I know this is going to seem like the proverbial "will a Stealth Ram help me" thread but it's not so much that. Here's the issue, I won a local 8.0 index race and got a 300 dollar gift certificate for a local speed shop. I can't really think of what my car needs because I already have a smallish Lingenfelter cam (Lingenfelter 74216 cam, 216/218, .493/.501 (1.6 rockers), 112 LSA) that I plan to install at the end of season, and a set of older 305 heads I'm going to work over if my stock TPI heads have any cracks from nitrous. So in the end I'm going to have small heads, a small cam, and was planning on keeping a stock intake. Now that i have this cash I was really considering doing a Stealth Ram swap considering I can get it for cost of shipping, and can probably complete the rest of the swap for under 200 bucks (hose and fitting supply store is next door to the speed shop and I have the misc stuff like a filler neck). I'm wanting to do something that will make me faster this season and not require getting into the motor. I'm already running 13.5's off spray at 97mph, and 12.2's on spray at 116. I'm running a 9.5in 3000rpm stall in a Th350 with 3.27 gears. Will the Stealth Ram net me a noticeable gain or will I just end up slowing down my 8th mile times? I have the stall that will let me kill a little low end power but the gear set's a bit weak (I like it that way for driving to and from the track). Also I run anywhere from 125 to 200hp worth of nitrous, will the Stealth ram improve or hinder this because of the different port layout? Really I'm just wondering if I should spend the money on this now, or do something else until next season and consider it then. This gift card's starting to burn in my pocket and I really want to make a logical buy this season so I can step up to a higher index bracket racing. Thanks in advance for the help guys.

 

Here's a better way to phrase this, with stock parts (ported lower and siamesed plenum, stock runners and no siamesing to the base) I can pull consistant 13.5's off spray and 12.2's on spray. My 8th mile times are 8.5 and 7.7. I'm basically asking for a sum of information, will a stealth ram speed up an already dialed in LTR setup? I search for this all the time and it's such a mixed response I don't know what to think. Is it more likely that I'll gain speed from this, lose speed, or it'll all come out in the wash and I won't gain anything?

 

MY best guess (since I haven't gotten my own HSR installed yet) is that your 1/8th-mile times might go up slightly, but they'll be MORE than offset by the additional pull you'd get on the top end. I've heard more than a couple people say that they didn't even notice any loss of low-end, so that might not even apply.

I'd think that you'd probably gain at least .2, given the fact that you're able to move quite a bit more air - especially with the new cam & the worked-over heads...

EDIT: Here's the magazine article that I was thinking about when writing the above...

 

I really appreciate the response. That article is misleading to me since at that point the TPI is DEFINETLY the limiting factor on that engine (I've read it before but do appreciate the link). The heads and cam aren't going in until this winter right now I'm running the bone stock 1987 roller cam and heads with 1.6 roller rockers. My combo is dialed in awesome right now I just don't want to upset the balance with the Stealth Ram. The more searching I do the more conflict I encounter, one person will gain, one person will lose. I think it's going to be a gamle but I'm definetly taking it and I'll keep everyone posted on how it turns out.

 

I don't think the HSR will do a thing.

Perhaps higher compression, a bigger cam, and real heads the HSR might show a 'night and day difference'.

I saw a 10mph gain when I switched from a HEAVILY modified TPI setup (edelbrock base ported, ported slp runners, ported plenum) to a single plane manifold, but it was just uncorking an already very fast combination.

-- Joe

 

Just an update I did go with the Stealth Ram, I was shot a good price on it and it should be here this weekend. Now I have to purchase fuel rails and I'm considering selling my LPE 211 camshaft and going with something bigger, CC305 perhaps. I also have a line on a set of World Product 64cc Sportsman 2 heads I can pick up for 400 assembled. I'll see how it goes, if I don't get the heads I'm going to stick with the ported 305's and the smallish cam, if I do get them then all bets are off.

 

I'm thinking that you're really going to like it - I finally got mine installed, & man, the car is a LOT more fun to drive now!

