[cmpcpro]

Well,

I have accepted the fact that I am stuck with a 302 (No offense to the other 302 owners), and have already put an intake, carb, and alot of other basic things on it, but it still has the stock cam. It does have a noisy lifter on it, so they should be replaced, and it has a new timing chain on it too. I also had it put on the scope the other day, and all the cylinders are runing great. My question is: Should I waste the money and time on an Edelbrock Performer RPM cam and lifter set? The $150 is not what I am worried about, it's the time to put it in... I would have to rip off the new intake, water pump, and... basically everything again....

What would you guys do? I was going to wait for this engine to die, but all the mechanics I have talked to say its a very healthy motor.

Thanks!

 

[b0nes421]

If everything else is there and your engine has a clean bill of health I say go ahead and Cam it. You have already taken the time to allow your engine to breath better and receive ample fuel, you might as well give it a Cam that'll make use of the upgrades you have already installed!

 

[swamper]

Go for it, shouldn't take more than 2 days maximum but I like putzing with this stuff.

 

[cmpcpro]

The guy at PAW is trying to talk me out of buying a cam. He said, it has to be adjusted just right, that even if its off by 20 thousandths it will flatten the cam, and do something to the engine.... Is this true?

Thanks

 

[greggieatthebat]

If you don't have your lash set correctly or lube the cam properly you can flatten the cam, but a flat cam just leaves all of the valves closed... that just makes it harder to crank, right? No engine damage? Now, if the cam is installed out of phase (spun), valves can strike the pistons, but if you follow the cam's installation instructions and use some common sense and caution, that should be... less likely.

 

[72cat]

Hey Chris, check out this page, don't know if it will help any, most of it went way over my head, but I saved it awhile ago for my better half to have a look at.http://www.ridgenet.net/~biesiade/camdegree.htm

 

[b0nes421]

As long as you follow the installation procedure and don't rush things (cut corners) everything will be fine. It's not so complicated that you couldn't do it confidently yourself. As long as you take your time it'll all work out. Just make sure that if there is something in the instructions that you don't understand that you ask before proceeding, but that isn't likely to happen.

 

[cougarguy]

putting a new cam is way easy chris dont sweat it just do as everyone says take time use lots of lube and dont nick it and you will be happy you did. go4it

 

[calcat]

Chris - assuming this is a hyd., that PAW guy is blowing smoke. Hyd. lifters are very forgiving, the preload range is usually .020-.040, unless you use anti-pump ups. There are zillions of articles on setting the initial adjustment, if that is making you feel uncomfortable. Take your time, follow the cam instructions and you won't regret it. Remember to break it in properly. Good luck.

 

[cmpcpro]

Thanks guys! Now, my next question, what is a good cam to buy? I want a radical cam, the best for a basically stock internal engine... I do have the Edelbrock Performer intake, and Holley 600vac sec carb. Thanks

 

[jimk351c]

If you already have the perfomer intake, the performer cam would be a good match. However, I'm pretty sure the performer cam requires and upgrade in terms of valve springs. I noticed in your first post you mentioned the Performer RPM cam. The Performer RPM should be used with the Performer RPM intake. Since you don't have this intake, it probably isn't a good idea to go with the RPM cam.

Installing a cam is fairly straight forward and the biggest obstacle is patience. Be sure that your valvetrain is up to par for whatever cam you choose. Having a sub-par valvetrain for the cam you select CAN cause engine damage.

 

[jimk351c]

Comp Cams also offers several grinds that would probably work well in your 302. I'll leave cam selection up to folks who have done this over and over again (Royce comes to mind), but the 268h is probably in the range you are looking for:

http://www.compcams.com/catalog/146_147.html

 

[greggieatthebat]

One thing that we Cougar owners have to keep in mind: make sure the cam will still allow a decent amount of vacuum if you want to use your headlights.... unless you want to redesign the headlight cover mechanism using modern technology (a la the electronic sequencer for the taillights)... I'm a mechanical design engineer, would anyone be interested in such a thing?

 

[cmpcpro]

I would be. Infact, on TCCN there already is a conversion for electric doors, but involves a welder and cutting steel and such, which isn't a big problem, but I would much rather purchase a kit of some sort.

 

[jimk351c]

I run a cam similar in spec to the Edelbrock Performer cam and have plenty of vacuum. I believe most people that are running the RPM cam and similar are adding a vacuum canister to make up the difference.

The TCCN electric headlight doors were designed by Bruce Habel. They utilize a Ford Probe pop-up headlight motor and require very little fabrication.

 

[b0nes421]

I'm interested in what kind of ideas you have for the headlights greggie... I'm always interested in learning something new!

 

[Paul G.]

cam

cmpcpro,
Jim K is right on target here. The RPM cam is designed to take advantage of the improved flow capability of the RPM intake. The base performer manifold and 600 cfm carb combination are for a milder application. I have an Edelbrock performer 351 (not RPM) and a Demon 625 on my windsor. I run the Edelbrock performer plus cam. 448/472 lift and 204/214 @.050 and LSA 112. The combination works great together. With mildly ported heads, headers and 2.5 inch duals, and stock torque converter the car will easily smoke both tires with the 3.70 traklok. Edelbrock makes a cam with the exact same specs for the 302, and it is the reccommended cam for your intake. I'm sure there are several other cam manufacturers that make a similar grind.
One of the biggest mistakes made by people building small blocks is over-camming in relation to the associated components. The performer manifold and a 600 CFM carb will never flow well enough to take advantage of the high RPM characteristics of a big cam, and the resulting loss of low end torque will actually make the car slower across the board especially with a stock torque converter. RULE #1 for performance engine building-assemble parts that match each other.
Paul G.
69 XR7 Convertible

 

[swamper]

I would also like to look at options to get rid of all the vacuum apparatus. I've been looking at it & thinking it should be easy to change the 69 to a single electric motor replacing vacuum motor.

 

[greggieatthebat]

Jim, Chris, thanks for the info, I'll definitely investigate!

swamper, bones: I've been thinking (not too hard) for the past ... 10 years? ... about this, debating between implementing someone else's design (like Jim suggested w/ using Probe headlight door motors, or old Corvette system, or something) or trying to go it alone. I like a challenge, but I also dislike reinventing the wheel.

BTW, don't Cougars already have a vacuum canister as standard equipment (in one of the wheel wells, passenger side I think)? There's a can under there, and I assumed long ago that that's what it was... I don't think I ever investigated it tho.

 

[cougarguy]

for those that are interested TCCN already has the plans for the 69 70 replacing the can with a probe motor. no reinventing the wheel and not to hard to produce. if there is enough interest i will make up some for nominal cost but i would need at least ten orders to make it worth tooling up.