new fish with an 87 needing help on camshaft suggestions

Z

z28up

Member
Joined
Jul 14, 2014
hello my name is Brian and i am out of NW Arkansas, i recently traded an 81 camaro i restored and an 85 monte carlo SS for my absolute dream car, 1987 Buick Grand National, but i have an issue.. im very good carb'd engines but dont know anything about fi or turbos, im looking to have a dependable car that is low 12 high 11's if possible,

I got the car late thursday night.. and was drving it home and anytime i would get into boost it would spark knock so i never got in it hard.. i went and put the highest grade fuel (91) in it and it still seemed to spark knock.. i drove it for about 90 miles and started stumblinig anytime it would get into the boost and progressivly got worse to the point it started backfiring and lost all enigne power, it sounded like a lifter ticking, i got home and pulled the valvecover off and the #1 intake valve rocker was very loose and when we turned it over it didnt hardly push the spring down. so im pretty sure that the cam went flat. i hear that these 3.8's are notorious for oiling issues.. now where im at is needing a cam and lifters.. i dont want to swap out springs.. is there a suggested cam i can use? i list what i know about the car

has a tune - unknown
LS1 MAF swap
K&N filter
60lb injectors

everything else is stock other than the transmission 200metric (supposed to hold 600hp)

id like to get into the low 12's high 11's and be dependable with cold a/c
 
WELCOME PILGRIM!!!! To the best TR site on the net!
I hope this is not going to be your daily driver, internal damage usually sends trash thru the oiling system. Not always, but as a general rule it's safer to tear it down and be sure then to have a sudden cataclysmic failure!($$$$$) The 2 sites you will need to read thru will be: www.gnttype.org and www.turbobuiks-etc.com Then ask as many questions from the board as needed to get up to speed. We are here to help.
Your goals of high 11's to low 12's are readily attainable(actually low 11's) but it starts to get a little(?) more expensive to see 10'$!!!Then there's $$$9'$$$!!!
Just don't make any rash decisions w/o building your knowledge base.
Again Welcome and hope you enjoy our site and your TR!
 
If you have the LS-1 maf, you must have a translator as well. Try to get a full list of mod's from the previous owner and that will eliminate a lot of guessing for us when you ask questions.
 
You need to find out for sure if the cam is wasted. Is it is id pull the pan. Plenty of cams were flattened and the bottom end still ok. The oiling in these engines is good as long as the pump is set up correctly and the front cam bearing isn't wasted.


BPE2013@hotmail.com
 
Yes it does have a maf translator.. I appeticiate everyone's input.. The question I have is what's a good cam to upgrade to?
 
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z28up said:
Yes it does have a maf translator.. I appeticiate everyone's input.. The question I have is what's a good cam to upgrade to?
Click to expand...
You need not worry about what cam you should put in right now. You need to focus on figuring out what exact mods the car has done and what caused your issues. Take the time to do some reading on this site and the other sites provided on previous posts. Try to see if someone on this site is local in your area to give the car a good "once over" to see if they can help identify the mods and the issues. Please post picture of the engine compartment so we can see what it looks like in there. Does the car have a scan tool?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
The previous owner bought it this way and doesn't have a list of mods.. I'm not new to building cars.. But I am new to these engines and turbos.. I've had 3 people do once overs.. They've all said the same thing.. Cam lobe is flat.. I have the actual mechanical part taken care of by a professional.. I've been advised to order an oil pump kit because they wear easy.. A cam and lifter set and a walbor pump upgrade with a harness.. This is why I'm asking for you're advise on a cam upgrade.. What to get of stay away from.. I'm
Hoping that I could get actual help from you guys and not get "research it yourself" because that's the first thing I did before I asked for advice.. If I wanted that I would go back to yellowbullet or teamchevelle... Here are a few of my other rides that I've built..
 

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Nice Rides!
Don't take offence because we handled you w/kid gloves. Most guys that just purchased a vehicle are unable to afford any repairs soon after a purchase. And given the limited knowledge of these engines, we try to gently coax anxious owners to take it slow, so as not to blow it up and get discouraged(or broke!) before they have the opportunity to realize the cars potential.
So, assuming you are comfortable w/your mechanic and his abilities,(kid gloves off! lol) Judging by the pics, the engine looks mainly stock. the intercooler appears stock long w/the turbo. Only a cai pipe is added w/the LS-1 maf and K&N.(I can't really see the maf in the pics, so I'm taking your word for it.) The stock turbo will limit your performance, but it will reach your goal of low12's/hi-11's if it's in good shape. A KB-neck welded on to the I/C will make it a little easier to cool the air charge w/less restriction. (alchy works great too!)
The cam for a near stock set up would be in the 206/206 area. Recommending a hydraulic roller to avoid the same issue of a wiped lobe. The reason the springs are recommended is because they are the first items to go weak, so they are advised to be changed. At near stock performance, a hi-pressure/volume oil pump is not needed nor advised.
Add to this a turbo-tweak chip, burned for your chosen mod's and you will attain your goals.
Hope this helps and again, no offence was meant, just "caution".
Tom
 
welcome to turbo buick land, you will get at least 5 different cam recomendations and what you need to keep in mind is that you will be much better off to stay on the small side for our little turbo motors. You will have to keep valve lift around .430 to avoid retainer to guide clearance with stock un-modified cylinder heads. I have had great results with a 206/206 comp cam similar to part # 69-234-4 . The ones I have used were obtained from Weber racing and had a 109 lobe center vs the 110 from the catalog. Cant go wrong with this one imo. Does your motor still have the original cam in it or was it replaced already?
 
It's the
fastblackracing said:
welcome to turbo buick land, you will get at least 5 different cam recomendations and what you need to keep in mind is that you will be much better off to stay on the small side for our little turbo motors. You will have to keep valve lift around .430 to avoid retainer to guide clearance with stock un-modified cylinder heads. I have had great results with a 206/206 comp cam similar to part # 69-234-4 . The ones I have used were obtained from Weber racing and had a 109 lobe center vs the 110 from the catalog. Cant go wrong with this one imo. Does your motor still have the original cam in it or was it replaced already?
Click to expand...


It's the original cam.. I was going to order the 206/206 from comp and I called GN performance and the guy there told me they weren't any good and I needed to go with the isky 208/208.. I'm not sure if he was just trying to sell it to me or if it's true.. I don't see much of a difference between the 2
 
I stopped installing flat tappet cams 4 years ago after some hard lessons, it is cheaper in the long run and no need to get into special oil additive conversations. Do yourself a favor and go roller.
 
z28up said:
i hear that these 3.8's are notorious for oiling issues.
Click to expand...
Not true. The problem is that the oil refineries have removed more and more zinc and phosphorous from their oil formulas over time. This is very hazardous to your flat tappet cam's health. The limiting factor for cam choice is the valve guide heights of your stock heads. They allow for only so much lift.
If you want to run a flat tappet cam use either Bradd Penn or Driven oils as they contain the right amount of zddp. Do not use zddp additives to fortify an oil that is lacking these additives. Let the refineries do the blending. If you want to use any other oil than the two I've suggested,make sure it says racing in the title and brags about it's zinc and phosphorus quantities.
 
Last edited:
Here are some more mod info on the car

0 280 155 868 36lb injectors

19171541 23909 LS maf

Maf translator 6.25

25526954 vapor purge canister
(2 vaccum lines exposed)
 
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