Hello, My 68 skylark still has the original 2.9 gears. For that reason I have opted not to go with an aftermarket cam, on the basis that I may lose some low end torque with it (which is what I need with the mild gears). My plan is to go with an aftermarket cam only after going to more agressive gears. Am I wrong to assume that the stock cam is the best for generating low RPM torque? If yes, what cam will out do the stock cam for low end torque? Thanks, Mike
What do you mean by 2.9 gears. Are you refering to the rear end gear ratio? Personally I think that your right to keep the origional cam. If you decide to go up to a 323, 342 or higher rear ratio than you may want to consider engine upgrades. I changed the cam first and my experiance, although different then most people, has not been the best. I haven't gotten out of the engine compartment yet and it's been over a year since I changed the cam. I was pulling 6.5 sec. 0-60 times with 273 open gears and every thing stock. Thats not to shaby. Just my .02 cents.
Mike , alot of the guys here on the board including myself are running the TA 212 cam from TA Performance.It has .459 on the intake and .470 on the exhaust side and dur. @ .050 is 218 Intake and 230 Exhaust. Gross is 265 I and 280 E. This cam works fine in my car and I am running 2.56 gears right now.The bottom end torque is just a little softer than I would like but the gas mileage on the highway is great.However I will be switching to some 3.42's before too long.If you want more torque and less top end the TA RV 12 would be an excellent choice for your gearing.It makes gobs of torque down low and will increase your midrange torque also.Look on TA's sight and if you have any further questions feel free to ask anyone here.:TU: Jeff B.Oh and by the way if you go with the 212 wait til you kick it in the ass about 2500 RPM .Hang on!:eek2:
My opinion is different than most in this area. First off, let me say that I am running a 455, which makes some difference. But at the end of the day, it's still a question of gear ratios and torque multiplication. I run a 2.56 rearend with a cam that doesn't make much HP below about 3000 RPM (the scenario that it sounds like you are trying to avoid). However, when I'm trying to go fast, I don't spend much time below 3000 RPM anyhow. The only thing you will gain by emphasizing your low end torque is off-the-line, and having less high-end will cause you to suffer for the rest of the 1/4 mile. Also, remember this- you might not launch quite as hard with a 2.93 rearend, but you have the benefit of staying in first gear *longer*, so you get back what you lose. And, if you have street tires, getting too much low end torque may just cause the back part of your car to have excess emmissions Also for my car, the only time I need a hard launch is at the track - since 99% of my driving is on the street and highway, if I want to accelerate, I can just downshift and punch it. If I'm on the highway and I see a mustang at 60 MPH, I can downshift to second gear, and take it to 110 MPH before I have to shift to third! It's nice to be able to stay in second for so long, instead of having to shift into third at 80 MPH or so. That's usually when I pull away hard from the Mustang- they have to upshift and I don't. One more thing I did in my car, I have a switch-pitch convertor so that I can have a low-stall convertor for normal cruising, and switch to a 3000+ stall convertor when I want to race, and then I'm right in my torque band again. If you ever go to a TH400, that's a very nice thing to have. Just my opinions (but I have left many-a-mustang behind me to prove that it works!) -Bob Cunningham bobc@gnttype.org
Hello Jason, I used to live in Riverton Utah! I graduated from Bingham High School. By 2.9 I was referring to the gear ratio. I do not know for sure if it is correct, I determined it by counting the number of times the wheels turned compared to the drive shaft. They might also be 2.7's. I looked for the code that is supposed to be stamped on the axle but could not find it. Mike
Like Bob said the top end more than makes up for the loss of bottom end torque.Thats what I like about the TA 212 cam,you get the best of both worlds.:TU: Choosing your cam can be one of the most fun parts of your engine build or it can be your biggest nightmare trying to decide which one.:laugh: Good luck! Jeff B.
Could'a fooled me! That 'thing' makes more power than anything I have ever driven! :jd: It's all relative. Even with a decrease in low end torque our V8 Buicks make a lot of power everywhere compared to many/most cars.
I agree with the posts here. 2.93 rear gears isn't all that bad. I used to have 2.56! Use a mild cam, mild converter, dual exh, TA intake and the car will be very fun to drive!
Mike - I think you'll find that modern day cams with less duration and more lift, are substantially better performers than the original cams! Even all the vaunted HP cars of yesteryear, can be improved upon with a modern cam grind! The fact that so many of the 350 guys are running the TA 212, and more importantly - are happy with it, should tell you something!! Bob makes a valid point for a street car...when you're out looking to 'play', you're not likely to spend much time below 3000rpm!!:Brow:
Hey Bill,G'Day.Hows things down under?Iwish it was as warm here as it is there.Liked the pick of you next to the street rod while you were here in the US.:TU: Maybe one of these days I'll get some of my mugshots posted.:laugh: Any way just wondering when you'll be movin to the States? :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Seriously though if I had the warm weather and the rods that you guys have there I wouldn't even think about moving back to Iowa! p Mmmmm,sunshine and wallabees.:laugh: Jeff B.
Not to hijack Mike's thread too much but... Hi Jeff. I am saving my pennies as we speak. Coming to the US was one of the most exciting experiences in my life (and I've had...well never mind you get my drift). We have an excellent cruising scene here in Adelaide (South Australia) and there are plenty of cool US iron around to keep our necks twisting almost daily as we drive to work and back. My Electra is seen on the road everyday and the weather here has been fantastic to excellent. Of course we are in the middle of summer and the skies are blue. Not too many wallabies around (except on dinner plates..haha) but if anyone wants to come down here for a holiday they can expect to be picked up by the local V8Buick representative (me :beer ). This weekend we have the National Cadillac gathering (in our fantastic parklands that surround the city - right across from where I work) and on Sunday we have the local All American day where we regularly get over 500 participants. None of whom care what mileage they get as long as they can cruise around and get together. When am I going to see some of you folks down here? Adelaide would have to be one of the most beautiful cities in the world and what could be better than cruising it in my Electra?
:beer Believe me Bill if I had the money right now I'd be there in a heartbeat soaking up the summer rays with ya and the top down on my Skylark with some good tunes crankin on the radio.:bglasses:
jobs hey Bill, hows the economy there? I'm graduating in May with a Mechanical engineering degree.. any chance you can send me a link for online classifieds? though I wonder how much it would cost to send my skylark to australia.. and get it approved for road use. Nate
The economy is a bit slow like everywhere at the moment but we are doing better than nearly everybody according to all reports. Type "jobs in australia" into Google.com.au for jobs. There's always room for good engineers I expect. Your skylark will have to be factory stock (down to the hubcaps and aircleaner) if you want to keep it left hand drive. Or if it's modifed you'll have to convert it to right hand drive which is a massive job which will require engineer's approval and compliance to Australian Design Rules.
I also run the TA212 with 2.56 gears in a full wieght 4dr. It's still got plenty of low end. I hit the gas from the line and the 245 tire has no trouble breaking loose... and burning up into the middle of second gear :Brow: I'm still in the tuning/fixing little problems stage, so I don't have any times yet.
