Who has the best price on ordering a custom ground cam?
11-15-2008, 12:50 AM
#1
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Who has the best price on ordering a custom ground cam? I am not sure if this is the right place to post this but who has the best price on ordering a custom ground camshaft? I have the specs on the cam I want.
11-15-2008, 04:52 AM
#3
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11-15-2008, 08:49 AM
#5
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Remember that if you just order a cam by the duration/lift/LSA/advance numbers even from a well-respected supplier, they have no obligation to you for the performance results you achieve. They are just making their markup.
OK, a good shop will ask you about your total combination and suggest whether your cam choice is appropriate. For the minimum markup you are forcing them to take, they probably won't spend very many minutes on the analysis however. 3 minutes or less would be my guess if you are lucky enough to get someone taking your order who knows engines.
My cam guy doesn't sell cams a customer has spec'd because if the cam doesn't perform, the customer will often blame it on the "Damn cam I got from XYZ Speed Shop." Do you think he's going to say his own choice of specs was bad? Not hardly, as the Duke would say. So that hurts the shop a lot more than the small markup helped them.
It's too bad WalMart doesn't get into custom cams. At least you'd know the country of origin.
My highly-opinionated $.02.
Jon
11-15-2008, 10:04 AM
#6
Good advice ^^
We always try and advise the customer but if he knows what he wants then we try to accomodate. If a person has gone through the process and is sure of what they want, the last thing they want is to have to go through it all over again and have someone telling them they want this instead.
We have an extensive questionaire we send to them and spec the cam from the answers they provide. My builder is well known and respected so the cams are being spec'ed by an expert with years of experience.
We only use Comp, located in the Memphis Tennessee in the good old US of A!
We always try and advise the customer but if he knows what he wants then we try to accomodate. If a person has gone through the process and is sure of what they want, the last thing they want is to have to go through it all over again and have someone telling them they want this instead.
We have an extensive questionaire we send to them and spec the cam from the answers they provide. My builder is well known and respected so the cams are being spec'ed by an expert with years of experience.
We only use Comp, located in the Memphis Tennessee in the good old US of A!
11-15-2008, 10:39 AM
#7
TECH Senior Member
If you have lobe numbers from a certain cam manufacturer, as you should have gotten from your cam designer, make sure your supplier uses that company. If all you have is 228/224 .600/.590 118-2 (for a dumb example), you are at the mercy of whomever you order from. There are a number of lobes with a given .050 duration and approximately the same lift which give very different valvetrain dynamics. You might not be aware of that but your engine surely will be.
Remember that if you just order a cam by the duration/lift/LSA/advance numbers even from a well-respected supplier, they have no obligation to you for the performance results you achieve. They are just making their markup.
OK, a good shop will ask you about your total combination and suggest whether your cam choice is appropriate. For the minimum markup you are forcing them to take, they probably won't spend very many minutes on the analysis however. 3 minutes or less would be my guess if you are lucky enough to get someone taking your order who knows engines.
My cam guy doesn't sell cams a customer has spec'd because if the cam doesn't perform, the customer will often blame it on the "Damn cam I got from XYZ Speed Shop." Do you think he's going to say his own choice of specs was bad? Not hardly, as the Duke would say. So that hurts the shop a lot more than the small markup helped them.
It's too bad WalMart doesn't get into custom cams. At least you'd know the country of origin.
My highly-opinionated $.02.
Jon
Remember that if you just order a cam by the duration/lift/LSA/advance numbers even from a well-respected supplier, they have no obligation to you for the performance results you achieve. They are just making their markup.
OK, a good shop will ask you about your total combination and suggest whether your cam choice is appropriate. For the minimum markup you are forcing them to take, they probably won't spend very many minutes on the analysis however. 3 minutes or less would be my guess if you are lucky enough to get someone taking your order who knows engines.
My cam guy doesn't sell cams a customer has spec'd because if the cam doesn't perform, the customer will often blame it on the "Damn cam I got from XYZ Speed Shop." Do you think he's going to say his own choice of specs was bad? Not hardly, as the Duke would say. So that hurts the shop a lot more than the small markup helped them.
It's too bad WalMart doesn't get into custom cams. At least you'd know the country of origin.
My highly-opinionated $.02.
Jon
If all shops did the same in fear of their reputation, I could not buy a cam
I think the issue here is more related to the profit made on a cam is minimal and most shops do not like wasting time with inquiries and questions about custom cams.
