Need help with cam selection...

[Shifty]

I'm in the process of rebuilding my 86 T motor... It's a street car that gets alot of hard street miles on it and a decent amount of track duty... I'm building a stock stroke, 30 over, 109 block... I'm putting a girdle on it, all new bearings, and a new cam once I decide on one... The heads and intake are ported, it has a 2004R with a 3200 Vigilante converter, a TE45A, 3.5" downpipe, and 3" single exhaust... I don't really want to do a roller at the moment, I'm trying my best to keep cost down, and I don't want to cheap out on anything that will hurt me in the long run and I know the rollers aren't too much of a gain... The car ran a 10.80@124 last time out, but I blew a headgasket, fixed it, and spun a bearing on the first outing...lol... That sucked... I plan on putting in one order for everything I need in the next week(MasterCard loves me), but I need to decide on a cam... What do you suggest??? Good or bad... Thanks, Gavin

[Shifty]

Also, can I use the billet caps with the girdle??? I'd like to over build and have peace of mind...

[waGoN]

Go roller. Yeah, I know you said you wanted to save money, but with all this talk of removing zinc from motor oils causing cam wipeage, and the Buick's already long history of wiping more cams than other types of motors, you are better off spending the extra money now. If you wipe a cam, then you are probably going to be going through the motor doing bearings again. That doesn't save any money. Not to mention, a roller setup isn't that much more money anyways, and it does make a difference performance wise. It will help it rev and spool.
For the best info, I would call Jack and talk one on one about what you want to get out of it. He will probably suggest a roller, but it is your money. IF you don't go roller, make sure you put in the additives to add the zinc back into the oil.
Just my opinion. Oh, and I have had a number of cams wipe. Different brands of cam, different 109 blocks, and different people breaking them in. Rollers for me all the way. I have lost a couple of turbos, and motors, that I think was directly connected to cam failure.

[waGoN]

Yes, I believe that you can go caps and girdle. But if you want to overbuid, then I would seriously think about the roller cam. Nag Nag Nag.

[JCotton1]

Brian just said it all.. I couldn't have said it any better. To be honest with you, I would skip the girdle and put the money in the roller cam. The girdle would not have save your bearings.... I would suggest our 206 or 212 roller kit.

[waGoN]

Originally Posted by JCotton1

Brian just said it all.. I couldn't have said it any better.

I learned from you. You see, I do listen. It just takes a long time for me to do what you suggest. Then I spend the next month or two kicking myself for not doing it sooner.

[Shifty]

Ok, that sounds like good advice... I'll do a roller... I don't like working on the car, just driving it and racing...Hahahahaha... I'd still like to do billet caps and a girdle if you recommend them, I know that wouldn't of saved my bearings, but I want it to be as strong as possible so it will last, is that a good or bad idea??? I'm hard on the car when I drive it, and I'd rather spend the money once and be done with it... I plan on running consistent 11.50's on pump with out any problems and somewhere in the 10's on race gas or with a meth kit... Thanks again for the advice...

[BrianHynes]

Originally Posted by Shifty

I know the rollers aren't too much of a gain...

This couldn't be further from the truth. #1 -- you gain longevity, and dependability. #2 -- there is most deffinitely a gain in performance. If you picture a flat tappet lobe, it is shaped like an egg. This makes it's max lift/duration very brief, and it is a difficult curve for a flat tappet lifter to follow (valve float). A roller on the other hand has more of a square profile. this accelerates ramp speed, and get's the valve open much faster. Once at max lift, the lifter remains there for a longer duration. This amounts to a wider fuel/air window a more torque. A roller will bring on the torque sooner, and longer than the same lift/duration flat tappet. A roller is quite a bit more costly than a flat tappet, but requires no brake in period, is dependable, and deliver much better performance.