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Thread: Steps to take before an aftermarket camshaft can go in

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    nevr2fast01's Avatar
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    Default Steps to take before an aftermarket camshaft can go in

    Ok so you got a v8 and you want that lumpy lopey sound or your looking for more pah, well here's a list of things that are required to get the most out of your new camshaft or to even be able to properly run it, so let the spending begin!

    1st- your 5.9L or 5.2L from the factory has very poor valve springs I'm talking they sometimes can cause valve float on a stock camshaft and should be replaced after 80K, to run a bigger camshaft some run .550 lift springs or .600, the big boys can run upper .650's, this is vital to have the right spring pressure on the valve seats and valve height to not cause valve float or even worse coil bind, which could cause the spring to break and send a valve right into your piston, moral of the story is choose the proper springs for your cam ex. if your running a .544 lift cam you should have .600 lift springs installed in your heads, you can run .550's but it could be on borrowed time.

    2nd- =stock magnum heads have weak 2 piece valves, they tend to break when stiffer springs are installed, if you replace them with 1 piece stainless valves you will need to install bronze guides into the exhaust valves or they will heat up from the exhaust gases and stick in the cast guide of the iron head causing the valve to be either open (hitting piston) or closed (bending pushrod, breaking rocker, and or lifter)

    3rd-stock magnum heads aren't worth the time or the money to try to get them where a decent set of EQ's Mopar R/T's or Edelbrock heads are out of the box, please do not waste your time on cutting the seats for bigger valve springs,porting and blending, or bronze guides with 1 piece stainless valves, these heads are known to crack in between the intake and exhaust valves, they do not flow good either, you could port them until you hit the water jackets and it still would not be worth it, spending your money on a nice set of aftermarket heads can save you a lot of headache's, choose the right set for your goals and then when you receive them have a local machine shop go thru them just to make sure they are good, just because you bought brand new in the box edelbrock rpm heads with .600 lift springs doesn't mean that you should bolt them on and go, I have a set that I put another $300 into at the machine shop due to poor valve job and spring height's set uneven, but now they have a clean bill and I can be worry free.

    4th-Rocker arms, no stock stamped steel won't cut it. Your going to need to purchase some ADJUSTABLE roller rocker arms, these can take higher rpm than stock and are adjustable to help you get your valve lash setting just right, when it comes to rockers there are many choices, keep in mind iron heads and aluminum take different sized rocker studs, also you don't always have to run standard 1.6 ratio rocker arms for example I'm running scorpions 1.72 ratio giving me a higher lift even though my cam way ground for a 1.6 ratio rocker arm, so see what your cam card says for what ratio it was ground for or you could end up with a higher lift damaging parts in your engine

    5th-pushrods, you will need to purchase the correct length to get your rocker arm geometry correct due to the bigger range of motion the higher lift cam set on your rocker arm stud to open or close the valve, be also sure to get hardened for extra strength due to the stiffness of the valve springs

    6th-lifters, stock lifter replacements are ok, sealed power is what ma mopar used in these engines, you can also go with a semi-solid lifter so it doesn't collapse at high rpm, its always wise to replace camshaft and lifters together because the hydraulic lifter has a roller on the bottom that rides on the camshaft and you don't want an old lifter to scar your new camshaft

    7th-timing chain, this is what moves your camshaft in relation to the crankshaft to make sure it opens and closes the valves at the right time, aftermarket camshafts come with degree cards for you to degree the camshaft in to make sure this timing is right, it is always good to buy an adjustable timing gear and chain set so you can fine tune your camshaft, billet gears are a good choice from JP, and don't waste your money on a timing chain tensioner kit due to their rapid failure rate sending pieces into your oil pan

    Ok, so now your getting somewhere, the last steps is things to really make your engine run

    8th-intake, you know that big gawdy beer keg looking chunk of aluminum in the middle of your motor, do yourself a favor and give it to the scrap guys, yes a modded kegger can give you some improvements but it is limited, there is always a belly pan gasket to worry about too, an aftermarket EFI or CARB'd for all my high elevation R/T guys is a step in the right direction, single plane intakes are best for the strip and are plenty drivable for the street, dual planes are best of both worlds, mopar m1's are the common choice with proven results, hughes airgap is good too, you could also go custom route and drill and weld injector bungs into a indy modman intake if your feeling frisky

    9th-throttle body, why have all the good stuff below and choke your motor out with that tiny stock 2 barrel throttle body, hughes, Bruce@ F&B and a few others make some killer throttle bodies, from complete 1 piece billet throttle bodies to modified stockers definitely get something bigger like a 52mm or for a stroker or heavy 360 go with a 55mm or 58mm, some guys have even gone to a 4 barrel progressive setup but these take some tweaks and are not a direct bolt on

    10th-headers, stock manifolds won't cut it anymore on this engine, its a bottle neck effect when trying to push all that exhaust gas out, mid lengths are a must or long tube headers, mopar mid lengths or spintech mid lengths or long tubes, if you go with spintech's get remflex gaskets and 1 piece port plates for the best sealing without leaks

    11th-tuner, so you have your whole engine together and your so excited but wait there's more! better line yourself up with an efi or carb'd tuner to properly dial in your engine, when it comes to cruising the street's or running down the strip your going to want a engine to stay together and idle when you want it to, sct makes tuners for the jtec controller that runs these efi engines, some run aftermarket units such as megasquirt

    12th-torque converter, this transfers the power from the engine to the transmission, when you install an aftermarket camshaft if you run a stock converter you will have a noticeable dead spot or bog in engine performance, the best tuner in the world could try their hardest to eliminate that bog but it will always be there, get yourself a converter that matches the power range of your converter, it will launch better and cut you better 60ft times.....if your can drive. the most popular choice is a 2800rpm stall, once your throw an aftermarket stall speed converter in you should also upgrade your transmission cooler due to higher transmission temperatures


    And finally, talk to a mopar engine builder or comp cams, or bullet about what camshaft choice would fit your needs and engine the best, there is such a thing as over camming your engine and the results may sound the part, but its about who crossed the 1320 first who has the bragging rights and not who's engine sounds the best, also talk to some guys on the board about steps to installing a camshaft and some of the typical problems that you run across such as cam bearings that need replaced, no worries it can be done in the vehicle as long as the rear bearing looks good, best of luck!
    Last edited by nevr2fast01; 06-16-2015 at 01:21 AM. Reason: cam bearings
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  2. #2


    Danno's Avatar
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    Only thing I might add is that all of the addon mods ( intake, TB, headers, rockers, exhaust, convertor etc ) will benefit a stock heads/cam truck as well. So if someone is thinking about gradually building a combo, start with that stuff first, as that will get you gains even with the stock heads and cam.

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    Excellent write up of experienced information, that's some great advice right there

  4. #4


    tk9298's Avatar
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    Great write up,Ive finally got to the point where heads and camshaft are my next option,and this clears a lot up for me, i still dont fully understand cam selection,but i do realize the need for the proper heads,valves,springs ,etc......its like the man said you gotta pay to play,,thanks for the nfo.
    Im coming for you slammed RT:...not

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