Camshaft help in 68 Wildcat

I am restoring the first car I ever owned, a 68 Wildcat convertible 430. I am aboutt to take the motor to the machine shop and plan to leave it completely stock with the exception of the valve train. I am not sure of my rear gears and I really do not want to use a higher stall converter.

The car will be a toy and used on weekends for me and my family. Fuel mileage is not an issue.

I would like to improve upon the stock camshaft without going too far. I would like some recommendations on what to use. I would like to hear it bump a little but do not want to interfere with the everyday driveability.

I have looked at TA's offering as well as Comp Cams but it seems to get pretty limited after this.

Any help will be appreciated.

 

Be careful. Most machine shops can really scew up a Buick engine job because they are so different from what they normally do.


Maybe a TA 212.

 

Take a look at the Poston GS-116.

 

Randy, thanks but I am not quite sure as to what you mean by the poston "GS 116" Are you talking about a date or ?

Sorry to sound so confused but I just am not sure.o No:

Also thanks for the advice on the machine shop. This shop is in one of our (CAQUEST Stores). The Machinist is about 50 and is very good. I will speak to him about Buick engines and make sure he has good knowledge about their differences.

Thanks for your help.

 

poston 116 is a good cam I have one in my 69 riv, no gear change or stall needed, or run a ta c-110

 

Ok, I am feeling pretty stupid about right now. I am not familiar with Poston. I know Crane, Comp Cams, TA products etc, but have not looked into Poston. I will do so.


Anyone else?

 

Poston Enterprises sells this cam They sell Buick parts.
Here's a lnk for the Poston GS 116 (top left). http://www.postonbuick.com/eshop/10Browse.asp?Search=Skylark/GS/GSX:
Ray

 

that number gs 116 or ta c-110 is the gring number .....part number..... buicks are easier than people think most breakage is owner inflicted, ask machine shop to set mains & rods around 2.5 thou, you should run a high volume oil pump and ta grooved cam bearings, only run 30 degrees of timing and engine will be fine

 

Rod, 0.0025" and a high volume pump on a basically stock engine????????

Devon

 

i dont like tight clearances, i prefer to loosen things up and controll things with oil weight and pressure, with tight clearances if anything goes wrong you will hit a bearing. like pinging from bad gas ..etc.. etc, this is a lot tighter than my race motors

 

Agreed it can be done, but it might be a good idea to include the advice about viscosity and pressure otherwise the hi-vol pump can lead to disaster.

Devon

 

So rod and main clearance at .0025 with a HV oil pump is where I need to be. I have seen the TA grooved cam brgs and will use them. My motor was running great when I put it up 18 years ago.

I was considering using a new timimg cover instead of just the pump kit and plate. Do you guys recommend this or can I simply use my existing timing cover with a kit?

I have seen TA covers and they are very expensive. Any other choices out there?

BTW, I do appreciate the help. I am certainly no Technician but have been in the Auto Parts Business for 30 years. I worked in a shop years ago and have built one mild stip engine, a little tiny 289 Ford but it loved to rev.
My Wildcat will be a family car just for playing but I would like to be able to "take care of myself" if you know what I mean if I was alone and a little ricer or something just needed a good spankin.:grin:

 

Sorry but personally I cannot recommend the high volume kit for a street engine. I've had my share of cam bearing and distributor gear failures due to the excessive drag placed on the parts. I hope those that have had better results can speak up about how they make it work. Maybe it's my cold climate hurting things too much, I don't know.

Devon

 

Are there any other choices out there other than TA for the timing cover? Would you think I need to replace it on a 130,000 mile motor that is to be used as a family "fun car" or can I just reuse what I have with an Oil Pump Kit?

 

It's true that it's hard to beat the quality and workmanship of the TA cover, it's awesome - but expensive and perhaps overkill for a close-to-stock engine.

A thorough inspection of your existing cover should come first. What you want to look for (photograph for us) after a good cleaning:

1. Interior of cover and water pump cavity - look for pitting from corrosion
2. Oil pump cavity - look for scoring in all areas around the gears
3. Threaded bolt holes - make sure all threads are in good shape, no broken bolts
4. Oil bypass & spring - disassemble, clean, ensure free movement of the valve

With a good stock cover, I'd run the following:

TA1508 stock oil pump kit
TA1510 booster plate kit
TA1502 adjustable pressure regulator

With that I'd keep bearing clearances at 0.002" or slightly lower. You may not have to run anything thicker than 10W-30 to get 11-12 psi per 1000 rpm hot. The thicker oils are hard on the drive gears, as is excessive rpm before oil is warmed up.

In the end, if you find the front cover is not salvagable, you can either take the dive and go for the TA cover, or purchase the stock OEM replacement cover for a bit less - they come up on ebay every now & then.

Devon

 

I agree. With a near stock engine a booster plate and adj regulator is all that is needed. Bearing clearance is critical. If getting the crank done .002" is fine. You can go less but it depends if the crank/block/rods are machined dead on and perfectly round.
Do a search on "oil pump clearance". If the stock pump worked fine before it should due fine with the mods. When assembling the pump remember if using paper gaskets they compress quite a bit. Also TA has a shim kit for getting the proper clearance. Shoot for .002" end clearance for the gears.
Dual groove cam bearings from TA are good insurance from cam bearing melt down.
Ray

 

I really appreciate the help. The stock oil pump was never an issue in the 130 K that it was running. I have been around cars all my life and I remember the oiling issues with the BB Buicks but I never experienced any problems at all. I do plan on running 10W 30 and will likely use a good syn unless someone tells me why I shouldn't.

I will follow your suggestions of inspecting the stock cover. I know I have one WP bolt broken off as I did that years ago when I was about 18 or so. I put it back up and it never leaked.

I will also go back over the TA and look at their OP kits, plates and regulator. I am familiar with the kits and plates but not the regulator.

Thanks again,

Trey