Hi,

My current setup is as follow:

- Freshly rebuilt 289 with a T5
- Flowmaster 40 series and Supercomp long tubes
- Aluminium intake (cannot tell you right now if it is a Performer Plus or Performer RPM)
- Holley 600cfm
- Edelbrock Performer Heads (they say XR on it, I am in the process of getting more info from Edelbrock directly)
- Stock distributor with pertronix (I am having it switched to MSD, it is supposed to improve my throttle response and remove misfire)
- Roller rockers
- Stock cam

I am satisfied with everything except the current bad throttle response and the misfire but this should be solved with a fine tuning and the new MSD. However, here and there I here some people saying that my stock cam cannot take advantage of my new aluminium heads and that it creates a inconsistency in my engine.

My question is, should I change my cam? I am driving in the 1k - 5.5k RPM range and I am interested in torque mostly.

How much would this cost (part and labor)?

Basically would it be worth it as I am already ok with my setup?

Thanks!

 

Since everything else is upgraded, that stock cam is really starving your system. I would throw in the last part of their system, the Performer cam to go with everything.

I believe the cam is like ~150 for the kit. I would think a good shop could install it in half a day or so. Not to sure on the labor.

 

A cam controls the event of opening and closing your valves. It is the engine clock. You can move the power band up or move the power band down with the cam. You cannot really create torque with a cam although you can move the torque band.

That being said, it sounds like you are not wanting a real racey cam since your top end is 5500. With that level, you are probably looking at a flat hydraulic cam, lifters, push rods, and possibly rockers. Check the Comp Cams website and look for something in the 210 duration @ .05 range.

The price of the parts are a drop in the bucket. The big one on this is going to be labor to take your engine out, take it apart, and build it back up.

 

Thanks!

Ouch, I would be planning to do it at a reputable performance shop in San Francisco and they charge 100+ per hour. I guess it is going to be another $1000 upgrade

 

you can of course drive the car like that but it will be peppier with a matching cam instead of the stock one.
I wouldn't pick any cam until you have details about the new heads
do you already have the heads on? i'm asking because you only mentioned this week that you could get your hand on them? if they're not on yet, then you might want to do all at the same time ?

Kalli

 

For labor..

 

if you take out the motor yourself and remove everything like the pulleys, water pump and timing cover/chain, and just have them install the cam, it should save a bit on labor

 

"...take the engine out"??
I thought you could (in basic terms) change a cam by just taking the intake off, timing chain off and removing the rockers/lifters, without taking the engine out or removing heads.
No????

If no, that's an expensive job if your engine is already running in the car (esp at $100/hr), probably not worth the marginal power gain.

 

according to what i read it can be done with engine in car.just a bit of a pita. radiator and grille have to be removed to be able to pull the cam out

 

I replaced my cam in my car, not as hard as everyone makes it sound. More difficult? Sure. Impossible? Nope.