Camshaft

[theonly'09]

does any one know if the cam from a 2.3L will fit on a 2.5L and does the cam need to be a Hydraulic flat tappet, Hydraulic roller follower, Mechanical flat tappet

[BlueMan]

Yes, cams are the same, whether they are flat-tappet or roller depends on what years you're talking about though. If you mean your '99, yes it's roller from the factory.

[theonly'09]

wood i there be any other things that i need 2 get if i did do the cam swap and thnx 4 the help

[BlueMan]

Depends on what you are talking about - if I was going to swap in a roller cam with another roller cam, the followers are re-usable, but while it's apart, you may want to put in new hydraulic lifters to freshen it up a bit. You'll also usually need a valve cover gasket (provided your cover uses one), and a new oil seal. While it's apart, consider putting on a new timing belt as well.

What year 2.3l are you going to swap in there? If it's just another stock cam, you may be wasting your time - consider a good performance roller instead.

If you want to wake up the engine further, pull the head, have it hot-tanked, and surfaced. Then get a fresh valve job done and some porting on the head - if you do this, you'll also need cam bearings installed, valve stem seals, intake, exhaust, and a head gasket as well.

[theonly'09]

i am geting a 2.3L cam from summit racing and put it on my 2.5L not sure which cam yet i think its goin to be a big cam

[BlueMan]

Just make sure you don't go too big for the rest of your mods or overpower your valve springs. Making good power is about matching components with the intended application.

I'd suggest following the lead of 01rangersc towards the bottom of THIS page, and ask him for any advice if you're not sure since he's been there & done that already.

[theonly'09]

how big would to big be for the stock Valvetrain cause the cam im looken at is at the address http://store.summitracing.com/partde...1&autoview=sku
if any one knows of a biger cam that the stock Valvetrain can handle can u let me know the were to buy it at thanks

[BlueMan]

That's a lot more cam than you're gonna want for a street truck, as the operating range is 3500-7000 RPM. I wouldn't use that one with stock valve springs, let alone something even bigger. With that much lift and duration, you'll have almost no usable low RPM power.

You may want to consider something more mild like this:

http://racerwalsh.zoovy.com/product/RWA1406

or this:

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...1&autoview=sku

Bigger is not always better when it comes to camshafts - match it to your intended usage and the rest of your mods and you'll be much happier as it'll actually perform up to it's potential, instead of making you mad you bought it.

[OutlawRanger]

What about the stage 1 from Racer Walsh, I was thinking about getting that one, it says in the catalog it has a smooth idle, and a low and midrange power boost.
Duration at 050 inch Lift: 226-234
Valve Lift: 0.420 in.
Lobe center: 105-115

[BlueMan]

that would be fine too, but I wouldn't go bigger than a stage 2.

[theonly'09]

wat cam would have a rougher idle the one from summit or the one froma racer walsh

[BlueMan]

More lift and duration means rougher idle, and less vacuum. The first one you mentioned from Summit would be worse. The two I posted would be about better, both about equal specs - maybe a little more lope than stock, but still streetable. They'd be more suited to a manual transmission than an automatic though. If you've got an automatic, and don't want to mess around putting a higher stall torque converter in, perhaps you should consider the stage-1 cam OutlawRanger suggested, or something with similar specs.

[theonly'09]

yeah i got a manual trans wat cam wood u recommend its street/strip truck and wat can i expect out of the cam

[BlueMan]

I think you already know my pick(s) - and I'd expect more power and torque out of it when you're done. How much? I have no idea.

[OutlawRanger]

Posted by BlueMan

Depends on what you are talking about - if I was going to swap in a roller cam with another roller cam, the followers are re-usable, but while it's apart, you may want to put in new hydraulic lifters to freshen it up a bit. You'll also usually need a valve cover gasket (provided your cover uses one), and a new oil seal. While it's apart, consider putting on a new timing belt as well...

So all you, BlueMan, would change are the lifters, oil seal, timing belt and the valve cover gasket, not the springs and retainers, and not the followers (would the surfaces properly mate together?)?
Also, you would choose the stage-2 or the comparable one from Summit (I think thats what you ment) even if the operating range is from 3500-6200 RPMs (which is about the rev limiter on Limas, isn't it) and not the stage-1 which operates lower in the RPM range?
Would stage-1 drop off quick after its in higher RPM?

wow, thats a lot of questions...

[BlueMan]

Like I said, it depends on what you are talking about, and what your real primary intended usage of the truck will be. If mileage is still real concern - stick with the lower lift/duration stage-1 cam. If you don't care as much and want as much power (but still be quite streetable), then consider the stage-2 type of cam.

