The reason I went with a custom cam was so it could be matched to the motor and the gearing.. Like the op said its only 30$ more for the custom compared to a new comp cam..to me it's worth the 30$ to have it matched as closely as possible...that way I know nothing is left on the table.. If I could find one of the off the shelf used cams for less than 200$ than I would prob do that..
I guess it all depends on your perspective. Try not to take this the wrong way, but you seem concerned with leaving horsepower on the table with cam selection, yet not so much when it came to selecting the rest of your parts. Your 65mm throttle body for example. Why pony up the expense of a 3.5" intake tube, when your throttle body inlet is only a little over 2.5"? Why limit yourself with a Typhoon intake when you're running 190cc heads? Why go with shorty headers when long tube are proven to make more power and torque across the entire RPM range? Why pony up the bucks for a brand new custom grind cam, only to fill the rest of the order with mediocre, parts?
Understand, I'm not trying to stomp on your toes here and am sure you're very happy with what you've got, but I see a lot of "priorities" of convenience when people put together their combo's all of the time. Spending all kinds of time and money on one area, only to skimp in another.
Before you get mad, understand at this point I'm no different. Hell, I've got a high compression 331ci stroker, sitting on the stand right now with a set of GT40X heads and Explorer intake ready to bolt on. Not exactly optimal for making horsepower...but I've always had performance on a budget in mind when building my combo. I mean....I could have gone the custom cam route, but why when there are so many great OTS grinds available on the used market and the rest of my combination of parts leaves so much on the table anyway?
I'm noticing a recent trend. People have been falsely led to believe that unless is a "custom grind" you're going to be left unsatisfied with performance. When in reality....99% of us out there couldn't tell the difference. We're not living in the early-90's anymore when there were only about 6-8 off the shelf street friendly cam grinds to choose from. There are literally dozens upon dozens of varying camshafts out there today to fit all walks of life. So much so that I question anyone’s need for custom cam profiles in a daily driver.
One other thing to consider...that custom cam grind may seem like the cat's meow right now....and might very well be provided you leave the rest of the parts on the engine that it was ground for. But let's be honest....we're gear heads. We're never satisfied. Before you know it, you'll be changing heads, intake, exhaust components again and that more expensive "custom" bump stick that worked so well for your previous combination is now in the same boat as the rest of them.
If that additional $30 (or $100-$150 depending on whether or not a good used cam is available) you're paying buys you piece of mind, then I guess it's worth it and no amount of text I type here is going to change your line of reasoning. Just as long as you're aware of it. I on the other hand am just fine with picking up a comparable unit at a local swap meet and still have enough money left over for new lifters and timing chain to go with it for what you paid for your cam alone.
I considered used cams but the options before me seemed not worth the asking price, not to mention asking for pictures was like pulling teeth, no way I'd pay 125-150 for a used b303 or 210+ shipping for a 2031 both are older designs. Hit up a guy on a used n-21 never got back to me. So new was looking like my only option. To me the extra 30 over a comp or Anderson cam is piece of mind. Even if my combo is nothing special ill be getting the knowledge of a cam pro and the most up to date technology in what is essentially the brain of the motor.
You just need to broaden your search area. They're out there. PM sent.
