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Old Aug 10, 2006 | 02:43 AM
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Default Cam Question

lots of places/people say its not to great to just do a cam alone withought doing heads with it. is it bad or put any strain on the motor with just doing a cam? cause i already have ordered CAI, LT's, exhaust, and 160tstat, and that last thing thats on my mind is a CAM, and i dont really want to spend more money on heads, any input is great. thanks
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Old Aug 10, 2006 | 06:57 AM
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I disagree, you can do a cam without heads. lots of people do. Some do fell though since you are taking everything apart to go ahead and do heads since your spending on the labor anyway. Trust me...because you got the "bug" you are going to wish you did heads anyways.

If you do just cam, talk to reputable vendors so they can lead you in the right direction.
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Old Aug 10, 2006 | 09:14 AM
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Many cam only cars make more HP than head/cam cars. Just make sure you get a decent sized cam.
The stock heads on these cars are fairly good. You can get up to $50 at the wheels without heads but plan on about 425 with a decent sized cam.

I think you heard them wrong, or they meant to say no cam without "headers"
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Old Aug 10, 2006 | 10:33 AM
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ya, i didnt think i needed to go with heads although it might be a smart idea since ill already be there with the labor and all...... i got some thinking to do i guess.... thanks
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Old Aug 10, 2006 | 04:47 PM
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I could pull out my Service Manual that I got from Fichtners, but it is easier to type:

Do the heads have to come off to change the cam and lifters?

Thanx in advance,
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Old Aug 10, 2006 | 05:05 PM
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just get the heads too...you will get em later and you will have to pay probably $500 or more extra in labor...

Trust me, I got the bug too and I got almost everythig and am now wondering what else is there.
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Old Aug 10, 2006 | 05:13 PM
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hey mikejfl what are your exact mods and how does it idle, sound, and what rwhp are you running? thanks
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Old Aug 10, 2006 | 05:30 PM
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Of course you are going to make more power if you do cylinder heads at the same time, however changing heads is not manditory when doing a cam upgrade.

Give me a call or shoot me an email and I would be more than happy to go over some different setups for you.
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Old Aug 10, 2006 | 07:32 PM
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What I preach is don't do cam without doing headers... heads is secondary if you're just looking for every last bit of horsepower. With a good cam you'll see more gains than you will with heads in fact. Usually you get around 40-55 rwhp from a good set of heads... Our C and S cams usually gain around 75-90 rwhp. So if you want a little bang for the buck, do just a cam with some nice bolt ons like you listed. Heads maybe later on down the road when just the cam setup isn't enough


Chuck @ HPE
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