I dont know if this should be posted here or Power Adder, but it seems power adder is mostly NOS,Superchargers and stuff.I have a 1990 5.7 TPI,700 R-4 auto.I am about to install the longtube Hedman headers,Holley AFPR and probably the Mufflex 4inch exhaust(no cat)or at least the 3 inch American Thunder.Also I am going to port the plenum,I cant afford a new intake at this time with all of this other stuff but I would like to change the cam.I need to know wich cam would be the best to get without it affecting the stock computer(Hypertech chip, big deal ) I was looking at the Saturday Night Special Cams & kits in the Jegs catalog.But I dont know crap about cams!I am pretty mechanically inclined so I believe that I can install it with a little "tech support" here on the boards.Any suggestions on what I should get would be greatly appreciated,including part #'s,duration and lift and anything else I need to know.Including some installation tips,like I said,I dont know crap about cams,but have done all of the maintenance on my car.I drive it to work and back but that is about it except for drag racing at the track because I have a daily driver for family use.I am looking to spend about $250.THANX in advance for any help!

 

Forgot to add,also have 3.23 gears with posi,dont know if this even matters but that wont change anytime soon.

 

Try the Comp Cams XE 262 roller or the Crane PowerMax 272 roller cam. They ought to add a good 40 hp, easy, and still let you drive it to work.

 

Do most cams come with new lifters if they are needed?What about springs? I see that a lot of the cams advertised in the Jegs catalog show lifters with the cams.For my engine what do I need?,a hydraulic roller cam,and can I use my stock rockers? Like I said I dont know crap about cams,except that I want to put one in while I am doing this other stuff to my engine.Please help.THANX

 

OK, no problems. If your engine is a 1990 model it uses a roller cam and roller lifters. With roller lifters they can simply be reused with the new cam

The beauty of these two grinds that I mentioned is that you ought to be able to get away with your stock springs, so all you need is the cam.

But just to be safe, if you are worried, go for the Comp XE 256 roller or the Crane PowerMax 266 roller. They have just a little less lift and ought to work well, giving you almost a stock type of idle, while adding almost 40 hp.

Your current stock rockers are fine.

 

I would replace the valve springs; the stock ones are weak when new. So you would be better off getting the springs that the cam manufacture recommends for the cam you pick.

 

Thanks for the replies guys!Now how about some install tips,I have heard it is fairly easy.I will probably try to find a book on cam installs.BTW I want to put as much cam in there as I can,even if I have to change the springs.My intake manifold gasket is leaking,so this will also be done at the same time.Should I put the cam in while the intake is off or will it even matter?Also,will I have to advance the timing any?Sitting Bull,even though I dont know crap about cams,I do prefer the Crane.Does the first Crane you suggested(272)have a better power increase than the 266,I do want it streetable but I am not concerned with fuel economy or efficiency as long as it is computer freiendly.

 

Anytime you do a big engine mods like a cam change, it will definately affect your computer. You have an MAP system which is particularly sensitive to said mods because it works off volumetric effeciency tables. To fully take advantage of cam and exhaust upgrades you will need to have a new chip burned. I'd look into DIY prom burning....

 

Yes, do the intake manifold and cam at the same time, because you have to remove the intake to do the cam.

The Crane 272 has slightly more lift and duration than the 266. But the 266 will let you use your stock springs, if they are still in good shape. There is only about a 5 or 10 hp difference between the two. Not enough to worry about, IMHO, but driveability and cost is a major concern, IMHO. Thus I would go for the PowerMax 266.

 

I will probably change the springs anyway since they have about 100,000 miles on them.They are not that expensive and the top of the engine will all be open with the valve covers off and such.I only want to do this once and want as much of a power increase as I can get . Do you think I should go with the 272 under these circumstances?I dont want something that is going to be to mild.

 

Sure, go for the 272 if you are going to do the springs. You must pay attention to what Crane recommends in this situation because the lift is higher than "stock" springs can tolerate.

