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Wedge TR8 Cam Upgrade...

RSMTR8

Jedi Trainee
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Wondering if anyone has done a cam upgrade on their TR8. I am thinking about taking the plung, and buying the kit from Woody. Was hoping for some feedback before I drop a bunch of $$.


Thanks!


Rod
 
Hi, Rod -

Bought my cam from Woody. A mild Sig Erson cam, with the Holley 390 carb. Nice upgrade with a smooth, loping idle. Go for it!

Mickey
 
Mickey,

I am an idiot :cool: , what do you mean by loping idle?



Rod
 
I got the same kit from Woody, I am pretty much too the point Woody tells me "Buy this" and I pull out my card and make his house payment, He is definately the man when it comes to an 8. When I did my first rebuild I did his cam and a set of Ted's 10.5 to 1 pistons and some other stuff. The local engine expert thought it was a "hot set up" and guessed my HP in the low 200s. Loved theh combo of teh cam and pistons, great sound even at idle.
 
RSMTR8 said:
Mickey,

I am an idiot :cool: , what do you mean by loping idle?



Rod

Well, the technical description would be: "Idle goes 'lope-de-lope-de-lope' instead of 'puurrrrr'" /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

Seriously, nice improvement on performance, but with only a slightly rougher idle. Much greater grin factor!
 
Does your idle loop as well? I spoke to Woody, and he assured me it would not idle ANY differently. So I am a little concerned.



Rod
 
The difference is really very minor, hardly noticeable. But it is different - nice sound, actually.

Mine has the Holley 390 and headers; glasspacks in the center, and reverse-flow resonators at the rear. Exhaust note has a nice "gurgle" to it, and not loud at all at speed.

These cars are notoriously hard on cams. When it's time to replace yours, go for the mild street cam. I can assure you that you'll like it.
 
Unlike some other vendors, Woody has around 20 different custom cam grinds to choose from. Tell him what you want your car to do, and he will send you the right cam. If he says it will idle like a stock cam, it will! Don't expect to win a drag race against another TR8 with a cam that goes lopedy-lopedy-lope. The bigger the lope, the more overlap, and the more power at the top end. That is provided you upgrade other components with it. Bottom line is you want a little more power- Woody can do that. You want alot more power-Woody can do that too. How fast do you want to spend? I like lots of lope. You own a V8 sportscar. It's suppose to growl - not purr!
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] It's suppose to growl - not purr![/QUOTE]

Amen and Hallelujah British Car Brothers!!
 
Mickey, which Erson do you have? I wonder if it is the same as I have in my Stag. (that has a Rover 3.5 with 3.9 EFI)

Mine definitely is lopety lopety lopety - I don't know if you saw it at VTR!
Power range is supposed to be 2000-5000 but it is more like 2500-6000 - but only the dyno knows for sure.

Grind Number TO20H, E643121, lift is .478 inch and duration is 292 degrees, used with high rev lifters and 7000 rpm Edlebrock chain and gears
 
StagByTriumph said:
Mine definitely is lopety lopety lopety - I don't know if you saw it at VTR!

You mean you DROVE it? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

Not sure what the grind is. I think I still have the paperwork at home - will check later today.

Mickey
 
Mickey Richaud said:
StagByTriumph said:
Mine definitely is lopety lopety lopety - I don't know if you saw it at VTR!

You mean you DROVE it? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif

Mickey

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/driving.gif Right in FRONT of your TRAILER!!! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/banana.gif
 
StagByTriumph said:
Mickey, which Erson do you have? I wonder if it is the same as I have in my Stag. (that has a Rover 3.5 with 3.9 EFI)

Mine definitely is lopety lopety lopety - I don't know if you saw it at VTR!
Power range is supposed to be 2000-5000 but it is more like 2500-6000 - but only the dyno knows for sure.

Grind Number TO20H, E643121, lift is .478 inch and duration is 292 degrees, used with high rev lifters and 7000 rpm Edlebrock chain and gears

Finally found the info on mine:

I have stock lifters, Edelbrock chain and gears.

Cam: Lift: Intake .448; duration 280
Exhaust .460; duration 288
 
That cam you have is a dual pattern. The reason for the different specs on the intake and exhaust cam profiles is to maintain a smooth idle. It is what I would call a mild/moderate cam. Certainly more lift and duration than stock, but not enough to make the car shake. With the stock lifters, your giving up a little bit of top end, but it will also help keep it smoother. Those specs should provide a car that has a ton of low end torque and a very flat torque curve. You must be able to pull away from a stop light in third gear. That cam looks similar to the one I put in my dad's SD1. The other cam mentioned is much more radical. That would be a moderate/wild cam. Still gobs of torque, but it will rev well beyond the redline. Hope you have an MSD or Mallory with a rev limiter. A stuck throttle would be trouble. I speak from experience on this one. This cam is similar to the one I put in my street car. Combined with headers and an Edelbrock intake, it will spin the tires freely and pin you to your seat.
 
Thanks for that, Todd, as I know nothing of cam angle theory.

And you're spot on about the torque. Though I haven't tried a start in third, I have in second with no trouble.

All in all, I'm quite pleased with the setup. Nice idle, but you can tell it's not stock.
 
Hmmm.... Now I'm wondering what a 3.45 rear end would do for me over the stock 3.08... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/driving.gif
 
It will give you better acceleration, greater fuel consumption, and a lower top speed. The main reason most people change out their rear end is that the 3.08 has gone bad. You can't find any 3.08's to replace it. 3.45's came in all of the convertible TR7's except 81 automatics(3.08), and possibly some of the real early converts(3.90). The 5 speed TR7 coupes used a 3.90. If you do alot of highway driving in an 8, you will notice that the car will pick a speed that it likes to cruise at. That speed is dependent on your cam specs and your rear end ratio. Most cammed 8's like to run just shy of 3,000 rpm. With a 3.08 rear end, that will translate to around 78 MPH. The 3.45 will be at about 70mph and the 3.90 will be at about 62 mph. Changing rear ends might help prevent a speeding ticket or two. I don't advise ever going to a 3.90 unless you are racing on a track that has alot of slow speed corners. That ratio is anoying even in a 7. I am in the process of building a Ford 8.8 posi with a ratio of 3.73, but I intend on running much taller tires. Probably something like 245/40/17 in the back and 225/50/17 in the front. If that is still too tall a gear, I can switch to a 3.55.
 
speaking of gear ratios, how many teeth on the ring and pinion gears for the different ratios? I counted 12/36 (?) on my 3.08(?) axle assembly.
 
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