Of course, then "Murphy" had to raise his ugly head, & the radiator blew...

 

My Stealth Ram was on back order until August 18th that sucked but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because I called back in and had them swap it for the Vortech style stealth Ram that's going on top of the Vortec 350 I bought today for 275 bucks Now I have to decide what to do with the cam, I'm considering sticking with the LPE 211.

 

Vortec HSR, and Vortec heads.....Look at at the new Thumpr cams from Comp and Spray It! Vortecs like more exhaust duration, and so does spray. Check the ***** Thumpr Sound Clip:http://www.compcams.com/thumpr/

Warning: Explicit sound not suitable for for Hybrid Vehicle owners (Comp Warning)

 

have you browsed the boards for my threads on my HSR experience?

to sum it up, i went from a stock L98 that just had headers/catback/gutted air intake for mods to a HSR on the stock L98 with same exhaust stuff. Just a stock TPI swap out to a HSR.

I'm running 3.42 gears and 2800 stall 9.5 inch converter.

My best TPI time was 13.63 at 97mph on a 1.75 60 foot. 1/8 mile i do believe was 8.59 at 77.7mph. this was in about 55-60 degree november air! abit unseasonably warm for the month but still better air than summer

so far, with the HSR on same suspension settings, same tires, same gears, etc in July heat of about mid lower 70's with abit of humidity, i went 13.49 at 99.12 on a 1.77 60 foot. 1/8 mile was 8.54 at 75.5mph.

I feel there is more left in it.

so basically the HSR made me faster everywhere. my motor loved it and it was a VERY worthwhile investment.

i might have lost a little torque as you can see by the lower 1/8 mile mph and weaker 60 foot but that isnt much difference in 60 foots. Just wait till the weather drops!

 

And that's on the stock L98,,,,,,,,,,,step up to the E-Tec 200, amd Thump it. Then there is serious portiing in your future,

 

The thumpr cams suck, they have more intake duration than exhaust so they'll sound meaner than they really are. The LPE211 is no pushover cam; alot of the guys on the boards here talk smack about it because it's an older Lingenfelter grind but I don't see it being a bad mix with the Vortec headed 350 and the Stealth ram. All of the Stealth Rams are on back order until the middle of August apparently Holley is retooling the dies or something but like I said I have no problem with that because it allowed me to swap my stealth ram over for a Vortec style. I can't imagine the difference I'm going to see when I do this swap, the stock cam I'm running now has grooves cut in a few lobes from broken valve springs last summer and the L98 heads are the stock 87 style castings they look like CRAP inside (I have pics posted of them on my intake porting thread). This motor is going to be a great replacement for the old junkyard dog, here come junkyard dog 2! The only concern I have is tuning, I'm going to stick with the ARAP bin and if it doesn't run right I'm going to fiddle with the injector constant unti it's driveable.

P.S. I've been spraying my engine since the day I got it installed (literally the first runs I put on it were with a 70 shot, the gauges weren't even hooked up; I beat a friends 88 bolt on Mustang). My latest adventure involved a .073 jet and on a low bottle resulted in a pair of 12.2's. This is the same day my car ran 13.5's on motor.

 

Specs on the Thumprs show 14* more EXHAUST duration over intake. Not marketed as a nitrous cam, but is what it is. Also complements the exhaust deficient Vortec heads. Not knocling your LPE cam at all, the've been proven and respected a longtime.

 

it might make for a good nitrous cam and make some good power with that big duration and ok lift numbers, but it be almost impossible to tune on that 107 LSA. there is sooo much overlap, the 02 sensor would go nuts and never get a read out, so tuning in open loop would be the only way out. even then it would be a very length PITA process to get it to run good.

there are far better cams out there for the price for EFI power and still will lope at idle

 

Good point on the tuning issue. I was trying to point out the benefits of longer duration for both Vortec and the N2O. A better cam described here with 113* LSA, and extended duration for the tuners: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/powe...questions.html