Is there much bang for the buck in changing the cams in my stock 3.2 (with GHL muffler & bypass)?

I'm not looking to mess with anything else, just swap the cams.

Recomendations, opinions, leads?
Thanks....

 

Hi JD:

Although you are likely to get several opinions about this, I would tell you that you should determine what you use the car for before selecting a different camshaft.

You may install the 964 cams for an increase in mid and top-end power as long you are will to forego some low RPM torque below 3000.

I would strongly advise you to install a good chip along with the upgrades that you have already made, as this will really help restore any lost power if you use these C2 cams.

I know you didn't broach this subject but there is no better performance increase than a set of close-ratio gears,...... No drawbacks either, aside from the damage to your bank account,...

 

JD,

Steve's advice is, as usual, excellent. He advised me similarly when I was considering the same modification. I ended up going for it.. having Elgin regrind my cams to "C2" spec when they were out for a top end rebuild last Fall. I also replaced the clutch with a lighter Aluminum one, installed a cat bypass, a dual outlet B&B sport muffler, and a K&N cone filter. I have not yet chipped my car.

I have no hard data to back up the following impressions, but I think the cams have made my '84 into a high-rpm monster in a way that the other mods just couldn't be responsible for. The surge at 4K is just glorious. Overall, the car is considerably faster than stock. Definitely slams your *** into the seat. I've only done street & highway driving with the car since, but have pulled on a Camaro SS and an Audi S4 (surprised myself both times) and have slaughtered just about any other car I've raced (though I'm still not talking about what happened with the 993 TT). The few friends who have driven my car all say it's the fastest car they've ever driven.

There is a perceptible bit of "lag" in the low end. In this way it actually feels similar to turbo cars (not Porsches) that I've driven. As Steve suggested, I'm hoping to recover some of the low-end power with a chip, and possibly a mass flow sensor. But truthfully, I don't mind the current situation at all. I keep the revs high (3.5K+) when I want the power on tap. It's an awesome sound anyway. I'm still so stoked on this increase that I'm in no hurry for further mods.

If you do it, I'd be very interested to hear how it goes.

I think a 3.2L with cams would be a really good candidate for close-ratio gearing. But I'm only familiar with this in concept. How do you go about mapping the ratios to your powerband? Does anyone have suggested ratios? Don't you lose top speed? I'd still want my car good for 150 mph.

Cheers,

 

Thanks Hugh, that's exactly what I was looking for... although Steve's input is always highly weighted in any decision.