Wow! I would've never thought choosing the correct cam would be so involved. I've played around with ford motors for25 years, and always boughtoff the shelf cams.

Joel, I took your advice and contacted Jay Allen. After speaking with him, I believe this is absolutely the best way to go for me. He is currently designing a custom cam for my application. Since I'm running a stock block and pistons, I will be able to go with one of his SADI (ductile iron) cores to keep the cost down. It will end up being about the sameprice as the Anderson N-41, and $50 higher that the Comp Cams Extreem Energy, but it will be built for my specific application.
Thanks

 

now, will he be telling you the specs?

 

Not until after the purchase

Another option that I have had good success with:

Ed Curtis @ www.flowtechinduction.com.

He can get you anything from the gaskets to the custom camshaft - $325.

 

Great choice FLcracker9.......

After it is designed, ground and paid for....... he will not only provide the cam specs, but also the duration/lift specs @.006", .020", .050", .200" and the I/E lift @TDC..... so it can be installed correctly (degreed) w/out a cam degree kit + idle rpms, engine vacuum @idle, cranking compression pressure, peak torque/HP rpms, shift point, and torque converter stall (if you decide to go with an auto transmission)..... not your typical "cam card".

 

^^^^^^that's all fine and dandy..but I often wonder..how much more benifit is that??? is it really like a seat of the pants feel difference?? or is it splitting peas for and extra 10-15 hp??.....cause I've know people with custom cams that haven't performed any better or worse than a ots cam with nearly similar builds...anyway just curious...........oh and flcracker sorry about never replying..just reread the thread now..but looks like you made a good choice..joel5.0 is a good man and great advice giver!!

 

It sounds to me that for the additional $50 that the custom cam costs, you get a cam designed for your specific engine/modifications. I know the OTS cams workfine, but they cover a lot of different applications, and you pick the one that best fits your needs. That doesn't mean that that OTS cam will provide optimum performance for your specific application. One of the other positive things is once you purchase a cam, Jay will help you with setting up the cam, without the use of a degree wheel, so it's timed correctly (he states it's easy enough thata novice can do it). When you order from Jay, you have to fill out the extensive data sheetcompletely, some of the mandatory information he requires:

Engine type
stroke
rod length
piston type
comp ratio
engine accessories
cylinder head manufacturer
valve sizes
pressure on seat
coil binds @
valve spring diameters
spring open pressure
open pressure at what lift
chamber volume
Intake manifold manufacturer
carb/maf size
header manufacturer
exhaust system / diameter
X pipe or Y pipe
trans type
stall speed
rear gear ratio
tire size
type of car
weight with driver
And many more questions.

If you don't fill out all of the categories, it won't be processed. I don't personally know anyone that has used them, but I'm banking that it will be worth the extra $50 bucks over the off the shelf Comp Cam?. It's also is the same price as ordering an Anderson cam.I will post the results good or bad.

 

It's not just a power issue, it will all depend on the actual goals of the user...... and a lot of them also require driveability from a setup. Also, keep in mind that the cam is just one piece of the puzzle, if you don't set the rest of the pieces to work together, it won't matter what cam you install, use the wrong valve train setup....and it will not perform + it's not a peak HP game...... it's an increase of the average HP across the "working" RPM's range that matters, and how fast you get there (=acceleration)..... this is why you could also see setups with less HP ratings winning over higher HP setups.

For example......... a stock 302/302 SBF setup, untouched GT40 heads (aside a stud rockers conversion), EFI setup with a Rev Extender as the only addition to the ECM, CI cam, totally driveable and used daily...... performing 11.19 @119 mph in the 1320', 100% N/A, after 15,500 miles on the odometer in a year, and revving it to 8,000 rpms..... even though it only made 305RWHP/317RWTQ.

 

8k with gt40's?

will they even flow enough that high? or is that a dumb question?

 

p all so... what was done to the bottom end of that motor?... and not a stock intake i assume?

 

and i have that comp cam, it works great with my set up