Cams

lowone01 · Post by **lowone01** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:07 pm

will a R/t cam help on a 2002 sohc motor if so what gains and what else should i do to the head with out spending a lot also i hear stuff about a 95 cam helping out also is there any truth to that

hybrid-Srt2001 · Post by **hybrid-Srt2001** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:28 pm

yes an rt cam will wake up your engine nicely. You are going to need magnum valve springs also

lowone01 · Post by **lowone01** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:55 pm

Thank you very much

Post by **occasional demons** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:07 pm

Just remember, the '01 is a little more agressivive. The '02 - '04 R/T cams have less lift, but a little more duration.
In theory the '01 cam with an '02 R/T pcm would make the most power. The drawback would be the CEL if you install/have a UDP.
But GL finding an '02 R/T pcm cheap. There would be SKIM issues as well.
If you are close to timing belt time, then this is the time to do the needed maintenance. Presonally, I would pull the head (not required to change the cam) and have the valve guides checked/serviced.
If you are experinced with a die grinder, get a porting/buff kit from Summit, or somewhere that sells them, and clean up the exhaust ports. They are usually pretty rough with casting flash. If you have never done this, just carefully smooth out the ports, and don't remove too much material. There are pics in various project logs etc., but if it is your first head, just be conservative. Better safe than buying a new head. If you do clean it up, do it before you have any valve work done. That way if you accidently hit a valve seat it can be repaired before you pay to have the seats ground. If you have never used a die grinder/Dremel, pay someone else to do it, or skip it.
The waterpump/timing belt related parts will set you back some $ so be prepared for that also. When I did my cam change at 112,000 it cost me around $600. But I took care of all the little things that should be done. That was mainly parts, except for the labor of installing valve guides/valve grind. Get a cam seal also. They are under $10 from the dealer. Since you'll have the cam out anyways.

contagious18 · Post by **contagious18** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 2:22 am

i pretty much wat occasional demons did, i got my timing belt and water pump done along with my r/t cam swap, r/t valve springs, cam seal. u should notice gains, because i noticed them in my 00