dime1622

i just told my mechanic (Technical Dimensions in Jacksonville) to go ahead with my full engine rebuild. which means i get to keep the kia rental car for four weeks! anyway, my price for the rebuild is $4000 plus a few other things (new oil pressure relief valve, for instance). price includes pulling the engine and putting it back in, brand new (not rebuilt) water pump and tstat, belts, rollers, engine hot tank and acid wash, engine paint (aluminum color) and clear coat, all new rod bearings and piston rings, rebore and cylinder silicone impregnation, head mill, 3-angle valve job, etc etc. anyway, he suggested throwing in a new cam for $500 and titanium valve springs and retainers for $550. the cam will give ~12 hp, but of course the real gains are in the low and upper ranges. the cam's duration isnt really changed (due to the turbo motor's need for shorter duration) but the lift is greater. as such, the valve springs and retainers are not a bad idea. in addition, looking to the future, i am planning on installing a vitesse stage III kit next summer (or this fall if i have enough cash). would this $1050 be a worthwhile investment? obviously, there's no extra cost for labor since the engine will be all apart.


this goes without saying that during this time i will be installing a tial wastegate (undecided on which model), SS exhaust w/ cat bypass and including new downpipe and x-over, vitesse chips (because i dont like my APE chips) and a few other goodies, including possibly an EBC, as well as definitely an A/F gauge and aftermarket boost gauge, located in the pillar.

should i drop the $1050?

Jakerx

is this an aftermarket camshaft or just a new stock one?

anyway, in either case i would say don't go for it. but titanium springs and retainers imho would be a worthwhile improvement.

however, i might take that $1000 and put it somewhere else. such as a tial wastegate, or a MAF, etc. etc. endless possibilities. the cam is a defiinteiy no-go though. just my $0.02

dime1622

the cam is aftermarket. the tial is going in regardless. the car will get a MAF when the vitesse stage III goes in.

Eyal 951

the cam is the last thing you do, you'll have to regrind the cam once the vitesse stage 3 is in. You tune the cam for the setup. If you ARE doing cam, then ti valve retainers, and stiffer springs is def worthwhile, and just about necassary. What you should do is get the springs and retainers now while the head is off, so you dont have to pull the head again to do cam. but leave the cam out until you finish the big mods on the engine.John will probably be able to tell you exact specs for cam, or make you one that will be a lot better then 12 hp.
For now you can toss in an NA cam, I am TOLD they are a slightl gain in something or other.
~Eyal

TRWright

It depends on the cam you get. The web cam that lindsey sells is just an NA cam. It won't do crap for you. The only reason people buy it is just so they can say they have a cam!

John Milledge cams are awesome. They have several to pick from for your exact setup. I will be able to give you some feedback in the next few days (I hope!) .

dime1622

awesome. thanks for the input, dudes. the savings on the cam will let me buy that SS exhaust. for the most part. i WILL do the Ti springs and retainers tho.

Eyal 951

are the springs any stiffer? theres not much point for ti springs just to save valvetrain weight, unless your building an 8500 rpm motor. If they are stiffer, go for it, if not, finder stiffer springs. when I had the head off i did ti valve retainers just cause i got em cheap, but i regret not touching the springs. when i eventually do cam, the head will have to come off.
~Eyal

ehall

WAIT ON THE CAM! John will take care of you too match your stage III when the time comes. He's developing one, so I hear. (he is) sounds like Seth gave you a good price. We'll talk this week. I cant' wait too hear about it. Also, leave the chips, or put the origianls back in. It's a waste of cash to have him burn you a set just too need them reburned for the stage III. If he does them now, they would have to be burned for the afm, and will be very different for the maf. Save some of that for a profec b, and a Zeitronix WB02. I know of this "special tool" you can use to nail your tuning once you have the Stage III, if you have those two items. BTW, his crazy *** power comes from a cam that is not right for his car, and I believe is coming out. Anyway, back to the books. I'll call ya this week.

dime1622

eyal: yes, they are stiffer. that's why i'm interested. im not in it for a touch of weight savings, but rather getting the throttle response to be a little more crisp, making sure those valves seat down nicely and quickly, especially after my brand new head/valve job

dand86951

Don't go too stiff on the springs. The way our cams run right on the lifters and the fact that they are not rollers means too high a spring rate can add a lot of wear on the cam/lifter face. On startup when you don't have as much oil you will get more wear. How much is too much I don't know but I wouldn't go much past about 30% over stock.

dime1622

these would be the same titanium springs he puts in all his 944 turbo motors. he builds 944 motors for racecars for a living, and races many in 24-hour races. it appears so far that hes really knowledgeable about everything, so we shall see.