Another "help me pick my cam" thread

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Feb 18, 2010 | 06:59 PM

ryle

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From: Morris, IL

Another "help me pick my cam" thread

I know this section is full of threads with guys who have no idea what they want in a cam... well count me in. I've got a 98 Trans Am that I am wanting to break into the 11's this season, the lower the better, with some ported heads and a cam. I know it can be done, but I don't know what cam would be best for my setup with the single plane intake, and I could use some help. I'm not necessarily interested in a dyno queen where the numbers look good but the usable power is too high in the RPM to be of any use. Rather I am looking for the quickest ET. It'll be a full weight car on Mickey Thompson DR's.

What Cam would work best with this setup?

The car has:
Lid
Long tube headers with dual cutouts
rebuilt trans with TCI race kit
4.11 rear gear
SFC's
LCA's

Plans for the winter include:
Cam (to be determined)
Milled and ported 241 castings - milled .030 and should flow ~315-320 when completed
.040 compressed thickness Head Gasket (milling and gasket should land CR ~11.x:1)
Super Victor EFI intake manifold
4150 style throttle body
3600 lock up converter
Injectors??

Any Help is Greatly appreciated.

Feb 18, 2010 | 07:10 PM

99LS1Bird

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From: Hammond,La

thunder racings trak cam is very good daily driver/weekend track car cam, Futrals F-14 is about the same a friends of mine has stock heads with a f-14 built 4l-80 4.10s and full bolt ons and runs 11.7 all day both of texas speeds torquer cams are all right there too, texas speeds tsunami cam is a little bigger but the lift is high i dont know if it would work being that your heads are milled you would have to call them. thunder racings raptor cam is also good the first car they put it in has stock ls6 heads and ls6 intake full bolt ons with the raptor cam and runs i think consistent 11.6s leaving soft.

Feb 18, 2010 | 10:14 PM

SOMbitch

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With a single plane and a vic jr. I would get a custom speced out. 99.9% of the "shelf" cams the sponsors on here sell are designed with a plastic intake in mind and won't be an optimum performer for your setup.

Feb 18, 2010 | 10:20 PM

ryle

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From: Morris, IL

that's exactly what I was thinking... and it's a Super Vic, not a Vic Jr.

Where would be a good place to start to get a custom cam speced out? I sent Patrick G a message the other day and haven't received anything back.

Feb 18, 2010 | 10:23 PM

zacht

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well put! i was just going to say i think the vic's like to operate on a narrower LSA, guessing someone will have to chime in here with close to that setup.

Feb 18, 2010 | 10:32 PM

stoverz28

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From: Buda, Texas

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryle

I know this section is full of threads with guys who have no idea what they want in a cam... well count me in. I've got a 98 Trans Am that I am wanting to break into the 11's this season, the lower the better, with some ported heads and a cam. I know it can be done, but I don't know what cam would be best for my setup with the single plane intake, and I could use some help. I'm not necessarily interested in a dyno queen where the numbers look good but the usable power is too high in the RPM to be of any use. Rather I am looking for the quickest ET. It'll be a full weight car on Mickey Thompson DR's.

What Cam would work best with this setup?

The car has:
Lid
Long tube headers with dual cutouts
rebuilt trans with TCI race kit
4.11 rear gear
SFC's
LCA's

Plans for the winter include:
Cam (to be determined)
Milled and ported 241 castings - milled .030 and should flow ~315-320 when completed
.040 compressed thickness Head Gasket (milling and gasket should land CR ~11.x:1)
Super Victor EFI intake manifold
4150 style throttle body
3600 lock up converter
Injectors??

Any Help is Greatly appreciated.

If your looking for the quickest et out of a cam then all your usable power should be in the upper rpms. Drag racing is all about 5000+ rpm power, where ever the shifts fall.

Feb 19, 2010 | 08:37 AM

Patrick G

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From: Victoria, TX

Do you plan on fly-cutting your pistons? If not, you will be limited on how much duration and overlap you'll be able to run. Keep in mind, a single plane intake will want to peak around 400-500 rpm higher than a factory EFI intake. If you want to keep your power peak down, you'll need to select a cam with appropriate valve events (especially the intake valve open and close ) to hit the power band that you're wanting.

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