 

I have a "?", where are you getting these part numbers? They are nothing like the numbers in the JEGS or Summit catalogs, which I figured they wouldn't be. But I went to the Crane Cams site and couldn't find those numbers either. I did find a Power Max Cam for my application, but from what I could tell there was one choice. I am not trying to be annoying, I just want to know what to order when I order it because I have heard that some of these guys on the other end of the phone don't know alot and if you don't know exactly what you want, they don't either.
Thanks again

 

go with the gm hot cam, 218/228 duration .525 lift acrossed the board with a 112 separtion....will give you a nice strong idle,and from everything ive read this cam pulls from 1500-6500

 

I'm working from the Crane Cams website where they list the specs. It starts here: http://www.cranecams.com/master/pmapps.htm

The 272 hydraulic cam actually doesn't translate straight across to their roller cams, like Comp Cams' do, so go to this page: http://www.cranecams.com/master/apps/chevy37.htm

Here you will find the roller grinds that are applicable for you. This is the grind that looks right.

6. PowerMax Hydraulic Roller Camshafts for Computer Controlled Vehicles


Application Series & Grind Number
For 87-89 Corvettes, Camaros and Firebirds factory equipped w/350 TPI engines. Adj. Fuel Pressure Regulator (99470-1) is recommended for maximum performance. (50 state legal for listed applications, C.A.R.B. E.O. D-225-22). Basic RPM 2000-5500

PowerMax 2032

Cam Specifications


Degrees Duration @ .050 Int./Exh. Degrees Advertised Duration Int./Exh. Degree Lobe Separation Open/Close @.050" Cam Lift Int./Exh. Lash Hot Int./Exh. Gross Lift Int./Exh.
214
220 270
276 112 0 34
47 (7) .000
.000 .452 intake .465 exhaust

Valve Train Components

Camshaft 104224
*
Lifters 10530-16 For use with standard GM alignment bars.
Valve Spring & Retainer Kits 11308-1 b
11309-1 c,d b Contains standard diameter valve springs, no machining required.
c Contains standard diameter H-11 tool steel valve springs (99846-16), and machined steel valve stem locks (99095-1), no machining required.
d Valve guide machining may be required to insure sufficient valve guide-to-retainer clearance at full valve lift due to limited travel with stock components. Valve guide machining can be performed with 99402-1 machining tool and 99027-1 arbor.
Valve Springs 99848-16 b
99846-16 e b Contains standard diameter valve springs, no machining required.
e Standard diameter H-11 tool steel valve springs (99846-16), and machined steel valve stem locks (99095-1), no machining required.
Retainers 99915-16 *
Valve Stem Locks 99097-1 g
99095-1 h g Machined steel, heat treated.
h Machined steel, heat treated, .050" additional assembly height for 99846-16 valve springs. May interfere with self-aligning rocker arms.
Pushrods 10621-16 For use with either pushrod guideplate or non-guideplate cylinder heads.
Timing Chain & Gear Assembly 10975-1*j
10993-1*k j Performance steel billet gears and roller chain and set.
k Roller-type timing chain and gears.
Steel Rocker Arms 11801-16 l,t
11806-16 m,t
11800C-16 n l 1.5 ratio, extra long slot (not self-aligning).
m 1.5 ratio, roller tip, extra long slot (not self-aligning).
n 1.5 ratio, self-aligning, Nitro Carb.
t In order to use these rocker arms on engines originally equipped with self-aligning rockers, hardened pushrod guideplates must be installed, and valve cover clearance checked.
Energizer Street/Strip Rockers 11744-16 o,t o 1.5 ratio (not self-aligning). Will not have sufficient clearance in factory cast valve covers.
t In order to use these rocker arms on engines originally equipped with self-aligning rockers, hardened pushrod guideplates must be installed, and valve cover clearance checked.
Gold Race Rockers 11750-16 p,t
10750-16 q,t
10751-16 r
10758-16 s p 1.5 ratio (not self-aligning). Factory cast valve covers may require internal clearancing.
q 1.5 ratio (not self-aligning), narrow body for center bolt valve covers.
r 1.5 ratio, self-aligning narrow body for center bolt valve covers.
s 1.6 ratio, self-aligning narrow body for center bolt valve covers.
t In order to use these rocker arms on engines originally equipped with self-aligning rockers, hardened pushrod guideplates must be installed, and valve cover clearance checked.


