Custom Ground Cams

[Gemmer]

youll prolly have to ask over at pennoks to see if anyone measured the 96's


Hmmm, wonder why mantapart didnt go with .410 lift

[Lyle's GTP]

Aaron Wrote:

[And weld the cams? You're an idiot and I hope you're joking. They kinda have to be PERFECTLY straight ay know?]

Hey, I've seen hundreds of cranks welded, if you can weld a crank, you can weld a cam. It's not like slopping a bead down with your grandpa's old arc welder. It requires a specialized process and a machine that cost's like 100 G's.

Lyle

[RacerX11]

I think this time Aaron was referring to the suggestion of cutting two camshafts apart and welding them together to fit our engine (from the BMW newb).

Marty

[Lyle's GTP]

Well, it could be done. But not worth the effort.

Lyle

[Gemmer]

Whats the 'ol desktop dyno show on W41 specs and has anyone figured out how much we can go before we hit the cover?

[Gemmer]

did some playin on DD, if Im doin this right the W41 specs show a 40-50ish HP gain over stock. The W41 specs being 1-5ish hp more than "official GM" specs down low, and 5-10ish hp more on the high end

on the downside, we lose 10-20 hp compared to stock '94 specs untill about 4500, where we even off with stock...and after that its "whoa nelly"

I recall hearing the torque specs in DD are weird, so Im not gonna bother with the differences, but the torque curves are inversed, both are strong for about 50% of the rpm curve, but the w41 is stronger mid-high instead of the lower-mid

anyone else wanna run the numbers and see if they come up with the same thing?

[Anonymous]

BMW newb

Yah that is what I was thinking, good thing I was wrong...

As for the W41 specs, WOW! SO basically they are made for 4500+? That is what I want. After I build by new manis and do my heads, I will have to do this. I played around with some 9,000rpm oil pumps, but none would work without a litle customizing. Cuz I plan on running to 8 once I get everything done. Becuz the 3.4 below 4k really doesn't have anything. SO if you stretch the gear out to 8, you're gonna shift right into 5-6k. And by a dyno, the reason the 3.4 falls off after 6 isn't the cams, it is the UIM. He ran, and made increasing power, all the way to 7500. Now with a better tuned intake and ITB, I'm sure it will run high. ANd the cams would help that tremendously.

Got damn I need money! I cna see the 12s, they're right there!

[sspeedstreet]

I found this comparison interesting. I don't know who took the measurements on the '94 cams (they're posted on this site), but they are way off the GM specs. 221* and 228* seem like HUGE durations. Would someone plug those into DD to see what it produces?

"3.4 DOHC Cam Specs

(Measured off a set of 94 cams)
Int: 205 Degree Duration @ .050", Lift = .369"
Exh: 213 Degree Duration @ .050", Lift = .373"

GM Official Cam Specs

91-95
Int: 221 Degree Duration @ .050", Lift = .370", 112 centerline
Exh: 228 Degree Duration @ .050", Lift = .370", 111 centerline"

[pocket-rocket]

I think someone had a set of cams sent in to a company to see if they would do a regrind, and those were the specs measured off of the 94 cams they sent in.

[Gemmer]

I did plug those in

I compared 94 specs, official specs, and w41 specs

In my post above, when I say "stock" or "'94 specs" im referring to the 94 measurments. When I say "Official" or "Official GM specs" Im refering to the other specs

The Official and the w41 were WAY above stock, with the w41 being slightly better than "official" throughtout the entire rpm rage (up to 10 or so horsies in the high end)

[sspeedstreet]

OK, thanks. I didn't read your post correctly.

[Anonymous]

So can you mess around with the dyno and figure out a way to net even more than the W41 specs?

[34T]

Gemmer; I have NO idea how 'accurate' DD is or might be..... is it possible to plug in a setup for a stock situation/motor - any one of them altho doing a 92 TDC might be interesting of course - and see how close it comes to what GM is actually saying we get? I have to think that unless 'input' takes hours each time that DD probably takes some reasonable assumptions in its calcs here and there. And if it DOES come out at 215 hp then NEAT! that would make it such a good indicator for all of these. And even if it is on the 'optimistic' side, then maybe (with luck) it will be consistently 'average' in how optimistic it is.
Would that take a long time to try one or two KNOWN setups? Maybe you have already done that......???

[34T]

Oh yeah (I'm limited to one train of thought this AM.... )
If you can print or somehow capture the results from these I would be VERY interested in the 'lower end' performance of ie the stock GM and the W41 spec cam readouts....
it would, after all, be on a street car and so would have to be liveable that way. ie, If off-the-line torques is REALLY bad then it might affect my selection of course. If it isn't too bad then maybe not.
What form or type of printout/results etc do you get and is it possible to get info at lower rpms? something that can be emailed?

[34T]

little update; I finally heard back from the guy who said he can do custom cams; I have fwd'd the specs from here to him so he can consider the different options etc and put some prices together.
I suggested to him that it may be possible to do a group purchase of maybe 10 sets at a time; all the same grind (the stuff is done by hand anyway....) and what would that cost?
Also asked for a 'per set' cost. I used the GM spec numbers for him to assume would be the most popular but that could change.

So
as a sampling, how many guys would be 'interested' in a possible group purchase if this guy comes back with a 'doable' price???
Can we get 10 potentials? No obligation of course, but it won't be dirt cheap either, so think about it. Nice side of it is once it is done, it would be a 'keeper' set; take them from motor to motor, even.
LMK, everyone!