Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #15 – July 29, 2008, 08:31:50 PM

Blue Thunder So what u going to do.

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #16 – July 29, 2008, 10:25:25 PM

Quote from: TurboCoupe50;229706

Unless you're gonna run a wild, long, duration cam, the valve to piston clearance is BS... Clearance should be similar if not same as a HO...

Put the Stage 1 Trick Flow cam in it(what I run)... It will have a little lope at idle(likes 900-1000 rpm), and pull like crazy from 3000-6000 rpms... You'll also need a Mass Air Setup and at least a 2400 Stall converter(a 3000-3200 is better)

If that's too wild for you, go with the stock HO cam... For the money you'd spend on something slightly better, you can buy 1.7 roller rockers...

How hard is that stage 1 cam to live with on the street Tom? Are there times when you wish you would have gone with a little milder cam than that?

To clue everyone in on the set-up I'm going to try to work towards, I've already got an 88 TC, so I've got 3.73's out back. Thanks to guidance from Claude, I also got my hands on a recently rebuilt AOD out of a Super Coupe. Claude told me that the AOD's they put in Super Coupes were stronger than the AOD's in Fox's, becaus eof the SC's higher horsepower. I plan to run a lock-up converter with a stall of around 2,400-2,600 rpm's.

For a cam, I'm kind of torn between going with a TFS stage 1 like Tom suggested and an XE 266 like Thunderjet is running. Is the general consensus here that a stage 1 TFS cam will be a ton of fun on the street as long as I run the right converter with it? I have no doubts that an XE 266 would be a blast. Just a little milder than a stage 1.

Thanks again guys for all the great feedback.

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #17 – July 29, 2008, 10:51:29 PM

I rode in a 5.0 swapped Volvo that had a GT40 setup and was running a cam similar to the Comp XE258, and that thing has a lot of bottom end. For a street car, having a 3,000-6,000rpm band is pretty high. You want more like 1,500-5,500. Go for somethin like the XE258 or XE264, or just keep the stock HO cam.

Hey Kingcars

Reply #18 – July 29, 2008, 10:59:39 PM

I read that thread you posted a link to, but didn't see what cam you settled on. Which one did you end up going with?

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #19 – July 29, 2008, 11:05:23 PM

Quote from: 88TurboCoupeman01;229730

Blue Thunder So what u going to do.

Since I don't even have the GT-40 engine yet, I've got time to figure out what I'm going to do. I've got a lot of homework to do before I have any business making any firm decision on which cam will be my best bet.

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #20 – July 29, 2008, 11:08:32 PM

Quote from: Blue Thunder;229785

I read that thread you posted a link to, but didn't see what cam you settled on. Which one did you end up going with?

Well, depends on the money I have. Right now I'm planning on keeping the stock HO cam with the 1.7 roller rockers I just got. If I end up having extra money at the end of the project, I may pick up a Crower 15511 for cheap off of Corral; it's power band does seem a little high, but from what I hear it's the best speed density cam. I can always advance it a few degrees too.

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #21 – July 29, 2008, 11:22:17 PM

Quote from: kingcars;229790

Well, depends on the money I have. Right now I'm planning on keeping the stock HO cam with the 1.7 roller rockers I just got. If I end up having extra money at the end of the project, I may pick up a Crower 15511 for cheap off of Corral; it's power band does seem a little high, but from what I hear it's the best speed density cam. I can always advance it a few degrees too.

I saw where a couple of guys were telling you to install that Crower cam straight-up to keep your SD happy.

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #22 – July 30, 2008, 08:08:53 AM

Quote from: Blue Thunder;229772

How hard is that stage 1 cam to live with on the street Tom? Are there times when you wish you would have gone with a little milder cam than that?
.

IF it's a daily driver I'd go with a little milder cam, but for a fun ride/weekend warrior(like mine), it's great... Go with a 2800 or so stall, you'll smile...

I've been on a trip(Cat Jam '02) through DE, MD, PA, across OH almost to IN, and back home through WV, had a blast... With the 3.73s, it never once hunted in and out of OD going up the mountains... Set the cruse and roll...

Over near Dayton, a guy on a Harley heard me fire it up after getting gas and said "that don't sound like no 4cyl"... Showed him my wares, he was duly impressed, especially seeing I'd drove it from VA...

Quote from: kingcars;229780

I For a street car, having a 3,000-6,000rpm band is pretty high. You want more like 1,500-5,500.

[/B]

If you're looking for something at pulls at 1500 RPM, keep the stock cam...

The 308 Bird I had with Iron Windsor Jr's, stock HO cam, BBK shorties, full 2 1/2" exhaust system and 3.55s didn't impress me... Sure it was peppy, but my TF headed/cam, 2600 stall & 3.73 gears would slaughter it... It did have a stock converter, but still, didn't pull anything like my TC...

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #23 – July 30, 2008, 10:42:00 AM

Quote from: TurboCoupe50;229833

The 308 Bird I had with Iron Windsor Jr's, stock HO cam, BBK shorties, full 2 1/2" exhaust system and 3.55s didn't impress me... Sure it was peppy, but my TF headed/cam, 2600 stall & 3.73 gears would slaughter it... It did have a stock converter, but still, didn't pull anything like my TC...

