Cam recommendation

[Waco84GN]

Ok here goes nothing.....

So I got a set of Champion ported iron heads for my gn Now I am fixing to start putting them on.

I don't know whether to leave the stock cam alone which I've heard people say or go bigger.

The combo would be

Champion heads
TA49
SLIC Spearco Intercooler
MSD 50's
Gutted BGC intake
62 mm TB
3" Mease dp
Kenne Bell headers and 2.5 up pipe
Orange Stripe torque converter (2800 - 3000)
Caspers Ultrachip and a powerlogger

Some of the options are the 206 / 206 or the 208 / 208 from the GSCA or enter your suggestion here.

Or just leave it alone.

Can I get some advice on the cams good or bad
Where the cams where purchased from because there are various grinds of each different cam.

I have a very low mileage (1000 miles) 200 / 200 lunati cam with the matching gm lifters here at the house. I just think this cam is just barely over stock lift and duration and will not fully take advantage of my heads.

Thanks for any help,

Jerry

 

[boostmaster]

Cam choice

The bigger the better. There is not such thing as too big a cam on a turbo car especially with ported heads. It all depends on how far you want to move the powerband up and what idle quality you want to keep. But a big cam will certainly wake up a set of heads. I'd say to be middle of the road a comp 212- 212* duration. At a minimum I would not go any smaller than a 204-214*.

 

[Jerryl]

The bigger the better. There is not such thing as too big a cam on a turbo car especially with ported heads. It all depends on how far you want to move the powerband up and what idle quality you want to keep. But a big cam will certainly wake up a set of heads. I'd say to be middle of the road a comp 212- 212* duration. At a minimum I would not go any smaller than a 204-214*.

Boostmaster is on the $$ (As usual)
I have a local buddy who runs 126MPH , with the 204/214 FT on an IC'd set-up.

Jerry,
What RPM and boost do you plan to run this IC'd set-up :tongue: at?

 

[Waco84GN]

Rpm and boost

First question is who's 204 - 214 is everyone running? Is it the gbodyparts edelbrock cam? If not where are they purchasing it from?

Probably around 5200 - 5600 rpm and around 26 psi.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

Jerry

 

[boostmaster]

Cam

First question is who's 204 - 214 is everyone running? Is it the gbodyparts edelbrock cam? If not where are they purchasing it from?

Probably around 5200 - 5600 rpm and around 26 psi.

Any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks

Jerry

204-214* comes in many brands Edelbrock, Speed Pro, Wolverine. I bought a Wolverine off Ebay about 2 years ago for 40 bucks. Speed pro will probably be the cheapest name brand. Do a search for the part number, a few years ago this cam was all the rage for a cheap flat tappet cam. And trust me it will pull all the way up to that 5800.

 

[Boost231]

for your setup, IMOP get the comps 206/206. call nick micale from www.arizonagn.com and order it from him. he has the one you need. thats just my .02

 

[DR BOOST]

i would rather be undercammed than overcammed.

 

[Jerryl]

. . . Probably around 5200 - 5600 rpm and around 26 psi. ........

Going Roller or FT?

 

[GNeric]

I have a 224/224 solid roller with my GN1's and it is not even close to over cammed. Still a lot left in my combo. I picked up a 218/224 hydraulic roller from Lee Thompson for my 73 Vega/GN project and it will go with my cast iron ported heads just great. People said that the 224/224 cam would surge on the highway and not get good mileage. I get 25mpg with 83# injectors and zero surge. Great idle and untimate throttle response. fuzzyGN has the 206/206 roller and it is a GREAT cam. I was going to go that route but this 218/224 cam was too good to pass up.

 

[Waco84GN]

Going flat tappet

Roller cam is not in the budget right now. I wish that weren't the case but it is so.

Thanks

Jerry

 

[charlief1]

Roller cam is not in the budget right now. I wish that weren't the case but it is so.

Thanks

Jerry

I'll call your dad tomorow Jerry. I think I may have a solution for you. My bud Greg has a company out of Washington that does custom grinds and I think I can help if you're interested.:biggrin:

 

[Waco84GN]

Well see what your bud says if not...

Im thinking of either trying the 206 / 206 or the 204 / 214.

Check with your buddy.

I want something that is still streetable (nothing that kills lowend)

Price is a consideration as well as Im working off the AZ budget

Thanks,


Jerry

 

[charlief1]

Im thinking of either trying the 206 / 206 or the 204 / 214.

Check with your buddy.

