OK, i bought a cam and heads a while ago and am now getting ready to put it in the motor. i have twisted wedge heads and a performer plus cam. as im reading the warnings on the cam it says not to use anything but stock or edelbrock springs. the heads are trick flow assembled with their springs. does one of you pro builders know if the spring tension is going to be too much for that cam? i know its a little weak for what you guys prefer, but i want the power to start kicking in at closer to 1k and i never could get enough guts to run it over 5K even though my mech told me it would run at 6k all day long and the cam in there now starts to work good at 3k which is too late for my driving style. thanks a lot for your help on this one.
I am no pro builder but: The only way to know for sure is to have a machinist/builder you trust check the spring pressures. See how they compare with the requirements of the camshaft. If the values are close he may be able to make up the difference by adding/removing shims. Also have him confirm that you have sufficient guide to retainer clearance (you probably will but it is so easy to confirm that there is no excuse to not at least check). You can call TFS and get the spring pressure values from them but you are at the mercy of the tech on the other end and the person who put the heads together in the first place. Do your pistons have valve reliefs for those heads?
Contact the manufacture of the heads and get specs. Then contact the cam manufacture and see what they recommend. Then have a machinist confirm what you need by checking coil bind, open and closed pressures. I hate taking chances and would rather blow a couple benjamins getting the right stuff and knowing it really is right with a checkout before assembly.
Does Edelbrock make the performer plus cam? If so than I would think that the Trickflow heads would do better with a little more cam shaft. Not saying that tha cam is not good just that you might have a better option for better results because the heads are very good. They flow very well to the the .550 lift area so you can take advantage of that. Cams don't cost to much & you can always get one custom made so it can kick in where you want it too with more lift. Also instead of the cam starting at 1000 move it up to 1500. by the time you hit the gas, it will be at 1500 in a fraction of a second. Make sure you get a good intake too. Its only right that you do that since you have a good pair of heads. Nice carb would not hurt either.
You can easily find out the coil bind on the heads you bought. After you are sure you won't coil bind, the concern with spring pressure is only really valid during break in of the cam. Too much spring pressure is okay, but can be a problem during the first run of a new cam. I have broken in cams with stout dual springs, 340#s of pressure, when the cam manufacturer wanted much less than that. I admit it was a foolish thing to do, but I was meticulous in making sure the engine fired INSTANTLY, oil pump was primed, and I used the best cam lube. Ran the RPM up to 2500 rpm, and left it there for 1/2 an hour. It worked twice with those springs... I was just too lazy to take the inner springs out for break-in, then put them back afterwards. Just proceed with caution, and ask the manufacturers if you like. Just remember... they want to sell you THEIR parts, not tell you that you can use someone else's. Dave Edit: You don't say if you are using new lifters and pushrods. You will need new lifters and hardened pushrods. You surely know, but didn't say, so I commented.
The issue here is that no one knows if he has too much or too little spring pressure. Too little can be as harmful as having too much. You can have too much spring pressure on a hydraulic cam. Proper spring pressure is extremely important for effective and durable camshaft operation once it is broken in. Too much can prevent the lifters from pumping up properly and/or result in premature camshaft wear. You can also have insufficient pressure. Too little can promote float which is hard on valvetrain parts and can decrease performance .
I can't find the spring pressure rating. Just the size. Two different one's. 1.470 or 1.460 & if you have the heads with the o-ring than their duel springs, if not, than single springs. It designed to work with stock 5.0 hardware but not the rocker arms so maybe its around the same as stock springs. if nothings else, buy a set of springs that matches the cam you have.
I don't think too little pressure will be an issue when using a mild TRW cam on new TFS heads. Being TFS heads, I doubt that coil bind will be an issue either. If he has the single springs, he should be fine with a proper break in procedure. If he has the dual springs, he should just remove the inners, and test one outer for safety. The outers alone should be fine.
well ive done some research, the suggested edelbrock springs are 90# and the ones on my trick flows are supposedly 110. sorry im not giving all the parts and specs, but i already have them chosen and assembled. the only reason im asking on the cam is because it was the only "surprise" thrown at me so far. thanks to all for the input, and more still is welcomed as i plan to still do more research over the next couple of weeks.(thanksgiving weekend gonna delay my progress) Dave, yeah their just the singles. Didnt figure id need doubles since i dont plan on winding past 5k too often
That is really close. Do some checking, but I'd be fine with that on my own car. The only other measure you can make is open pressure... unless that is some weird spring, you should be okay... My doubles pulled 340 open at .500 lift, and ran on flat hydraulics. My risk was foolish, your's should be minimal. Dave
I largely agree with all that you are saying here. Perhaps I was reading too much into your prior message.
