CAM VS HEADERS

[JMo60]

what by itself usually creates more power on a 3400? a mild cam regrind or a nice set of headers? I already have the cammotion cam and am waiting for some S&S headers.. just curious to your opinions on which is most bennificial.
my cam specs are:

.305/.308 lobe lift (.488/.493 valvelift),

209.4/213.1 duration,

110 LSA, 108.1 IC

[EspanolaGuitarista]

It's like love and marriage....

they work for each other. The header is tuned to the rpm and flow which will change depending on the particular cam you will be using. Those S&S headers are a compromise but are much better than stock log manifolds. The high flow of your headers will mean your cam will make more power than a stock engine with the same cam. It's called pumping. Properly tuned headers create low pressure which means your exhaust exits faster and pulls a bit on your piston boosting horsepower.

[Doubt_Incarnate]

i'd go for headers hands down if i could get some. in some cases a cam can be so much that the engine wont run with stock manifolds, the reversion is to great in the logs and only a true tubular manifold/header will let it work let alone make power. and its external requireing no engine teardown. "uncorking" should be the first place to start in any project IMO, either intake or exhaust. then you can work on guts.

for a regrind your probly not going to get enough a of a change to make headers absolutely necesary, but they won't hurt.

[SappySE107]

Regrinds are more cam than milzy sells, so I guess neither require headers.

Its really not opinion if you install the headers and tune/test, then swap manifolds on an install the cam and do another tune/test. Otherwise, its just a guess and that really won't amount to much:P Headers will help the engine get rid of the spent mixture but a cam will help it breathe on both ends. Id take a cam before headers but obviosly headers don't require you to tear the engine down to install which makes headers more feasible for some people.

[JMo60]

thanks for the input, i would have installed headers first but in my situation i blew up my 3100 and had a 3400 in my garage waiting for a swap... so i just put all new gaskets in the 3400 and put a cam in there while the engine was apart.. I wanted to install the new 3400 with the headers at the same time, but money and time made me use the stock manifolds.

[xtremesunfire]

what is a good cam to do a boost setup bc i want to run up to 15psi of boost

[Doubt_Incarnate]

stock

[SappySE107]

15 psi with what turbo or SC and what other mods. 15 psi doesn't really cut it for specs to determine a cam.

[AaronGTR]

stock

At 15psi?... um, no.


With that much boost and the limits of a stock cam (and stock exhaust manifolds for that matter) you are going to have pumping losses for either a SC or a turbo because the compressor is trying to cram air in faster than the valve opening will allow. The compressor is just making extra pressure in the intake manifold at that point and also creating extra heat because of the extra compression.

[xonelith]

Regrinds are more cam than milzy sells, so I guess neither require headers.

I'm not sure I agree. I had the cam in before I purchased headers and my best track time was 14.5. After header install (and removal of TM), I dropped 5-6 tenths. They may not be required, but I don't see the point in putting a cam without headers (and tuning), as you are only marginally increasing your track times (14.9 with CAI & exhaust; 14.5 with addition of heads, cam, intake; 13.991 with addition of headers and removal of TM).

Also, what's with the Milzy comment out of nowhere... you guys really don't like him...LOL.

[SappySE107]

Milzy is the only one that can sell cammotion cams so thats why I mentioned his name. Has nothing to do with my opinions of him. His cams dont require headers and regrinds dont require headers to get gains. I didnt say it wouldn't help more to have headers but to say required is kinda extreme.

[xonelith]

Milzy is the only one that can sell cammotion cams so thats why I mentioned his name.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but that never applied. I think he just bought up a bunch of blanks.... people can buy cammotion cams for our cars, but just hafta wait until the next batch is made.

[bszopi]

He said no one else can SELL Cam Montion cams except Milzy. IOW, he wanted to sell various grinds in the 60V6 store, but he can't because of some agreement between Cam Motion and Milzy. Yes, people can buy directly from Cam Motion, but no one else can sell them.

[AaronGTR]

Real quick... I gotta agree yet disagree on one thing. It's true that headers aren't required to get power gains from a cam. It's also true though that without headers the amount of gains from a cam are going to be drastically reduced, and the amount of gain from good headers on a 3400 anyway is almost as much as adding a cam. IMO there's no point in doing one without the other, and headers are the logical place to start first before moving on to the cam.

[JMo60]

agreed! now who wants to buy me some headers?