should you buy a custom designed cam?

[grumpyvette]

theres such a large sellection of standard cam designs available if you look thru several dozen manufacturers catalogs that theres little to be gained other than bragging material by sellecting a custom grind cam. Ive been that route several times and while it may be "COOL" it won,t be likely to boost your power significantly over the results youll get from a similar off the shelf design thats available from at least one manufacturer,keep in mind MOST manufacturers keep aN EXTENSIVE LOBE library and can match the lift.durration and LSA you want on a standard core easily,and most manufacturers have HUNDREDS of non-listed cam designs available simply because they don,t have space to list the less popular sellections

 

CRANE 386-258-6174

 

CROWER 619-661-6477

 

ISKY 323.770.0930

 

ENGLE (310) 450-0806

 

ERSON 775.882.1622

 

DOUG HERBERT 1-800-444-7373

 

MELLING 517.787.8172

 

Schneider Cams 619) 297-0227

 

LUNATI 1-888-2012066

 

Cam Techniques

http://www.camtechniques.com/

 

CamCraft Cams

http://www.camcraftcams.com/

 

Comp Cams

http://www.compcams.com/

 

Crane Cams

http://www.cranecams.com/

 

Crower

http://www.crower.com/

 

Daytona Cams

http://www.camshafts.com/

 

Delta Cams

http://www.deltacam.com/

 

Chet Herbert

http://www.chetherbert.com/

 

Howard's Racing Components

http://www.howardscams.com/

 

Iskenderian Racing Cams

http://www.iskycams.com/

 

Lazer Cams

http://www.lazercams.com/

 

Lunati

http://www.lunaticams.com/

 

McGurk Engineering

http://www.waynemfgco.com/

 

Melling Automotive Products

http://www.melling.com/

 

Reed Racing Cams

http://www.reedcams.com/

 

Schneider Racing Cams

http://www.schneidercams.com/

 

Shadbolt Cams Limited

http://www.shadboltcams.com/

 

Clay Smith Cams

http://www.claysmithcams.com/

 

UltraDyne

http://www.ultradyne.com/

 

 

 

trust me! (this is only a small part of the available sellection)one of these manufacturers have something almost exactly matching your needs

[jakeshoe]

A "custom" cam usually consists of a regular shelf stock lobe configuration but with a different LSA or a split pattern that isn't available stock.

 

It's not that anybody is designing a specific lobe for you, just using what's already there.

 

I almost always select a "custom" grind based on the engine and intended usage. The cost is usually minimally more (if any) than a shelf grind. Often there are other reasons to use a custom grind, as in the case of the austempered iron CAST cams used by Comp and others now for a street roller. My advice is to NOT use this type of core. Call and order the grind you want on a billet core, and if used on the street get it with a cast dist gear pressed on the back so you can run a conventional distributor gear.

 

I personally use http://www.deltacam.com for most of my stuff. They can grind on a new or used core about any profile you need. Many of their lobe masters are Comp Cams masters, so you can get a "Comp" cam with better quality control for cheaper.

[Michael]

One specific instance that might call for a custom cam (or a semi-custom cam, as Jakeshoe points out), is when you want to run a mechanical roller, but happen to be interested in a low-rpm application, for which all of the cams in the catalog are too big.

[331CI 280z]

This is Lunati's cam recommendation for me. Solid Roller

 

P/n 51099 - grind number rrn-ur55-ur29 108

 

dur251-261 @.050

 

.669- .669 lift with 1.6 rr

 

lobe sep 108

 

rpm 3500-7800

[John Scott]

I've used the custom grind a few times, but for applications where only a few were available. Case in point, late 80s before the 4.3 became popular, there were no options, CC was the only company with blanks, not regrinds, willing to custom grind for my NA motor, 108 lsa, and then later for a supercharged application, 114 lsa. Now with a gaZillion profiles availible, one is bound to be a good match. Its still a good idea to call with your engine and vehicle specs to get a good match, but typically get a slightly different recommendation day to day.

[jakeshoe]

Just a bit of information...

 

There is nothing wrong with a properly done regrind..

 

A reground core can save you money and in some cases is as good as or better than a new core.

 

A reground core, especially for about any American V8 is not going to be "welded up" it will be from a good used core that lasted many thousands of miles.

That tells you it is properly hardened...

 

On a motor with an adjustable valvetrain, I will select a regrind for most flat tappet builds for that reason.

 

If you need a small base circle cam for a stroker motor, guess what, you may as well get a regrind, because the smaller base circle is oftentimes the same blank as a stock size base circle but ground down further.

 

I've ran literally hundreds of regrinds in my own and customers motors and never had any issue.

How many can say they have had a flattened lobe on a new cam...?

[331CI 280z]

My local machine shop, Eastwood Auto Machine has had a few bad cams from Comp lately. They were all flat tappet, and they sent the cams to Comp for analysis and were awaiting the results the last I spoke with them. They thought that Comp may have changed the material formulation in their flat tappets.

[jakeshoe]

Another tibit of information,

Comp does NOT make cam cores.

 

There are 3 major cam core companies that everyone buys cores from.

 

Cam cores are hardened before grinding by the core manufacturer in most cases (as far as I know except for the OEM rollers made from 8620 material IIRC).

 

Some of the problems in the last few years have been core related, some have been quality control related, some have been lifter related, and some I believe to be cam companies getting a little too aggressive with their flat tappet profiles.