As most of you know my stall converter is going out .I am shopping around for a higher stall .But before I put one in . I wanna make the engine stronger .Karl was talking to me about doing headwork and changing the cam .I dont wanna spend alot of money at the same time .Im ganna try to do everything myself except installing the converter .This is what I was thinking of doing for the best price ....Im hoping I can find a used 3.4 cam in the junkyard .I don't need the best so Im just going to go with a 3.4 cam instead of a crower .How much should I expect to pay for a used 3.4 cam with low miles on it and in very good condition ? How hard is it to put in a cam ? Do you think it would be cheaper to buy some good used 3.4 heads and just put those on there , or re-work the ones I have now ? Will I need roller rockers ? Thanx guys !

 

I wouldn't go with a used cam; you don't know what the lobes have been thru! Also, you're supposed to install cams and lifters as a "set", since each lifter takes a set to each cam lobe- and vise versa. You'd have to pull out all the 3.4 lifters, bag 'em and tag 'em as to which port they were for (1Exhaust, 1Intake, 3Exhaust, 3Intake, etc), and put them back into the same spots in your 2.8.

Otherwise, you might be spewing metal thru your engine as the 3.4 cam adjusts to the 2.8 lifters.

That's assuming the 3.4 lifter bores are the same diameter as the 2.8 lifter bores. That's also assuming the 3.4 lifters come out of their bores, and their ends aren't mushroomed.

You could "check" a junkyard cam to make sure it's still within spec by using a dial gauge to make sure the cam lobes are still lifting to as high as they should. On a high mileage motor like mine, I'd probably feel a performance boost just by installing a stock camshaft! My lobes are probably worn down to nothing by now! (sigh)

Speaking of which, I'm going for inspection monday morning... wish me luck!!

 

I agree with TomP.
Get a new cam and lifters .
If not you may be spending alot more money later.
Also go ahead and replace the timing chain and gears.

If you have never done one before , get an experienced mechanic to give you a hand.

 

Yeah , I was thinking a few min ago , I wonder how I tell if the lobes are worn , or how do I know this cam Im getting is not damaged and I dont know it .Thanx guys !

 

From the one with the suggestion.
Don't try to cheat on a cam in your engine.
WHY?
You have had a good chunk of change slipped under the hood (new rebuild).
AND
The chances of finding a used 3.4 cam are "slim" to "none".
Who would pull such a cam, on an engine of that size?
What next to suggest.
I know ya want some more power & braggin rights, BUT, when ya get the tranny back in spec, you'll be very pleased.
WHAT I DO SUGGEST is phoning around for a set of rebuilt 3.4 heads. (How do ya know 3.4, 2.8, 3.1 heads? 3.4 heads will have the largest springs!)
OR find a wrecked car to strip this stuff from.
YET ya find the heads on a wrecked car, you will end up buying the 3.4 motor.
Spend you hard effort on the tranny, secure it. You are looking at about $400-$700.
Your engine is still solid, right? In that sense, you are way ahead.

 

I think what Im going to do , is buy parts slowly for it . Ya know right now , I can take the car mon and get the tranny re-built in it and a shiftkit in it . I just dont wanna spend that much money right now , I wanna get some more money in my account .What Im thinking about doing is , buying me a shiftkit or b&m rebuild package .In case I happen to drop this tranny before I want to lol
Then this summer when I work I will get a re-build . I think I can keep my converter on for a little longer .I checked my tranny fluid yesterday b/c on the way back from school it was shaking BAD .Well I added a bottle of fluid and drove it today , it only shook once ! So hopefully what I can do is , get a tranny rebuild with shiftkit this summer( or sooner) . Order my cam and eventually high stall .Its just been my dream for the longest to make this V6 car run almost like an 8 on the track .I dont wanna non-stop race it , but I would just like to make a few passes with a nice E.T. Just order the parts and do it gradually .I can really do it all at once sooner , I just dont wanna blow so much money at once ! I like having a nice hunk of cheese in the bank !