It only gets worse. Sometimes I feel like this is a support group for our addiction. Unfortunately, the addicts here only encourage further addiction. So there, I said it. My name is chopper, and I'm an addict. Lol.

 

The 228R is a friggen great cam too,

 

Jlangley said "I'm curious about any problems you may have had with detonation though. How much have your heads been milled? I'm thinking 11.1-1 static without allowing for milling, your dcr must be getting up there with the early ivc of your existing cam."

Yes, when I first got the motor finished and installed, the gas tank was still 3/4 full with 87 octane.. It would ping on ANY type of acceleration, and you could not give it full throttle for fear of the motor coming apart. It worked out perfectly because it meant that I was very easy on the motor until the tank got down to the half way point. Then I topped it off with 93. It would then ping under moderate throttle so I would have to let off. Then once that tank was burned out, I've been running straight 93 and have never heard it ping at all. I think the tight quench is helping me. I had the heads milled .020", and I'm running Cometic .040 or .041" gaskets that were almost $100 EACH. Also running flat top after market Speed Pro Hyper-eutectic pistons. NO VALVE reliefs at all.

Yes, I did copper coat the head gaskets as I've read they can be problematic with sealing unless they are copper coated. No problems with coolant loss so I think I did that part right.

 

Just an update. I actually ordered the E1839P cam. I have it installed. It does have a pretty decent lope to it and actually makes MORE POWER EVERYWHERE over the cam I just took out. I was worried about losing bottom end, but that is the opposite of what I'm seeing, and feeling. I can be rolling along in 4th, locked up, at 70 and just roll into the throttle at 2200 RPM and she pulls like a freight train. I can go from 70 to 95 in just a few seconds without it even kicking down into 3rd gear. I have not run it hard at this point as I'm in the process of tuning it.

It DID require substantial changes to the tune to get it to run correctly. It started right up with the old tune and idled until it got warm, and then stalled, and did not want to restart or maintain idle. I found my VE table was off quite a bit, and had to adjust RAF just to get it to idle. Timing changes required as well. For those considering running this cam-keep in mind it will NOT run on a stock, or very mild, tune. Over-all it is much better than the very mild needle cam I removed. Just the right amount of lope, and it is so smooth right off idle. No surging or hesitation on acceleration. It is setting a Random misfire code at idle though. I think this has to do with O2 sensor placement, and not adjusting the associated tables to tell the computer that the O2 position has changed. I did notice that when in SDOL mode I could set the idle to 15.7-16.0 AFR and the lope was just awesome! As soon as I switched it back to CL, I lost a good part of that sound. I may have to go hybrid with the OL Idle, and then transition to CL right off idle. Just wanted everyone to know it was a successful venture and I will be sticking with this cam. I have everything I wanted. A little rumble down low, and more power across the board. I'm happy I did not go with the bigger cam.

Can I give DDnSniper the credit for convincing me to go the smaller cam route? Pat yourself on the back. You did good in telling me it was the better choice.

 

Hell yeah man, congrats....sounds like you're having your cake and eating it too. Also sounds like you've gaining power everywhere, that's gotta make it more fun to drive around not just at high Rpm.

 

Any updates on this cam?

 

Updates? I thought that's what I did above...

It makes MORE POWER everywhere compared to the cam I was running. Has quite a bit of "rumble" at idle. Very noticeable cam lope. Pulls really strong right off idle, and all the way up to 6K (the farthest I've pushed it so far).

Zero complaints. It does not surge, buck, hesitate, or do anything goofy anywhere. It's the cam I should have started with. It would be really choppy in a smaller motor such as a 5.3L. I like it. It's not too much-just right for a daily driver that will never be raced. Does require tuning. Lots, and lots of tuning. I've had to alter my RAF, in spark/gear advance, VE table, and cold start idle speeds. Love the cam though. I'd recommend it to anyone that wants a good mid-range cam.

 

Sorry, that’s what I meant... does it have a real good tune now to see the full potential of this cam. Or do you need more tuning with it? I guess your doing a street tune vs a Dyno tune to see what it is putting down? Do you regret not going with the bigger 40p cam?

 

I can't say on the 40p cam as I have never run one personally. I'm going to just say that I never intended to go after the most horsepower I could build. I just wanted something with a little sound, and that could easily be driven anywhere, with reliability, and none of the quirks that larger cams can exhibit driving along in stop & go traffic.

Yes, I'm doing street tuning using a W/B O2 sensor. I'm pretty much done with VE, MAF, & timing. I'm doing the RAF logging and changes and then I am done. Will never see a dyno so I won't be able to post any #'s.