The lift on this cam isn't as great as on the GM Hot cam, which the previous poster mentioned. That would be a good cam too, except it is definitely going to have a lope to its idle and you might not appreciate it.

I would not rule out the Comp Cams XR roller series, even if you love Crane for some reason. Comp actually has a more extensive selection of grinds within the parameters of the engine you have, and the performance you want. Go here and look at the XR 252HR through XR270HR cams: http://www.compcams.com/catalog/058_059.html

 

Thanks for the help.I did find that also,but what threw me was where it says applications"87-89 Corvettes,Camaros and Firebirds with 350 TPI"and mine is a 90.But after looking at it again I guess they mean any Camaro or Firebird with a 350 TPI and just 87-89 Vettes.

 

Crane or Comp is not real important to me,since I have no experience with either.Truthfully I have know idea why I made that statemant about preferring Crane. I also dont mind the lope at idle but woudnt I have to make some valve mods or something with that big of a lift? Also I have been and still am spending quite a few bucks at this point with complete exhaust from headers back,AFPR etc.,etc. So I am going to have stay within the computers ability to run without a custom chip(prom?).

 

I got these replies off the TPI board-

If you don't plan on any other mods (heads, induction, etc), go with something like comp cams 08-501-8 xr264hr 264 269 advertised duration, 212 218 @ .50 duration, .488 .495 lift, and a 112 lobe separation angle, advance the cam 4 degrees for a little more hp.

Just remember that you are going to have to have the valve guides cut down for anything over around .470 lift. The machine shop I took my heads too, said the seals would start to get hit at this number. I am sure some people have run more, this just what I have seen personally. You will also have coil bind problems around that same number.

 

Yes, it is a goofy way for Crane to comfort those seeking reassurance in choosing their cams. I think you are right, it will work with a 90 model just fine.

 

Yes, it seems to me that if you don't want to do machine work on your heads in order to run these higher lift cams, you are then compelled to use a lower lift model. (That is why I recommended the XE256 style of cam, it has less than .460 lift. Too bad it is hydraulic and not roller.)

It just gets messy when you start getting beyond the specs that your factory heads can cope with.

Still, that Crane 2032 ought to be just right for what you want to do, without getting into machine work. The nice thing about roller cams like that is that they open the valves sooner and hold them open longer than a hydraulic cam of the same specs. Thus it will give you a fair amount more hp and torque than the flat tappet design.

 

Here is a DD2000 workup of your engine.

I used the Comp XR252 cam file but plugged in the Crane 2032 specs. They are very similar and ought to give you some idea of where you will end up. It looks like a very strong combo

Keep in mind that DD2000 assumes no polution gear, so you would probably be somewhat less in hp by maybe 5 to 10%.

 

Here are your hp and torque tables.

 

SittingBull,
Thanks for the DD2000 workup. Since you have become the DD2000 man, I was wondering if you could do a workup with the stock cam specs, here they are:

Duration-Intake 202
Exhaust 207
Gross lift .413/.428
Lobe Sep 114.5

I just wanted to see the difference between the stock cam and the Crane. I noticed for compression you had 9.00, the actual compression is 9.3:1. I dont know if that will make a difference, but I just happened to notice that.

 

I just plugged in the lift to the Peanut cam file I have. It's the best I can do because I don't have an L98 cam file. Still, this will be fairly close.

 

Thanks again,from what I see that cam will make a helluva difference !