Hello ppl, how are you, thats good.

Well im looking at a power increase of quite sizable proportions while trying to ensure my gearbox and uni student budget live through it. (current 126fwkw and i want a minimum of about 160/170fwkw)

So my idea's are to get some top end focused custom grind (or maybe regrinds) cams (dohc so 4 of them) and i need to know prices and what else ill need to have done before i can go and start chatting to ppl...

Here's a few questions.

-Prices on regrinds or custom grinds for 4 cams as DOHC and some adjustable cam gears?? (quality where lobes wont wear down after 2months)

-How lumpy a cam can i get away with before i have to start upgrading valves, springs and rockers?? also are they able to be treated rather than custom built?? prices??

-Would it be worth the effort to pull off the heads as well and get some porting and polishing done as well?? prices??

-Would it be an idea to change the timing belt at the same time??

-is there anything else i have to look into??

i currently have full after-market ecu and full intake and exhaust. I might add some more questions as i think of them

thanks for any help

-Prices on regrinds or custom grinds for 4 cams as DOHC and some adjustable cam gears?? (quality where lobes wont wear down after 2months)

-How lumpy a cam can i get away with before i have to start upgrading valves, springs and rockers?? also are they able to be treated rather than custom built?? prices??

-Would it be worth the effort to pull off the heads as well and get some porting and polishing done as well?? prices??

-Would it be an idea to change the timing belt at the same time??

-is there anything else i have to look into??


-custom quality cam shafts will cost you roughly $300-$400ea, cam gears about $150-$200ea.

-a slightly lumpy idle is fine, if you get aggressive cams then yeh you'll need springs at least.
treated/recut parts = no if your after performance, don't sacrifice your engines strength if your planing power, the stuff doesn't last. $500-$600 for springs and retainers.

-Porting and polishing is always great, but not worth the money if your only after 170fwkw expect $500-600.

-if your timing belt is old yes, if your going to be running hi po car just to be on the safe side i would change it more often than stock, so ur lookin at about 70k-80k km, its better than having your piston and head meeting. but each to there own, some people like running it for 90k-100k km, i dont like the risk.

-look into a small injector upgrade if you plan on going agressive, throttly body upsize would be nice aswell.

prices are based on parts, don't forget dreadful labour costs, if your not the mechanical type and a retune of your ecu. these prices are what i'm used to, but i'm not sure about magna's in particular so anyone with more knowledge of magna parts feel free to correct me.

Regrinds - dont even think about it. Usually very badly done, and often not well treated (hardened - heat or chemical) after either, so you wont get a good life out of much of your valvetrain.

-look into a small injector upgrade if you plan on going agressive, throttly body upsize would be nice aswell.

prices are based on parts, don't forget dreadful labour costs, if your not the mechanical type and a retune of your ecu. these prices are what i'm used to, but i'm not sure about magna's in particular so anyone with more knowledge of magna parts feel free to correct me.

thanks lads...

yeah i have a flowed throttle body, any further i'd be changing manifolds to twin throttle bodies but i dont know who to talk to about such things.

I can play it by ear with the injectors... easily get some from the twin turbo motor if i need them.

Oh and im doing the work myself and with the help of mates

also me and my mate are thinking about doing this at the same time and he's interested in what this would reap in gains for him. His car is a vr clubsport and probably has around 140kwsatw we figure.

"looking at that $990 deal, and i'm assuming it'd be beneficial to get cam gears? so say $1150, port polish $1650, post tune $2-2.1k"

the deal includes a cam kit from come racing cam's includes rockers and springs and a chip. cheap as for him anyway.

without knowing the cam specs for him i'd say he'd net 180/90 no worries... his car is stock.

any chance of just bolting an s/c on? dimi got one on his old 12 valve and i think one could be adapted to suit the 24 valve. If you dont have to do internal on an engine don't, it will get expensive quickly.

Just to give you a guide, my heads got a full make-over a week or so ago. consisted of a service ($300 of the bill) port job, valve throating and bigger exhaust valves. Total was $1600 or $1300 without going bigger valves. There are gains to be had just there without playing with cams. Getting lumpy cams with vernier gears may become hard to tune especially in your case with 4 of them. dont forget new head gaskets

I'm sure there is something aftermarket you could find in the states when it come to cam upgrades.

good luck

any chance of just bolting an s/c on? dimi got one on his old 12 valve and i think one could be adapted to suit the 24 valve. If you dont have to do internal on an engine don't, it will get expensive quickly.

