Camshaft advice for my rebuild

I know you guys love the camshaft question, so here goes.

I picked up a 94 GT 5-speed back in November knowing that it probably needed a rebuild. I hadn't planned on doing the bottom end this year. Initially the plan was to make the car reliable and to upgrade the top end. I purchased SVE heads, 1.6 rockers, E303 cam, and Cobra upper and lower intake manifold. The heads and Cobra intake manifolds are all being ported.

Full disclosure, this is all being done at at shop. I don't have the time, space, experience, nor tools to take on such a project by myself. Bolt-ons I can handle, bottom end internals and machine work are not in my wheelhouse.

Now, after the top end was pulled, the machine shop advised that I go ahead and do a rebuild on the bottom end rather than waiting until next year.
It'll be more cost efficient in the long run, the mechanic said. And I had to agree. We have decided to just do a simple .030 over bore and install flat top pistons. The mechanic said that this would bump up the compression a bit to help the car get out of it's own way and still be a very streetable car without needing to worry about reliability. (If any of you guys have any experience with a similar build I'd love to hear what to expect from it.)

Anyway, my hang up is that the mechanic advised me to go with a X303 camshaft rather than the E303 that I already purchased. I did some noodling and saw that the X303 cam is meant to be at the strip more than around town. I have no intention of trying to set the world on fire with this car. My intention is to have a streetable, but stout Mustang in the garage that I will preserve and drive around town. This is not my daily driver.

With my setup and how I plan to use this car which cam should I go with E, B, or X? Or should I dodge the alphabet cams and go with some other brand that is more modern? I've seen on the forum that people often respond with, "get a custom grind." I'm fine with that but how much are we talking about for that? Is it worth the extra money for my setup? Who or which company should I contact for that? Please remember that I've already blown my budget for this year because I had no intention of rebuilding the bottom end this winter. $300 - $400 is the max I would want to spend. I'm open to all suggestions.

I also, plan to install a 4.10 in the rear this spring or summer. Currently it has the stock ring and pinion.
 
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Stay away from the letter cams at all cost. A custom cam would definitely be the best, but if you're looking off the shelf you need something with a 114*+ LSA or the computer in your 95 is going to be pissed.

Comp has a few that would work
XE270HR-14
XE264HR-14 (I have this one)

Steeda #19 but it's designed for 1.7 RRs.

Checkout Flowtech for a custom cam:

http://www.flowtechinduction.com/fti-custom-hr-sr-roller-camshaft-ford-billet/
 
Stay away from the letter cams at all cost. A custom cam would definitely be the best, but if you're looking off the shelf you need something with a 114*+ LSA or the computer in your 95 is going to be pissed.

Comp has a few that would work
XE270HR-14
XE264HR-14 (I have this one)

Steeda #19 but it's designed for 1.7 RRs.

Checkout Flowtech for a custom cam:

http://www.flowtechinduction.com/fti-custom-hr-sr-roller-camshaft-ford-billet/

Thanks for the reply. I actually looked at the XE264HR-14. I think that might be a good choice for my setup.

I also looked at the TFS-51403001. What are your thoughts on that one?

Also, I just purchased a bama 4 bank. I figured a tune would be a must regardless of which cam I go with.
 
112* LSA might give your computer trouble at idle. However, with your tune it might not be a issue. It's also more aggressive than the XE264HR so it should make a little more power in the mid and upper end of the power band. It will also have a nice lopey idle, but may buck some at lower RPMs (like driving in a parking lot).
 
I also looked at the TFS-51403001. What are your thoughts on that one?

I was going to go with this cam, but everything I read by guys who installed it stated it came alive after 3K RPM, but was a little low down low. Steep gears were really required to use this cam.

I actually had the cam on my shelf, but ended up going with the custom You don't need a billet piece, austemper is perfectly fine for your average street build.

http://www.flowtechinduction.com/fti-custom-hydraulic-roller-camshaft-ford-austemper/

$340 and roughly 3 weeks to have it shipped to me. I specifically asked for a cam geared more towards a street cruiser with gobs and gobs of torque down low. Even with 3.73's i'm rarely winding past 3K rpm so that's why I chose to not run the TFS1
 
The first thing I would do is return the SVE heads. Spending the money to have those ported is pointles. Return them, used the money saved on porting for TFS or AFR heads. Stay away from the TFS cam. It’s superior to ford alphabet cams but inferior to other ots grinds from comp or a custom grind. It’s not a great street cam. I had a rebuild done 5 years ago and have been kicking myself for not stroking it when I had someone in the bottom end. Get it stroked, 11r 205 heads, custom grind. If that’s not a reality for you and you are going stay 306. 11r 190 heads and custom grind, or on the cheap 11r 170s stock cam and 1.7 rockers. The stock cam is actually a decent street cam.
 
