Can a cam cost? And approx for installation?

 

Installation is expensive as hell for camshafts.

 

you can get a regrind cam and everything you need for the install for about 400 if you doin it on a budget. 400 is as low as you could go unless you bought a bunch of used stuff. then install would be another good 400+. again 400 being minimum. so your looking somewhere around 800-1000.

 

but would a cam even help anything power wise unless you had other stuff done?

 

A cam helps out but its really a 3 package special...heads, cam and intakes. Those 3 open up the breathing for the car. It's like you have 3 skinny straws and you are blowing through them. IF you change one to a fatter one, sure it will breath just a bit better but you benefit the MOST when you get them ALL big

 

Wow, that was helpful...

Anyways, I've seen cams going for more around $500-600. And installation is a pain in the *** for pushrod engines. You're basically taking the engine apart. You gotta remove the heads so you can get the pushrods out. Then to get the old cam out, you either lift the engine out of the car, or move everything in front of the engine out of the way (radiator, fan, grille, etc...) so you can swap cams. You'll probably want new springs too. A cam is kind of a waste of money if you don't do anything with heads and intake, too, since you're tearing all that off anyway.

 

That's the key point I missed. To get the cam you have to take off the intakes and heads...so instead of having to put STOCK ONES back on...you may as well wait so that when you put the cam in and put the heads and intakes back on they are ported and polished and completely upgraded. This is killing 3 birds with 1 stone and you gain a good amount of power! (power level based on cam specs, head and intakes quality of work)

 

You don't HAVE to remove the heads to swap a cam, and the pushrods can come out simply by removing the rockers. However, you do have to remove the front cover of the engine to get to the cam, which means removing the water pump and most accessories, so it is a big job. Also, since you do have to remove the inakes, rockers, pushrods, accessories, etc, you might as well do the heads since you're already to that point. So, I'm in agreement that it makes the most sense to do it all at once, just a little clarification on details.

Also, you can gain a LOT of power with a Heads/Cam setup without P&P intakes or LT's... though those would, of course, help.