cam selection: hydraulic vs. solid
Thread Starter
Abby Normal
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 53,443
Likes: 92
From: Press "2" for English
cam selection: hydraulic vs. solid
i'm a fan of hydraulic cams for my street car just for the ease of maintenance and streetability. however, a friend gave me an unused elgin cam that i was considering installing in a 350 (355) i'm working on. problem is, it's solid lift. and it's big. specs are: 286/294*, .510 valve lift, 106 LSA, ground 4* advance.
i would consider using this cam if valve adjustment wasn't going to be that big a PITA. if i use full roller rockers with poly locks, will i still have to adjust valves every 1500-3000 miles?
i would consider using this cam if valve adjustment wasn't going to be that big a PITA. if i use full roller rockers with poly locks, will i still have to adjust valves every 1500-3000 miles?
Safety Car
Joined: Feb 1999
Posts: 3,631
Likes: 14
From: Fountain Hills AZ
Re: cam selection: hydraulic vs. solid (clutchdust)
It sounds like a pretty nice cam but I don't know that you'd be happy with it. If you're replacing a stock cam, it would be a pretty radical change. Lumpy idle, low vacuum, weak bottom but a strong mid and high range. Considering the amount of effort involved in a cam swap (as well as the cost of gaskets and such regardless of what cam you use), making a compromise in order to sae a few bucks probably isn't a good idea. Keep in mind that no other component will affect your engine's personality as it's cam will and also that flat tappet cams aren't that expensive. If that cam happens to be a perfect match for YOUR goals, go for it and enjoy the savings. If not, it won't cost that much more to buy a cam that does match your goals. As far as maintenence on a solid vs hydraulic, it's no big deal on a car that only gets a few thousand miles a year but probably not much fun on a daily driver that sees a lot of miles.
Race Director
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 12,712
Likes: 2,271
Re: cam selection: hydraulic vs. solid (clutchdust)
Way too much overlap for the street. It won't have much torque below 3000. With that kind of seat to seat timing you should be looking for a lobe center of 112-114; 106 LC is appropriate for headers and open exhaust, but not a responsive street engine.
Duke
Duke
Drifting
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,620
Likes: 7
From: Orlando Florida
Re: cam selection: hydraulic vs. solid (clutchdust)
Do you use your C3 for a daily driver? If so run the wimpy hydraulic cam. Otherwise, run the solid and enjoy the added power. As far as the adjustments. It takes about 30-45 min. with a remote starter switch. It has become a normal service for me and its not as bad as people say. Besides once you understand how valve lash effects performance, well lets just say your able to do some good weather tuning....