Just to give you a guide, my heads got a full make-over a week or so ago. consisted of a service ($300 of the bill) port job, valve throating and bigger exhaust valves. Total was $1600 or $1300 without going bigger valves. There are gains to be had just there without playing with cams. Getting lumpy cams with vernier gears may become hard to tune especially in your case with 4 of them. dont forget new head gaskets

I'm sure there is something aftermarket you could find in the states when it come to cam upgrades.

good luck

nah no chance... the only s/c fitted to these engines ive seen the centrifugal ones?? (turbos run off the belt ones)

if i was going forced induction id intercool and with piping that'd raise expenses... and it'd also prolly kill my gbox.

yeah i wasn't keen on flowing the head or even pulling it off so no need for head gasket...

defs have to plan this one out

"looking at that $990 deal, and i'm assuming it'd be beneficial to get cam gears? so say $1150, port polish $1650, post tune $2-2.1k"
why polish your heads?

nah no chance... the only s/c fitted to these engines ive seen the centrifugal ones?? (turbos run off the belt ones)

if i was going forced induction id intercool and with piping that'd raise expenses... and it'd also prolly kill my gbox.

yeah i wasn't keen on flowing the head or even pulling it off so no need for head gasket...

defs have to plan this one out

In the US they make larger intake pleniums for these engines and they look pretty good.
maybe look into one of those?

why polish your heads?

pretty sure turbulent flow on the intake is ideal and non turbulent flow on the exhaust is the general equation.

**thanks radabeast for the correction
link me up PAUL!!

pretty sure non turbulent flow on the intake is ideal and turbulent flow on the exhaust is the general equation.

link me up PAUL!!

It's the opposite. You want the get the exhaust gases out as quickly and smoothly as possible, while you want intake air swirling around to mix with fuel.

What about the MIVEC heads from the GTO? I dont know if its a bolt up, but I thought id put it out there as an idea.

What about the MIVEC heads from the GTO? I dont know if its a bolt up, but I thought id put it out there as an idea.

Its an idea, But theres no such thing as MIVEC from these engines.
only DOHC

Your prolly right, would still be a higher flow head. I know mitsu made a 3.0 mivec, maybe its not for the gto, pajaro?

Your prolly right, would still be a higher flow head. I know mitsu made a 3.0 mivec, maybe its not for the gto, pajaro?
Im pretty sure its for the 3rd gens.
Going on an old post by Mitsiman here, there worth around $6000 each. So not very cheap either

did the jap magnas get released with a mivec?

GoTRICE that car of yours is a sweet ride!!!:bowdown: Did you get all your work done in brisbane? if so can you tell me were but most of all the port and polish. :)

GoTRICE that car of yours is a sweet ride!!!:bowdown: Did you get all your work done in brisbane? if so can you tell me were but most of all the port and polish. :)
thanks

i put the engine in. Gun performance and exhaust made me some custom extractors and hi torque on the goldy wired in and tuned my ecu.

I haven't done anything to this engine these are just hypothetical... right now if it can go ahead ill be getting the heads done as well as apparently they have a substantial effect on camshaft performance.

Why can't regrinds perform well if properly heat treated...?? and case hardened?? i know numerous techniques but id talk to the cam profile designer more about this...

thanks :) I was looking for a good place for a ECU. I was thinking about a haltech interceptor do hi torque deal with them? Do you know about XEDE ECU's from chip torque? don't know if there good or not?

Goes alright ay. Needs a supercharger IMHO

Why can't regrinds perform well if properly heat treated...?? and case hardened?? i know numerous techniques but id talk to the cam profile designer more about this...

When regrinding a cam to change the duration and to increase lift the base circle of the lobe has to be reduced. In a overhead cam engine with hydraulic adjusters this causes valve lash/lifter problems due to the extra "clearance" between the rocker arm lifter and valve tip(SOHC) or the cam lobe and the "valve bucket" (DOHC).

Ya can add shims to the end of the rocker to move the hydraulic lifter out abit on a SOHC engine or on a DOHC engine with bucket and shim adjustment then more shims under the bucket could be used to take up the clearance.

In all honesty if your gong to do it right, then buy new billet cams that way all the valve gear can be setup to factory specs thus no need to be adding shims etc which can open up a even bigger can of worms for the novice person.