I want something that is still streetable (nothing that kills lowend)

Price is a consideration as well as Im working off the AZ budget

Thanks,

Jerry

I'll send you a PM tomorow Jerry. I think I know exactly what you want.:biggrin: The company we both have delt with is very reliable so you shouldn't have any problems. I hope you've been keeping up with some of the threads I've watching.:smile: I have several ideas on how to make your toy a little faster.:biggrin: LOL

 

[boostmaster]

Cam again

for your setup, IMOP get the comps 206/206. call nick micale from www.arizonagn.com and order it from him. he has the one you need. thats just my .02

The classic scenerio, anytime you ask a question about a cam everyones favorite grind gets thrown in the mix. All this does is add confussion to a very simple question. I will tell you I would base my answer on the facts and what your specific goals are. The engine is an air pump and if your going to put ported heads on it why choke it down with a small grind? My opininon is if you can get the biggest grind possible and maintain good idle quality and street manners why go smaller? Does that make any since? Why not take full advantage of the extra breathing power of a good set of heads. I also have a bigger cam in my engine a crane 218-224 and I can tell you it idles good and never stops pulling, all the way up to 6000rpm. But I would not recommend that cam to you because that's my choice maybe you don't want to move your power band up that far. But if I decide to upgrade to bigger injectors or bigger turbo I'm covered already because my cam has room to grow with my combo. The fact that you have a TA49 and 42lb injectors with ported heads says it all. That set up will soon out grow it's use if you start going faster as the heads will soon be begging for more fuel and more air. So when that time comes are you going to go back in and change the cam again........I don't think so. Do it one time and be done with it. Go as big as you are comfortable with and forget about it. Don't waste your time with a 202, 206, bullcrap go 212, 214 that's middle of the road if you are afraid of idle quality and forget about it. One shot one kill.

 

[Jerryl]

I am FAR from an expert but let me share what I have learned.

Take this simple example.
Some experts will tell you to pick a cam with/that:
a - Equal duration
b - Favor the Intake duration
c - Favor the Exh. duration.
Right there you have 3 philosophies, and none of them are incorrect.
No one shares the other specs of the cam, which are some of the biggest secrets, for a given combo.
There is MUCH more to a cam than just duration.

I know this thread does not make your decision any easier, but my advice is; All cams are not created equal.
In fact, this thread probably created more questions than answers.

You must therefore make your decision based on intake/exh timing events, total lift, duration, LSA, etc., for YOUR setup and YOUR goals to make sure the combination will work to your satisfaction.
These are the exact reasons this question is HARD to answer.

 

[boostmaster]

I am FAR from an expert but let me share what I have learned.

Take this simple example.
Some experts will tell you to pick a cam with/that:
a - Equal duration
b - Favor the Intake duration
c - Favor the Exh. duration.
Right there you have 3 philosophies, and none of them are incorrect.
No one shares the other specs of the cam, which are some of the biggest secrets, for a given combo.
There is MUCH more to a cam than just duration.

I know this thread does not make your decision any easier, but my advice is; All cams are not created equal.
In fact, this thread probably created more questions than answers.

You must therefore make your decision based on intake/exh timing events, total lift, duration, LSA, etc., for YOUR setup and YOUR goals to make sure the combination will work to your satisfaction.
These are the exact reasons this question is HARD to answer.

Duration is just one common denominator that one can use to judge where the power will come in on the powerband when comparing equal type grinds. It's easier for most people who don't have a vast knowledge of grinds to compare apples to apples. If you want to go into specifics you need to talk to tech support or get the cam card and speak with someone that has knowledge to break down the dynamics of the grind. But no matter which way you go I still suggest to go as big as comfortable to you so you won't out grow your cam. If your done with your set up and you won't be upgrading anymore then that's fine get what your gonna get and be done with it. But if you know your going to want to go faster in the future why get stuck with a small cam and leave horsepower on the table. I'm done, that's my O2.

 

[Jerryl]

Duration is just one common denominator that one can use to judge where the power will come in on the powerband when comparing equal type grinds. It's easier for most people who don't have a vast knowledge of grinds to compare apples to apples. If you want to go into specifics you need to talk to tech support or get the cam card and speak with someone that has knowledge to break down the dynamics of the grind. But no matter which way you go I still suggest to go as big as comfortable to you so you won't out grow your cam. If your done with your set up and you won't be upgrading anymore then that's fine get what your gonna get and be done with it. But if you know your going to want to go faster in the future why get stuck with a small cam and leave horsepower on the table. .....

I agree with you, that most judge a cam by the duration, and;
Your advice is correct; Get the biggest cam you feel comfortable with for a LONG TERM REALISTIC GOAL. :wink:
There is too much about cams I don't understand, and never will.

What I do know, is it boils down to a philosophy.
There will always be fundamental disagreements between some of the worlds renowned TR engine building experts on the cam issue, but they all still work.

In my uneducatred opinion , the perfect cam on a HA should in reality be much different than an IC’d cam in some way.
Which way, I am not sure ……… that is just me shooting from the hip.

..... I'm done . . . .

Me to. :frown:

 

[Dwayne]

A cam is only too big if it won't fit in the block !........218/224 or 224/224 would be perfect..........anything less and you will regret it in 6 months.