See now Tom, that's what I'm talking about. I absolutely hate the idea of going too conservative on my cam choice, and ending up with a car that's just "peppy." I'm not putting this car together to be just "peppy." I'm putting it together so I can have something that's really fun to drive. I want this car to really get MY motor running when I stomp on the pedal down there that's furthest to the right. :burnout:

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #24 – July 30, 2008, 10:55:40 AM

Been driving my TFS-1 cammmed car as it sits now for a little over 2 years.....2800 stall that actually stalls @ 2800....Basically it's the same setup as Tom with slightly less gear (3.27's) and I weigh less.
Runs like a top and for a while i did daily drive it with no real issues....Pulls HARD on stock and slightly modded V8 equipped S-197's

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #25 – July 30, 2008, 05:33:16 PM

Quote from: Blue Thunder;229772

For a cam, I'm kind of torn between going with a TFS stage 1 like Tom suggested and an XE 266 like Thunderjet is running. Is the general consensus here that a stage 1 TFS cam will be a ton of fun on the street as long as I run the right converter with it? I have no doubts that an XE 266 would be a blast. Just a little milder than a stage 1.

I'm not running the XE266 I'm running the Magnum 266

As for the 266 vs the Stage 1 the Stage 1 is the way you want to go if you're going to be doing a lot of racing (legal or otherwise). It also depends on how fast you want to go. The best I've turned in my 3700 T-bird is a 15.0@94. HOWEVER the car should be running a 14.4-14.5 et with that trap speed. The problem is that I have shiznitty tires (stock 215 size that spin 60+ feet down the track because i can't drive:mullet: ) and the trans needs a 2600 stall converter. So basically the question is how fast do you want to go? Once you answer that you can decide on a cam choice.

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #26 – July 30, 2008, 06:23:52 PM

Victor I'm glad you are back to working on your car! Have to meet up sometime soon.

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #27 – July 30, 2008, 07:54:48 PM

Quote from: TurboCoupe50;229833

If you're looking for something at pulls at 1500 RPM, keep the stock cam...

The 308 Bird I had with Iron Windsor Jr's, stock HO cam, BBK shorties, full 2 1/2" exhaust system and 3.55s didn't impress me... Sure it was peppy, but my TF headed/cam, 2600 stall & 3.73 gears would slaughter it... It did have a stock converter, but still, didn't pull anything like my TC...

I've been lookin at the comp XE cams (XE258 and XE264) and they both have nice, low power bands. The XE258 has a band of 1,300-5,300 which is perfect for what I want, but I'm not sure how SD friendly it is. Besides, guys are running easy mid 13s with my setup and stock HO cam.

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #28 – July 30, 2008, 11:28:42 PM

Quote from: thunderjet302;229884

I'm not running the XE266 I'm running the Magnum 266

As for the 266 vs the Stage 1 the Stage 1 is the way you want to go if you're going to be doing a lot of racing (legal or otherwise). It also depends on how fast you want to go. The best I've turned in my 3700 T-bird is a 15.0@94. HOWEVER the car should be running a 14.4-14.5 et with that trap speed. The problem is that I have shiznitty tires (stock 215 size that spin 60+ feet down the track because i can't drive:mullet: ) and the trans needs a 2600 stall converter. So basically the question is how fast do you want to go? Once you answer that you can decide on a cam choice.

I most definitely want to be faster than running in the 14's. It's looking like a TFS stage 1 cam WILL be my best bet to get what I'm looking for.

Not long ago, I had a '00 Pontiac WS6. After driving that car, I know I'd be bored driving a 14 second car since the WS6 I had ran in the low 13's stock. Because of the torque-curve of that darn LS1 engine, it didn't give me much of a seat of the pants thrill. I always thought it's acceleration was too smooth. While it was definitely fast, it didn't give me that hard pull that really tells you you're getting somewhere. Oh sure, I could SEE the acceleration, but I really couldn't FEEL the acceleration. I always hated that. The feel of being pushed back into the seat is why people buy cars like that in the first place. The feeling of being pushed back into the seat is what I'm after. That's what makes a car fun to me. Obviously torque is what gives you that sensation. With my 3.73 gears and a good converter like the one Tom and Demon are talking about, I'm sure I'd be happy with the pull.

While the set-ups Tom and V8Demon run are most likely a little quicker than my WS6 was, I'm sure they have a much better fun-factor than my WS6, because of how they FEEL under acceleration.

Anyway... I'm still in the process of getting the money together for all these goodies. I'm undoubtedly still a while away from getting my Bird up and running, but I am working on getting the parts together for it.

Is a GT40 5.0 worth the trouble?

Reply #29 – July 30, 2008, 11:31:07 PM

Quote from: CougarSE;229898

Victor I'm glad you are back to working on your car! Have to meet up sometime soon.

Hey Claude. I meant to call you today, but I worked kind of late. You're right. We're definitely going to have to get together, so we can get caught up. I want to see your cars man. Do you think you have enough? I mean you've only got three of 'em now. :hick: