Are custom grind cams worth it?

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doogievlg

doogievlg

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I am getting together a list of parts and prices to build a budget for my stroker build. I am trying to find some areas to save some money and the cam seems like a decent place to start. I have always been told to get a custom cam made but with the amount of cams on the market today I am wondering if that is really necessary. it seems like I could find a cam from a manufacture that would match the specs of a custom job very easily. Would it be a safe way to save some money or will I be leaving a a good amount of power on the table.

Engine is going to be a 360 with a forged rotating assembly from Scat with flat tops. Heads are Edelbrock aluminum heads that will be getting a bit of porting done but nothing crazy.
 
doogievlg said:
I am getting together a list of parts and prices to build a budget for my stroker build. I am trying to find some areas to save some money and the cam seems like a decent place to start. I have always been told to get a custom cam made but with the amount of cams on the market today I am wondering if that is really necessary. it seems like I could find a cam from a manufacture that would match the specs of a custom job very easily. Would it be a safe way to save some money or will I be leaving a a good amount of power on the table.

Engine is going to be a 360 with a forged rotating assembly from Scat with flat tops. Heads are Edelbrock aluminum heads that will be getting a bit of porting done but nothing crazy.
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Yes, a custom ground cam to match your combo is "usually" going to give you more bang for the buck as it's set up specifically for your engine.

Call Oregon cam Grinders, I've heard very very good things about them and their prices for a custom ground cam are actually pretty much the same as any of the shelf grind.

Make sure you have your numbers when you call.
 
dukeboy_318 said:
Yes, a custom ground cam to match your combo is "usually" going to give you more bang for the buck as it's set up specifically for your engine.

Call Oregon cam Grinders, I've heard very very good things about them and their prices for a custom ground cam are actually pretty much the same as any of the shelf grind.

Make sure you have your numbers when you call.
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This is my first time having a shop build an engine for me so I will likely leave that part up to them. I just need to decide if I want to tell the builder to go a custom route or one off the shelf.
 
Just call Jim at Racer Brown and be done with it.

I also use Cam Motion.

Either one is good.

I can't imagine buying a shelf cam any more.
 
yellow rose said:
Just call Jim at Racer Brown and be done with it.
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Jim did a custom for a 273 HiPo going in my 65 Barracuda, Have as much info about the motor, car, transmission, rear end, intended usage,etc as possible as you will get asked a lot of questions.
 
What you need, is good guidance. What cam type and specs are going to serve your needs best? I went with the choice a trusted engine builder/ dyno operator came up with, on three separate builds. All three builds made as much or more power than expected. Two were shelf cams, one was a custom grind. So a custom cam might work better, or the same depending on how far away from the norm your project motor is.
Sometimes a cam designed with one intent just happens to fit the needs of a particular build, for different reasons. My latest project is a 408 stroker with EQ heads. A Comp. Thumper 601-9 roller cam was chosen for the tighter lsa and extra exhaust duration that this head and shortblock combo likes. It works.
The cam was originally designed to produce a rough idle, at some cost to overall performance. In this case, it happens to be a great fit.
 
Something to keep in mind- Not all custom cam grinders will recommend a custom grind cam for mild builds. You may want to shoot a few of them emails or phone calls to see what they spec out and compare those specs with current off-the-shelf grinds. You may be surprised.
 
mopowers said:
Something to keep in mind- Not all custom cam grinders will recommend a custom grind cam for mild builds. You may want to shoot a few of them emails or phone calls to see what they spec out and compare those specs with current off-the-shelf grinds. You may be surprised.
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The only companies I deal with do not keep cams on the shelf. There is a reason why they do it, but I'm not going to post it here. Custom cam grinders only do custom cams. The very best can even develop a lobe for you. Be prepared to pay.
 
mopowers said:
Not all of them.
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Ok, Racer Brown.
Cam Motion.
Mike Jones.

I just named three who don't have cams on the shelf.

The exception may be Cam Motion who does have some LS grinds on the shelf.

If you need more than 3 choices to get a correct cam then you have issues.
 
yellow rose said:
Ok, Racer Brown.
Cam Motion.
Mike Jones.

I just named three who don't have cams on the shelf.

The exception may be Cam Motion who does have some LS grinds on the shelf.

