02-24-2011 | #81 | |
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 1,057
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Re: Camshafts almost done
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Custom, one off billet cams are going to be pricey by nature and I'm not criticizing the cost of such endeavors. I, and others I'm sure were hoping your project might bear some fruit as a new source of cams. Sadly it looks like this will be unlikely to happen. My thought is that billet is the most logical approach for new cams as I doubt anyone will cough up the investment necessary to have a new run of blanks made up. If we could get a cam maker set up with the basic design dialed in then I think the best approach would be for those with knowledge to collaborate and come up with 2 or 3 profiles to make. If folks pool resources I think this could happen and the price point could move down enough to make it worthwhile.
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Robert ZR-1 Net Registry Oregon State Director 91 ZR-1 #431 Black/Black LPE 368 |
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02-24-2011 | #82 |
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Crystal Lake, IL
Posts: 7,194
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Re: Camshafts almost done
Loco I think I have one of the profile options covered for everything but large strokers...
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LGAFF 90 #966-150K miles-sold 92 #234-sold 1987 Callaway TT #17 1991 ZR-1 #1359 |
02-24-2011 | #83 |
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Chicagoland,IL
Posts: 2,679
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Re: Camshafts almost done
LocoBob,the biggest regrind i can get is like LPE's C cams .239 .440
If you think you need bigger you have to go with custom/billets $$$ I know of 2 big inch LT5's with .239 .440In .224 .415Ex one runs 132+ MPH the other is faster they drive like stock ZR-1 very docile. I bet they would pass emissions. Pete
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'91 #1635 PoloGreen 350 LT5 11.09 @ 129.27 11.04 @ 128.86 474RWHP 400RWTQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFNFOhGGlR4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlRIOMwaDYY https://sites.google.com/site/peteszr1garage |
02-24-2011 | #84 |
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Portland, OR
Posts: 1,057
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Re: Camshafts almost done
Yes I think you FBI boys are getting a pretty good handle on what works for milder applications. Wish we could get some big cams like Todd's swapped into an existing stroker to see how they do. Todd's motor is a bit too outside of the box to glean cam comparison data from.
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Robert ZR-1 Net Registry Oregon State Director 91 ZR-1 #431 Black/Black LPE 368 |
02-24-2011 | #85 | |
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Arcadia,OK
Posts: 3,395
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Re: Camshafts almost done
Quote:
I have no idea how many blanks were acquired, nor do I know what the sales have been, but I do understand rate of return economics. The acquisition justification is based on cost, projected sales, sales price and the cost to finalize machine work & grind. I don't think it's fair to criticize the sales price, not knowing if the investment has even returned cost, let alone a reasonable return on investment. Personally, I don't think there is any gouging going on. It's just the economics of a low production volume engine with no support from the manufacturer. I've put out a fair amount of bucks to acquire & manufacture parts for the LT5 and after 3+ years of reinvesting proceeds, I still have a pretty good list of parts to develop and seriously doubt that I will be able to permenantly bank any profits for a long while yet. It's OK for me because I am retired and don't depend on it for a living..... thank goodness. In summary, I do acknowledge the cams are expensive especially when it takes 4 of them. That's a characteristic of the LT5, not supplier greed. LT5 cam blanks take a lot of machine work to finish, not just a simple lobe grind with the center lube system. Big difference in tooling & set up between 4 and 400 pcs.
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Jerry Downey JERRYS LT5 GASKETS & PARTS http://www.jerrysgaskets.com 1994 ZR-1, Black/Black, Lingenfelter Aerobody, 416cu in, 3.91 gears, coil-over susp, Brembo brakes, etc. 2016 Black-Red, 3LT-Z51 Auto 8-speed. Last edited by A26B; 02-24-2011 at 06:13 PM. |
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