All this advice is really appreciated!
I think I'll go with trick flow cam. I believe that with my set up, tune and the 4.10 gears it'll be what I'm looking for.
Do you guys think a stock fuel pump with regulator should sufficient or should I upgrade that also? Further down the rabbit hole we go... LOL
 
All this advice is really appreciated!
I think I'll go with trick flow cam. I believe that with my set up, tune and the 4.10 gears it'll be what I'm looking for.
Do you guys think a stock fuel pump with regulator should sufficient or should I upgrade that also? Further down the rabbit hole we go... LOL

The 95's had a 110lph fuel pump from the factory if I recall correctly and it will be fine with your upgrades. The stock FPR will be fine too.
 
Well, since you asked for cam advise:

I really wouldn’t spend the money to have the sve heads ported. For what you’re doing, if their advertised flow is accurate, save your money. If you’re set on having the cobra intake ported it will work fine.

If you’re going to spend $300 on a cam, you might as well pony up the extra $50-$100 and get a custom that’s specially tailored for your situation.

With what you’re building, 3.55 or 3.73 gears would be better than 4.10s. If you’ve got a stock t5 you’re going to miss the longer legs that higher gear ratios offer.

What will you be running for a throttle body and MAF? Also what will you be running for an exhaust setup?

I would recommend stepping up to a 155 or larger fuel pump. The install takes a whopping 15 mins on our cars and can usually be handled by even the most novice of mechanics. Injectors should also be stepped up to a 24lb at least, 30lb wouldn’t hurt if you’re getting a tune - which I’ll get to next.

The bama tune may, or may not work out for you. Willie over at dirty dirty racing does a good email tune and can work with the 94/95 computers. Unless there’s a good place to get a dyno tune around you I would recommend Willie. I’d also recommend getting quarterhorse instead of a 4 bank chip as at lets you make adjustments yourself - while you’re at it get a wideband.

These projects tend to spiral out of control lol.
 
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All this advice is really appreciated!
I think I'll go with trick flow cam. I believe that with my set up, tune and the 4.10 gears it'll be what I'm looking for.
Do you guys think a stock fuel pump with regulator should sufficient or should I upgrade that also? Further down the rabbit hole we go... LOL

Wait, after two people advised you not to run it, that's the cam you're going to go with?
 
Just to add, since I recently realized this as well. If you go custom cam, it will usually come along with a recommended spring package which can add $300-400 to the cost. Not sure how great the spring are on the SVE heads.
 
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I will put my .02 in on this one... I ordered a custom cam for my build from a guy named Brian Freezy he wanted to know every last little detail of the car when i talked to him including what kind of manners i wanted out of the car on the street. I wanted something that idled well made power everywhere [supercharged] and sounded great... a tall task for sure..
what i got was a cam that had------------
.575 lift on the intake and exhaust
224 duration intake 236 duration exhaust
cut on a 114* LSA.

For an engine that is only 306 CID with ported iron heads and a blower.

I cant be happier with the outcome, car idles strong at 800 rpm... does not dip or fight with the AC or fans running Cruises well and makes power all the way up to redline. The cam was designed for my combo-- I will never buy another OTS cam for anything ever again, it will be custom grind.
 
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I will put my .02 in on this one... I ordered a custom cam for my build from a guy named Brian Freezy he wanted to know every last little detail of the car when i talked to him including what kind of manners i wanted out of the car on the street. I wanted something that idled well made power everywhere [supercharged] and sounded great... a tall task for sure..
what i got was a cam that had------------
.575 lift on the intake and exhaust
224 duration intake 236 duration exhaust
cut on a 114* LSA.

For an engine that is only 306 CID with ported iron heads and a blower.

I cant be happier with the outcome, car idles strong at 800 rpm... does not dip or fight with the AC or fans running Cruises well and makes power all the way up to redline. The cam was designed for my combo-- I will never buy another OTS cam for anything ever again, it will be custom grind.
For what it's worth, your car sounds really good. I really like the idle.

As much as people knock wanting a cam for "the sound", it's undeniable that having an other-than-stock cam is very enjoyable for that very reason.
 
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