If you need more than 3 choices to get a correct cam then you have issues.
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I'm not in the market for a camshaft, but thanks. I was just correcting your blanket statement implying that all custom cam grinders only do custom cams. Not all of them only do custom cams. Not long ago I contacted several custom cam shops for a cam for a mild 360. Two of them gave me specs for cams I can buy on summit's website. Just something to keep in mind.
 
I'll offer a dissenting opinion here. If you're building a street cruiser with occasional power, and you're having the engine built by someone else, let that builder recommend a cam based on what you intend to do with it. Unless you're real experienced, he will know better what you need. There's nothing wrong with Lunati, Comp, Crane, or others if you're building basically a street cruiser. Save yourself some money unless you just want bragging rights about your custom cam.
 
mopowers said:
I'm not in the market for a camshaft, but thanks. I was just correcting your blanket statement implying that all custom cam grinders only do custom cams. Not all of them only do custom cams. Not long ago I contacted several custom cam shops for a cam for a mild 360. Two of them gave me specs for cams I can buy on summit's website. Just something to keep in mind.
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Listen troll, what you said is "Not all custom cam grinders will recommend a custom cam...."

If you consider Comp, Crane, Lunati, Crower, Isky et all custom cam grinders you have an issue with the English language. Those are mass production cam grinders who can grind a custom cam. If you are some big swinging dick in the business (doubt you are) or are buying 100 plus cams a year ( that's what I averaged from 1999-2007) you most likely will get an off the shelf cam from any of those grinders. It's the salesmans job to sell you a cam off the shelf. It makes more money for the company.

I could have named more cam companies that DONT shelf stock finished cams. I only posted who I deal with.

So troll your silly *** back on out of here.
 
supertruck said:
I'll offer a dissenting opinion here. If you're building a street cruiser with occasional power, and you're having the engine built by someone else, let that builder recommend a cam based on what you intend to do with it. Unless you're real experienced, he will know better what you need. There's nothing wrong with Lunati, Comp, Crane, or others if you're building basically a street cruiser. Save yourself some money unless you just want bragging rights about your custom cam.
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What makes you think the engine builder is a cam expert?
I'd rather be on the phone, with the guy grinding the cam than listening to someone who can't grind a cam, develop a lobe, grind it on a master and make a finished product.


Most cam grinders deal with hundreds of different engine builders during the day. The knowledge of the cam company regarding its products is much better then the engine builder.
 
yellow rose said:
Listen troll, what you said is "Not all custom cam grinders will recommend a custom cam...."

If you consider Comp, Crane, Lunati, Crower, Isky et all custom cam grinders you have an issue with the English language. Those are mass production cam grinders who can grind a custom cam. If you are some big swinging dick in the business (doubt you are) or are buying 100 plus cams a year ( that's what I averaged from 1999-2007) you most likely will get an off the shelf cam from any of those grinders. It's the salesmans job to sell you a cam off the shelf. It makes more money for the company.

I could have named more cam companies that DONT shelf stock finished cams. I only posted who I deal with.

So troll your silly *** back on out of here.
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I guess reading comprehension isn't a strong suit of yours. I never said or implied that those large cam manufacturers you listed (Comp, Lunati, etc) were "custom cam grinders." All I said was that not all custom cam grinders (Oregon, Motion, etc) only grind special custom cams.

To the OP- just be careful. Compare the specs of what they recommend with shelf grinds. You may be surprised. I certainly was.
 
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mopowers said:
I guess reading comprehension isn't a strong suit of yours. I never said or implied that those large cam manufacturers you listed (Comp, Lunati, etc) were "custom cam grinders." All I said was that not all custom cam grinders (Oregon, Motion, etc) only grind special custom cams.

To the OP- just be careful. Compare the specs of what they recommend with shelf grinds. You may be surprised. I certainly was.
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Oregon cam is a cam REGRINDER. He can only COPY a lobe.
The only grinds I know of the Cam Motion keeps on the shelf is LS junk. Everything else is custom ground.

If you think the cam grinders give you enough info on the card to make an informed decision on camshaft you are bucking futz. I can show you two grinds with all the same numbers but one makes more power.

It's not 1975 any more.
 
