How do you guys classify "CAM ONLY"
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 339
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Originally Posted by Var
To me a cam-only car has a cam, valvetrain to handle the cam, and exhaust(and MAYBE injectors).
When you start getting into electric water pumps, underdrive pulleys, throttle bodies, intake manifolds etc..you are disqualified IMO.
The reason i count in exhaust is cause the car wont run well with a big cam and restrictive exhaust, but it can run well as everything remains stock.
Electric water pump, pulleys, tb, intake manifolds, bigger MAF, etc..all these things are completely on their own and can vary the power difference by as much as 40 horsepower..so it defeats the term "cam only" which is a term people use to get a general understanding of power vs speed. + or - 40hp is not an acceptable window IMO.
Cam-only should also be a term more oriented to the whole car, rather than just the engine. Again we use the term for a comparison for how much faster a cam makes you go. Stalls and gears can greatly vary the numbers too therefore should be disqualified.
When you start getting into electric water pumps, underdrive pulleys, throttle bodies, intake manifolds etc..you are disqualified IMO.
The reason i count in exhaust is cause the car wont run well with a big cam and restrictive exhaust, but it can run well as everything remains stock.
Electric water pump, pulleys, tb, intake manifolds, bigger MAF, etc..all these things are completely on their own and can vary the power difference by as much as 40 horsepower..so it defeats the term "cam only" which is a term people use to get a general understanding of power vs speed. + or - 40hp is not an acceptable window IMO.
Cam-only should also be a term more oriented to the whole car, rather than just the engine. Again we use the term for a comparison for how much faster a cam makes you go. Stalls and gears can greatly vary the numbers too therefore should be disqualified.
Your really just making up your own definition of cam only, which isn't correct . All tuners and everyone that mods there cars refers to cam only as
not having worked or aftermarket heads and a stock bottom end.
Originally Posted by ninobrn99
what if you upgrade to a set of stock ls6 heads?? 
I think ported stock heads would not be cam only.
I like to think of it as the only power adding modification done to the internal part of the engine. Basicly the only modification done to the long block.
On a side note, it would be hard to not put stock LS6 heads on an LS1 and not still call it cam only if it had an aftermarket cam.
I like to think of it as the only power adding modification done to the internal part of the engine. Basicly the only modification done to the long block.
On a side note, it would be hard to not put stock LS6 heads on an LS1 and not still call it cam only if it had an aftermarket cam.
Originally Posted by 00Vette
No one's got an answer for me?
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Level One--All external bolt ons. Normally Aspirated Stock internals.
Level Two--Level One plus camshaft, valve springs, retainers, pushrods, rockers, lifters, timing chain. Normally Aspirated.
Level Three-- Levels One and Two plus head work-upgrade to LS6 heads, ported stock heads, aftermarket heads. Normally Aspirated.
Level Four--Any above level plus any bottom end work, more cubes or aftermarked stock cubes.
Level Five--Any above level plus nitrous, supercharger, turbocharger.
That is the way it should be. Cam only is Level Two here.
Level Two--Level One plus camshaft, valve springs, retainers, pushrods, rockers, lifters, timing chain. Normally Aspirated.
Level Three-- Levels One and Two plus head work-upgrade to LS6 heads, ported stock heads, aftermarket heads. Normally Aspirated.
Level Four--Any above level plus any bottom end work, more cubes or aftermarked stock cubes.
Level Five--Any above level plus nitrous, supercharger, turbocharger.
That is the way it should be. Cam only is Level Two here.
Originally Posted by 1CAMWNDR
Level One--All external bolt ons. Normally Aspirated Stock internals.
Level Two--Level One plus camshaft, valve springs, retainers, pushrods, rockers, lifters, timing chain. Normally Aspirated.
Level Three-- Levels One and Two plus head work-upgrade to LS6 heads, ported stock heads, aftermarket heads. Normally Aspirated.
Level Four--Any above level plus any bottom end work, more cubes or aftermarked stock cubes.
Level Five--Any above level plus nitrous, supercharger, turbocharger.
That is the way it should be. Cam only is Level Two here.
Level Two--Level One plus camshaft, valve springs, retainers, pushrods, rockers, lifters, timing chain. Normally Aspirated.
Level Three-- Levels One and Two plus head work-upgrade to LS6 heads, ported stock heads, aftermarket heads. Normally Aspirated.
Level Four--Any above level plus any bottom end work, more cubes or aftermarked stock cubes.
Level Five--Any above level plus nitrous, supercharger, turbocharger.
That is the way it should be. Cam only is Level Two here.
Look at internally stock, that means you can have every bolt-on out there as long as you haven't touched anything inside the engine meaning, lid, bellows, MAF, intake, injectors, headers, exhaust, underdrive pulley, electric water pump, etc are all bolt-ons. That can all be on an internally stock car.
Then the next level you can have all that but only swap the cam and associated hardware, pushrods, retainers etc and be CAM Only.
Originally Posted by PREDATOR-Z
I've described my cam only before with a head gasket change (.045 instead of .054 graphite) and I was jumped on that this was not cam only. But the heads were untouched.
So relatively speaking it is a loose term.
Originally Posted by Var
To me a cam-only car has a cam, valvetrain to handle the cam, and exhaust(and MAYBE injectors).
When you start getting into electric water pumps, underdrive pulleys, throttle bodies, intake manifolds etc..you are disqualified IMO.
The reason i count in exhaust is cause the car wont run well with a big cam and restrictive exhaust, but it can run well as everything remains stock.
Electric water pump, pulleys, tb, intake manifolds, bigger MAF, etc..all these things are completely on their own and can vary the power difference by as much as 40 horsepower..so it defeats the term "cam only" which is a term people use to get a general understanding of power vs speed. + or - 40hp is not an acceptable window IMO.
Cam-only should also be a term more oriented to the whole car, rather than just the engine. Again we use the term for a comparison for how much faster a cam makes you go. Stalls and gears can greatly vary the numbers too therefore should be disqualified.
When you start getting into electric water pumps, underdrive pulleys, throttle bodies, intake manifolds etc..you are disqualified IMO.
The reason i count in exhaust is cause the car wont run well with a big cam and restrictive exhaust, but it can run well as everything remains stock.
Electric water pump, pulleys, tb, intake manifolds, bigger MAF, etc..all these things are completely on their own and can vary the power difference by as much as 40 horsepower..so it defeats the term "cam only" which is a term people use to get a general understanding of power vs speed. + or - 40hp is not an acceptable window IMO.
Cam-only should also be a term more oriented to the whole car, rather than just the engine. Again we use the term for a comparison for how much faster a cam makes you go. Stalls and gears can greatly vary the numbers too therefore should be disqualified.
If you have an auto and put in a big bumpstick you NEED a looser converter.
Otherwsire it will fall on its face at WOT under the power curve. It will also try to pull through the brakes at a stop.
So I agree with the statements of a cam and ALL supporting mods to make the entire setup work properly.
I can understand what you mean..but making it such a loose definition defeats the point of even having the term "cam-only".
"I beat a cam-only f-body last night"
this could mean a million different things the way you guys describe it.
"I beat a cam-only f-body last night"
this could mean a million different things the way you guys describe it.
TECH Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 339
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by Var
I can understand what you mean..but making it such a loose definition defeats the point of even having the term "cam-only".
"I beat a cam-only f-body last night"
this could mean a million different things the way you guys describe it.
"I beat a cam-only f-body last night"
this could mean a million different things the way you guys describe it.
The point of having the term cam only is used mainly to seperate it from a heads and cam car. A heads and cam car can also mean a million different things as well. Does this make sense?
