007 mustang 4.6. I was worried about breaking the stupid 2 piece spark plugs off in the head. I got them all out without breakage and replaced with Brisk 1 piece plugs. Let us know what you decide to do. Best of luck. Chuck

You got really lucky Chuck, bless you. Snap-on actually sells a kit for about $300+ to remove those spark plugs if they break. I recommend to anyone with the 3 valve per cylinder V-8 to change the plugs much earlier than Ford says to. The carbon build up that causes them to seize won't be as bad at 30 k miles than at 100 k miles.  Those spark plugs were not one of Ford's "better ideas". As far as working on newer cars goes there are good and bad aspects. The mid to late 70s and early 80s cars were actually worse to service. Still there are more days since I hit middle age that I just hate it at times. The continuous capital investment required for the evolving software is a major drag.  

Best, Ron

 

[c9zx]

The plugs had only been in about 20K (car is supercharged so change often) I ran a can BG 44K through it and removed while engine at about 120F. The late 70s and 80s were awful to work on (I was a Lincoln Mercury wrench in 1979). A mass of vacuum hoses, solenoids, one way valves and other band-aids trying to meet emissions standards. Chuck

 

[Ron Tanzi]

The plugs had only been in about 20K (car is supercharged so change often) I ran a can BG 44K through it and removed while engine at about 120F. The late 70s and 80s were awful to work on (I was a Lincoln Mercury wrench in 1979). A mass of vacuum hoses, solenoids, one way valves and other band-aids trying to meet emissions standards. Chuck

You nailed it on the awful to work on 70s/80s stuff. Smart play on your part for doing the plugs early after a de-carbonization and doing it while the engine was warm. 

Ron