What I meant Yellow Rose is that most engine builders will know more about what the average guy needs than that average guy does. If you're looking to put together a mild street machine, and the OP said he was trying to save some money, then I stand by my suggestion to go with the engine builder's recommendation for an off the shelf cam. Dealing with a custom cam grinder can be very confusing for a guy who plans to pay someone else to build his engine, a guy with average knowledge who probably says, "Give me the most lift I can get." Not everyone has your expertise, but many like to think they do.
 
a custom ground cam does not mean maximum horsepower.
It will guarantee your engine / car combination will perform the best for how you will be driving it.
a street basher will be very different than a quarter mile package.
I'm betting the majority of owners would be happier with lots of lo end torque and an engine that
pulls hard from 1200 to 5200 - 5400 rpm for street driving...
tell your grinder everything about your car and engine and how you will be driving your car.
 
I use about 10% custom grinds, usually for builds that have a lot of compromise in one way or another. If you are building a well-rounded, properly matched combo - you don't need a custom cam. In some cases you might get more from one, but you don't need it. Not in my opinion anyway. Match the engine to your intentions, and match the parts to get the engine. Pretty easy really. Especially if you're on a budget.
 
I use Mike Jones at Jones Cams for most anything I mess with. Howard's has a ton of grinds in their toolbox that aren't kept on the shelf. Camcraft is a small operation that ground a great cam for an Olds small block I did several years ago. Bullet has some great grinds from the old Ultradyne catalog.

One thing you need to ask... is this cam for a .904 lifter? MOST of the shelf cams you buy for our engines are actually Chevy grinds for a smaller .842 diameter lifter...BIG difference in performance.

The Jones grind in my kid's dirt modified was an eye opener in an engine that cost half of what many spend. His first night out as a rookie he was clearly the fastest car on the track running against three former national and track champions...
 
Hey to the original poster here I'm not getting in this arguments with these guys about stuff but I'll tell you what I did. I did call Ken at Oregon Cam (regrinders). Recommended by my engine builder another Ford guy-( and because his preference is Ford does not mean doesn't know what he's doing with my Mopar and my motor is so far been bullet-proofed anything I've thrown at it and it's broken things in front of it and behind it and still kicks *** to this very day). So I've kind of done both here I asked My engine builder and he recommended talking to Ken who also races his car and he seems to work closely with. So I sent my cam to Oregon cam Grinders to have it reground into something that Ken and I agreed on but mostly it was what I wanted just something extreme nasty quarter-mile radical crazy Idol crazy high power band kind of thing and I got what I wanted -too much!! LOL
Of course what I wasn't expecting was that since a reground cam is where the base circle is taken away you have to have longer pushrod which I would have probably want to custom pushrods anyways but this will have to be a thing to take into consideration as far as the budget goes you won't be able to use just stocks length pushrods. But as I recall it was something like 75 bucks to have the cam ground it wasn't expensive.
 
doogievlg said:
I am getting together a list of parts and prices to build a budget for my stroker build. I am trying to find some areas to save some money and the cam seems like a decent place to start. I have always been told to get a custom cam made but with the amount of cams on the market today I am wondering if that is really necessary. it seems like I could find a cam from a manufacture that would match the specs of a custom job very easily. Would it be a safe way to save some money or will I be leaving a a good amount of power on the table.

Engine is going to be a 360 with a forged rotating assembly from Scat with flat tops. Heads are Edelbrock aluminum heads that will be getting a bit of porting done but nothing crazy.
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Pretty sure there's a cam by one of the multitude of companies out there that will fill the bill for what your doing you just have to consider the whole package when looking, I'd see what your builder comes up with off the shelf route and also call around some of the mentioned cam companies above. I was going to go with a custom grind based on spec's I determined I needed, called and emailed around, Bullet was my first choice, never got back to me in time so I kept looking and ended up with essentially an off the shelf grind but they (Isky) ground it on a tighter lsa. Probably only saved maybe $50.
 
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Oh yeah and now that I want another cam that's not so stupid I would just prefer a roller cam off the shelf. Again that's my experience and thats probably what I'll put in it before I put it back in the car.
 
Mike Jones is a great, great grinder. I've used Engle and Comp too but those I spec'd the lobes and they helped with valve timing. I like to use fast rate .875 profiles personally. OMG ITS A FORD CAM!!!! Lol
 
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