New springs are never a bad idea, but with the stage-1 cam, stockers are fine provided they check out for height and still have sufficient spring pressure. If going stage-2, performance springs probably wouldn't be a bad idea, especially if you're planning on some higher-than-stock RPM runs. New locks & retainers aren't necessary, but won't hurt anything.

The stage-2 type of cam isn't 3500-7000 RPM range, that was the original Crane cam he was asking about which had even more lift & duration than the stage-2 offerings I suggested instead since I think it's supposed to be a street engine, which the 2,000-5,500 RPM range is much more appropriate.

The stage-1 is even more mild (while better than stock) with an operating range of 1,500-4,500 RPM. It doesn't mean it won't work above 4,500 RPM, but it'll probably start to fall off over that range.

[theonly'09]

how good would this cam do http://store.summitracing.com/partde...1&autoview=sku

[BlueMan]

Still might be a bit big - it will idle rough, and is better with higher-than-stock compression ratios. It's specs are between the ones I suggested and the one you originally asked about. RPM range is still a bit high (3,000-6,500) for the average street truck. Unless you're going to be porting the head & intake, larger injectors, MAF, TB, putting on a long-tube header, and raising your compression ratio with aftermarket pistons or milling the head you probably should be sticking with the smaller cams.

I'd suggest reading Crane's catalog for specifics on the different cams they offer, and match your cam with the intended application & components as they suggest for best performance and power.

http://www.cranecams.com/pdf/Page406-407.pdf

[OutlawRanger]

Posted by BlueMan

...The stage-2 type of cam isn't 3500-7000 RPM range, that was the original Crane cam he was asking about which had even more lift & duration than the stage-2 offerings I suggested instead since I think it's supposed to be a street engine, which the 2,000-5,500 RPM range is much more appropriate...

In Racer Walsh's catalog it says the Stage-2 cam's power range is from 3500 to 6200 RPM and I got the catalog this year so its up to date.
maybe we're looking at different cams?
part# 1403 (hydraulic)
1406 (hydraulic roller)
1432 (mechanical)

[BlueMan]

The two cams I was talking about in THIS post, are essentially the same lift & duration (.450" & 234 degrees), and Crane says it's a 2,000-5,500 RPM range - I have no idea what Racer Walsh claims. The Walsh Stage-2 (part 1406) has additional duration over the Crane on the exhaust side (242 degrees), but that's the main difference in the specs I can see. Since he was mostly looking at Summit and Crane, I was using their RPM numbers as a reference.

If I had to pick a more street friendly cam, I'd go with the Crane #199511 over the Walsh Stage-2 #1406.

[Smashed96gt]

Why not the FMS M6250-A237 cam? http://www.fordracingparts.com/parts...rtKeyField=865

It is 276 dollars versus 389 for the Crane cam. With the A237 being slightly smaller. .420 lift versus .450 lift and 274 intake duration and 282 exhaust duration versus 282 intake duration and 282 exhaust duration.

[BlueMan]

It's still a performance cam, just a little less performance potential than the higher lift & duration cams listed. That's not a bad thing, and would probably be a great street cam. The Ford cams are often a bargain, especially for the "older" engines since the lima is out of production.

If you look at the Crane Cams specs, it has the same numbers as their #199501 cam, which is essentially the same as the Walsh Stage 1 cam. The Ford cam may very well be made by Crane too, so if you can get it cheaper, go for it!

Check around online once you settle on a cam choice - here is the same Ford cam for $255.00

[OutlawRanger]

I'm eventually going to turbo my engine so would a turbo roller from Racer Walsh be okay in truck now?

HR276
Duration @ .050" 206
Lobe center 112
Valve lift .470"

RWA1401
200
?
.400"

If they won't work, then which cam would I be better off going with, the stage 1 or stage 2?

[BlueMan]

I don't see a turbo cam (or any) with .470 lift on the page - do you have a link? That may be a bit much for a regularly street driven truck.

What level of lift & duration you choose should be RPM matched with the intended application, and any other recommended parts so you've got a complete system that will work well together. Most turbo boosted applications don't benefit from a large lift & duration, since it's positive displacement.

[OutlawRanger]

The part number is above the ones I mentioned.
http://racerwalsh.zoovy.com/product/RWAHR276_12

[joebltzfk]

If you intend to turbo the engine, cam lobe separation becomes a factor. You don't want a wide separation. joe b

[BlueMan]

That's odd - they don't have that cam listed on their cam page. Hmmm...

[onebad7up]

How much better is the a-234 over the RR?

[BlueMan]

A-234? RR? Can you explain what you're asking better?

[onebad7up]

The Ford Motorsports A-234 cam (flat tappet) compared to the Ranger Roller cam.