stage 2 cam

[nemesis_adrasteia]

ok so the other day i was talking to a mate and he was saying that his cars at the mechanic, apprently his cam is broken(never heard of them breaking before) anyway he said hes going to get a stage 2 cam put in keeping in mind that he knows less then me about this kind of this makes me wonder, anyway what i would like to know is what is a "stage 2 cam"? what difference does it make? what defines "stages" of cams?

cheers
michael

[1991_Vn2nV]

What model is it? I know there were cam issues with some of the first of the VN's, didn't think there was an issue with the later Buicks though.

Stage cams are just off the shelf cams, differences generally depend on the company. But people generally refer to Crow Cams when referring to stage cams, particularly for V6.

Check out the Crow Cams web page for more detailed information on their stage 2 cam. Personally, I found it a waste and wish i'd gone a custom ground Wade cam instead.

[maldotcom2]

Yeah stage 2 crow would be pretty conservative.

[nemesis_adrasteia]

What model is it? I know there were cam issues with some of the first of the VN's, didn't think there was an issue with the later Buicks though.

Stage cams are just off the shelf cams, differences generally depend on the company. But people generally refer to Crow Cams when referring to stage cams, particularly for V6.

Check out the Crow Cams web page for more detailed information on their stage 2 cam. Personally, I found it a waste and wish i'd gone a custom ground Wade cam instead.

its a VT, so its an ecotech, i dunno how common it is to have cam problems just seemed odd to me

[Chris E]

Stage two cam just means its a slightly more aggressive cam than the stock one. The camshaft dictates when, how much and how long the engines valves stay open. A stage two cam will just increase the power of the engine a bit. Don't mean to say you don't know what a cam is I just want to make sure.

You can check out the the specific specs of the cams on the cam manufacturers website most likely, A stage two cam from crow would be a mid level cam at a guess.

And no idea about the cam breaking, seems weird to me.

[DANNY8]

Maybe a lobe wore off? A Crow cam I pulled out of our spare 253 the other day had 1 lobe pretty much rounded off, and another not to far from it lol.

[nemesis_adrasteia]

Stage two cam just means its a slightly more aggressive cam than the stock one. The camshaft dictates when, how much and how long the engines valves stay open. A stage two cam will just increase the power of the engine a bit. Don't mean to say you don't know what a cam is I just want to make sure.

You can check out the the specific specs of the cams on the cam manufacturers website most likely, A stage two cam from crow would be a mid level cam at a guess.

And no idea about the cam breaking, seems weird to me.

yeah i get the general idea of how a cam works, ive that if you get higher "stage" cams you need to port and polish, i assume thats to get clearnce? so would i be correct in thinking that a "stage 2" cam would have larger lobes that a stock on allowing more fuel/air mix in and in turn letting the exhaust out faster/more efficiently

[nemesis_adrasteia]

Maybe a lobe wore off? A Crow cam I pulled out of our spare 253 the other day had 1 lobe pretty much rounded off, and another not to far from it lol.

well being relativly new 8ish years old you would think it wouldnt be a problem, being forged steel it shouldnt wear very easily at all

[maldotcom2]

It's not a neccessity to port and polish, it's just that people who go for large cams often will do head work to get more gains. Higher compression is often needed for larger cams, which can be achieved by shaving the heads or using flat top or dome top pistons to reduce cylinder volume. A stage 2 cam will have slightly larger lobes (unless it's a regrind), that provide longer duration and higher lift of the valves. It is the duration of the valves that you need to watch for clearance, since combined with the high lift of the cam/associated rocker gear it might get hit by the piston.

[greenfoam]

If you must get a Crow cam get the stage 3 it's better, even that is still a little cam

[nemesis_adrasteia]

If you must get a Crow cam get the stage 3 it's better, even that is still a little cam

with more agressive cams wouldnt you have to replace other parts as well?

[rhys375]

Hey guys, new to holden.

Could i ask a few noob questions, how much for a wade regrind on the v6's and how hard are they to install? with a ford its easy but then again its a single I6 so only one cam. what would a mechanic generally charge to remove and install them? And do you need to buy shims aswell?

A total cost of everything would be appreciated.

Cheers guys

p.s its for a vy ute V6

[maldotcom2]

with more agressive cams wouldnt you have to replace other parts as well?

Possibly timing gear. Wade regrinds are about $250 from memory, it's a fair bit of work to change the cam, involes strip down to the heads, front cover off, timing gear off, radiator and air con gear out, then slide the cam out. Holden's only run 1 cam aswell, but i think it's more work on holdens because IIRC fords ran OHC?

If you can do the work yourself with a regrind it's not all that expensive, would work out cheaper than high ratio rockers. If you're paying someone to do it, it's a big job so you'll have to fork out.

[rhys375]

yer fords ran sohc, so i could do it myself easily with out getting tangled in plastic covers :P

o well im guessing it'll cost more than 700 so its probs not worth it, being a manual she goes fairly well at the moment anyway

cheers

[acarmody]

With the OP saying broken cam, maybe the bearings seized or spun and it broke the cam from lack of support, or maybe even just gouged the cam a bit.

I'm looking at putting a new large cam in my VX V6, sent a email to Wade seeing what they recommend, they sent a reply saying that there are no billets left in Australia, so I sent a new email asking when new one will be available. Also I'm going to put a double row timing chain in, conical spring, moly retains and locks. Maybe even touch up the heads a tiny bit, apparently the Ecotec heads are pretty damn good. I'll also be raising the compression to approximately 10.5:1 but I'll discuss this with the rebuilder.

[vxcalais_01]

Tell him to just get 1.8 rockers to suit. That will change the dynamics of the stage 2 a bit . Talk to YT or Mace about it. When cams are changed, often lifters and springs are done as well, may as well do rocker upgrade on a milder cam.