Which cam to use?

[WhiteKnight]

i have recently been thinking about putting a cam in my truck. im inpressed with the hamilton big stick. i was just curious if anybody else is runing this cam and what they think of it. or if anybody has any input on another good cam that performs good.

 

[explosives87]

cams are a can of worns. you can get people that swear by F1, maxspool, and hamilton. I was planning on running a F1 till a hamilton came on to the market. one of the reason that I going to run a F1 was that hamilton was not around then, and F1 had a new cast cam not a regrind. just my .02 about cams. I know that this doesnt help but it is all up to you about what to get.

 

[LAmiller]

Ok, not metioning the Brand, but a popular brand cam was installed and all clearances checked. The findings showed that the clearance between the exhaust valve (while open) and piston was 15 thousands clearance, Thats like two hairs. The company was contacted and the response was that they know and they have never had a problem.

I personally would not want my clearances that close. I chose a Helix 2, because it is proven, reliable and the price was right. If you can make 1000+HP on fuel with a H2 (Tim Barber's CR) I'm not gonna take a chance on a tight clearanced cam for a few pony's.

Just my $.02

Lavon

 

[K.Frog]

I prefer Diesel Pro's. I have used another brand before and it worked great. Then I bought a Fletcher cam and will neverf look back, absolutely love it, faster spool, lower EGT's, and picked up over 100 HP on #2. Thats just my conclusion through personal experience.

-R. Evans

 

[Hamilton Cams]

A lot of negative information is going round and round. When talking about piston to valve clearances, there are many variables to factor in. First, what was the valve face to cylinder head face depth? Had the head in question ever been decked. Had the block ever been decked was the cam a custom cam that had different centerlines ? What was the piston protrusion height? If I had a helix 2 cam used on an engine with a decked head and or block, there is a good chance that there would be piston to valve interference. To make it simple, knowing the piston to valve clearance is only one very small piece of the puzzle.
When looking at what cam to do, look at real world gains in tests. Saying that someone has made x amount of horsepower using brand x cam is not really quantifying how much of the power is gained by using the cam unless there are before and after numbers using a stock cam and then the brand in question.

k-frog- custom grinds are much different than drop-ins. I'm sure the cam you
are running now has much more agressive lift than the drop in Industrial sold you. I am glad you are having such good luck with the diesel-pro custom you have now.


Zach

 

[BgBlDodge]

Been running a hamilton cam for a few months now and I love this dang thing. Spools up nicely, runs smooth, it's the best thing I've ever done to my truck since the tranny.

 

[WhiteKnight]

Thanks for the help guys. i think im going to go with a hamilton

 

[LAmiller]

If I had a helix 2 cam used on an engine with a decked head and or block, there is a good chance that there would be piston to valve interference. To make it simple, knowing the piston to valve clearance is only one very small piece of the puzzle.
Zach

On the helix there is 75 thousands valve to piston clearance (new head never been decked, block also)

On a high boost, high rpm engine build 100 thousands clearance would be ideal.

I never said it was your cam in context, but I did say that whoever manufactured it did give the ok to run it at 15 thousands clearance. If I was the diesel shop doing the install, I would have a "not responsible for damage" waiver signed.

 

[mech2161]

I just installed a MaxSpool custom grind. Primary duty will be a puller. It will not be out till the end of July or first of August. I degreed the cam during install and it every aspect checked out as stated.