NEW CAM

[Anonymous]

hey this is my first time in the forum and i have a couple of questions...
first off im putting in a new 2bbl holley carb but i was wondering how hard it is to put in a new more performance cam
i dont know much about cars since im only 18 but im learning and loving it and i love my car too! any answers or comments are apreciated!!
thanx!

 

[addo]

It's not overly easy. While the cam will make a big difference to most engines, its installation requires you to remove the head and front cover of the motor. Access requirements will see the radiator and grille removed.

Most people fit a new multi-keyway adjustable timing set when they do a cam swap - it helps optimise the situation. So, a cam swap costs you for: Cam, lifters, timing set, gasket kit.

If you were to fit a hotter cam, it might well be restricted by the standard carb and exhaust. Changing these out will help extract even more from the motor, but you won't have to go back inside it like the first time.

Regards, Adam.

 

[Anonymous]

well my mustang is already runing a 2.25" dual flomaster american thunder 40 series for exhaust and im putting in a 2bbl carb in... i was just wondering about the cam... trying to get what i can out of the car... i just want to have enough power so i know i could spin the wheels if i wanted

 

[addo]

You're upgrading the distributor, too? Is the motor size confirmed? Do a compression test, warm motor and both with and without oil squirted into the bores. Post back if you can't find info on how to do this.

Getting a better than stock cam dialled in will provide more punch to an engine (assuming it's in decent health). Carburetion will then only appear deficient as the motor loads up towards full throttle on the road.

It sounds a funny way to do it but I often urge people to fit a cam first, then the externals after. The carb won't lean out on you or anything like that; it just won't reach absolute premium potential until you optimise the induction and exhaust. But off-idle and through the mid throttle positions, it'll be pretty liveable.

Degreeing the cam is essential; people here have had cams more then 11° off the usual centreline. So the adjustable timing set is pretty much a mandate.

Check you can get full pedal action. Many people lay an extra thickness of matting on the floor and it stops them getting full throttle!

 

[Anonymous]

so putting in the cam would give me more power, but if i just leave the original 1bbl carb on instead of putting a 2bbl carb wont make much difference or would the carb upgrade make a noticible difference?

 

[Anonymous]

oh and also how long does the cam usualy take to put in when you know how to put it in... and would you recomend me having a mechanic do it or do you think that this is something i could do when i dont know much about cars?

 

[Anonymous]

should i get a complete package cam? and if i should get the package should i go with the extended cam package with the 1.6 adjustible?

 

[Anonymous]

well my mustang is already runing a 2.25" dual flomaster american thunder 40 series for exhaust

If you have the stock exhaust log, you really aren't making much more power. Tube headers will help a lot.

so putting in the cam would give me more power, but if i just leave the original 1bbl carb on instead of putting a 2bbl carb wont make much difference or would the carb upgrade make a noticible difference?

There will be a little bit more torque in the midrange, until the 1 bbl starts to run out of airflow, then the engine chokes off.

oh and also how long does the cam usualy take to put in when you know how to put it in... and would you recomend me having a mechanic do it or do you think that this is something i could do when i dont know much about cars?

Give yourself a weekend to do it. Things always get broke or lost the first time someone does something new, so go slow and be careful. Take lots of pictures and label everything. Make sure you have good manual to work from.

TIP: Go to the junkyard and take apart another engine first before you dive into the one you need to drive your car!!

should i get a complete package cam? and if i should get the package should i go with the extended cam package with the 1.6 adjustible?

AT THE VERY LEAST--- you will need new lifters for a new cam. You can NOT reuse the old lifters! Everything else can be re-used for now if in good shape.

ANOTHER TIP:
If you have some spare time and some spare money, do your 2 bbl swap while the head is off. (gotta pull it to do the cam change anyways) The BEST two barrel swap is the kind "Mustang Geezer" has done:

http://fordsix.com/tech/engine/hopup.php

 

[Anonymous]

Here is the full write-up on the 2 bbl swap he did:

http://inlinefever.homestead.com/RamAir.html

 

[Anonymous]

ok so if i do the extended package and put on the 2bbl i should be good right? what should i expect powerwise? what will the difference feel like?

i want to makesure its going to be worth the while getting this done

 

[Anonymous]

in the extended package its getting the HP1.6 adjustable going to make much difference than the sotck 1.5 non-adjustable or the stock 1.5 adjustable??

 

[Anonymous]

whoaaaaaa, there hoss....no need to post so fast.

Sit back and relax and let folks breath, "K??
Have a little patience!!

Keep the stockers for now.

 

[hasa68mustang]

This is sorta off topic but what you did kind of sounds like me a year or so ago. I started off with the holley carb... made a VERY tiny difference.... it bogged low end, and kind of pulled top, I got terrible gas mileage as I drove WOT to go anywhere, then I got the headers and duraspark, and that helped some more and made a bigger difference, and with the cam, and oh ya I bought an adjustable timing chain and installed it 4* in advance to help with low end, and with all that I ran 17.8's. Oh and one more thing I installed new valve springs and teflon seals. after all that I could finally beat some cars, stock neons (the faster dohc ones! ), but the best was the way the car felt from 60, if I downshifted it into 2nd I held with my friends z28 camaro for a whopping second or 2 but it suprised the crap outta him and beat an eclipse, but I guess considering I remember the first time I drove the car I couldnt keep up with traffic leaving stop lights I guess those things really did help!

 

[Anonymous]

IMHO: NEVER cheap out. If you're going to do something, do the whole ten yards. Skimping on that one yard is what hurts you

Get the headers, advanced timing set, see if you can get a custom ground cam in that, whatever it takes to get the goal you want. Nothing sucks more than going into something new and getting little results...

... other than, y'know, getting NO results due to being in a hurry.

Here's my two pennies: Getting a shorter duration exhaust duration is better with better exhaust, as headers scavenge(sp?) the exhaust rather than simply directing the flow. Also: wider centers reduce overlap but can hurt overall performance if done too aggressive, whereas too conservative of lobe centers helps power up top but can, once again, hurt performance.

Btw, I just read Engine Building by Bob Monroe is you're wondering why a n00b is talking all smart now.

Generally speaking, though, I believe FSPP's cams are a great choice, as they are probably made just for our cars by someone who owns a car like ours... always a plus.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks but this still leaves my one question un-answered... is it better to go with the 1.6 adjustable instead of just using a stock 1.5?

 

[Anonymous]

I would think anything adjustable would be be better than stock

 

[Anonymous]

hotrod,

In my research of the question, I found out that if you want to build a wild motor and get every little bit out of it than you need to go with the 1.6 ratio, but if you are just building a street machine/daily driver you don't need to get the 1.6. Most do recommend going with the older 1.5 adjustable rockers that came in the 170 ci motors.

For what I think you want to do, get some more power out of your motor but keep it a daily driver, I would recommend staying with the stock rockers.

You can mount the 2 barrel with an adaptor from Clifford Performance, that will save you some machining. It doesn't optimize the swap like the direct mount does, but it will definetely help, and is an easy swap for new mechanics like me.

The cam will be a challenge to get back together right, degree cam etc., but it can be done. Do you have anyone with experience that can help you out?

If you spend some time reading thru the forum you will get an idea what you want to do. Come back with, what you want to achieve and what your budget is and we will try to help you reach your goals.

Bob

 

[Anonymous]

k thanks for that!

im looking to get the most off the line and dragstrip power that i can get...
basically i want to build my mustang's strait six to drag on the home strips just for fun!! i use my 94escort as my daily driver and this as a show car

 

[Anonymous]

How much money ya got?

 

[Anonymous]

show car...or drag car...two different things


where in NJ are you?