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Turbo Camshjaft in NA Motor

cortezit

New member
Joined
Jul 17, 2007
Location
Poulsbo, Washington
:)I have recently come across a board member who is running a Volvo T camshaft in an NA motor for grunt. I also have run across a thread on Swede Speed where there is a discussion on the IPD Turbo cam being used in an NA application as well, I am interested in NA performance and torque and not straight line performance.

Has anyone else done this and used an IPD degree camshaft sprocket to play with either of these two different Turbo Cams.

My wagon has all of the suspension upgrades that you can shake a stick at to include a Kaplhenke strut brace. I am looking at the overall "just good old fashioned enjoyment" of driving a really well set up "old blue brick":)
 
You could get in on the current RSI cam group buy and get a real NA cam if that's what you want. $185, including a new valve cover gasket and cam seal. Can't beat that.
 
Most of these cams are for stick , aren't they?? My "old blue brick" is an automatic with overdrive. If they will work in an automatic where do I send my money and to whom? I have two Volvos what would like to have something that will wake up the low end torque potential.
 
Most of these cams are for stick , aren't they?? My "old blue brick" is an automatic with overdrive. If they will work in an automatic where do I send my money and to whom? I have two Volvos what would like to have something that will wake up the low end torque potential.

no cam is for a manual or auto car..
 
no cam is for a manual or auto car..

Well.... your statement *can be* misleading......

Maybe not the stock OE Volvo cams...

but in many high perf cam applications, for any car,especially the v8s, the auto transmissions will require some major mods for a high lift /long duration cam to be used in an auto trans car .

IE a high stall speed torque converter is the major one. A shift kit is usually installed too. ( Volvo required a mod for the turbo equipped autos when intercooler was installed IIRC)

This could/can even apply to high perf aftermarket Volvo cams too

And ,back in the day...the American car manufacturers sometimes/often , did use a different profile of cam in the automatic equipped cars from the manuals.

Some of the higher performance cams Chevy, Ford etc offered as production line cars, could only be had with a manual trans IE 396/375hp version for one.

This isn't to say one can't install a higher stall speed torque converter and run the 396/375 hp version cam with an auto trans though.

So without doing auto trans mods...to run a high perf cam...you'd be limited on lift /duration of the cam at some point.
 
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I can vouche for the RSI cam.. It's good. Idle gets attention! Manual trans is a must on revving for use on any camshaft.
 
Even in normal applications you can't keep an auto car higher in the rpm range where all the power is..for instance I have a b cam in a na auto 240 and its not a good choice imho..for an auto daily a t cam is awesome. Thats whats in my 740
 
Well I just finished installing a Volvo T cam in "the old blue brick" and it is a remarkable change in the driving experience of the Wagon. The is a different "tone note" to the 2 1/4 inch custom exhaust. There is a noticeable increase of responsiveness to the throttle pedal. I have a complete performance suspension in the wagon. I just added a Kaplhenke custom strut tower brace. It handles superbly which was the goal of the project. Enjoyable cruising. Thank you one and all for your input and suggestions. I am content at this point.:):)
 
More info in here about the T cam vs. M cam and other cams: http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=294093
I threw a t cam in my car and like it. I daily drive it and enjoy the low end torque.
Word. If you play with the cam timing, ignition timing and valve clearances, you can make it even more fun down low or up top.
no cam is for a manual or auto car..
Agreed. One must look at what they want from their engine to determine which camshaft they want to pick. They must also have a desired setup for their engine(compression, CC, flow in and out...) and pick a cam that will match, or make the rest of the engine match that camshaft selection.
I can vouche for the RSI cam.. It's good. Idle gets attention! Manual trans is a must on revving for use on any camshaft.
Their new one will idle similar if not better but should make a good bit more power.

Even in normal applications you can't keep an auto car higher in the rpm range where all the power is..for instance I have a b cam in a na auto 240 and its not a good choice imho..for an auto daily a t cam is awesome. Thats whats in my 740
Eh, it takes a bit more messing with the shifter than you would otherwise do with an Auto, but you can keep the RPM up well enough... ;-) I'd surprised quite a few people back in the day when my car was still an automatic, both in the mountains and on the race track.

Regarding the B cam, have you tried setting the valve clearances on the looser side of things, advancing it and/or advancing the ignition timing? It's no T cam, for sure, but it's not a bad daily driver cam.

Well I just finished installing a Volvo T cam in "the old blue brick" and it is a remarkable change in the driving experience of the Wagon. The is a different "tone note" to the 2 1/4 inch custom exhaust. There is a noticeable increase of responsiveness to the throttle pedal. I have a complete performance suspension in the wagon. I just added a Kaplhenke custom strut tower brace. It handles superbly which was the goal of the project. Enjoyable cruising. Thank you one and all for your input and suggestions. I am content at this point.:):)
Congrats! I'm glad to hear you like it. What valve clearances did you end up setting it at and do you have an adjustable cam gear?


Oh, and to answer your question about using an IPD Turbo cam in a non-turbo application, yes, you can do that, no problem. It's better than a stock camshaft, by a lot, for upping the powerband and peak hp. It's a good camshaft, but won't make as much peak power as something like a K or H cam in a properly setup engine. It will have better emissions and low rpm power/torque in comparison, though. That being said, I'd prefer the A cam: http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=150954
A+cam_rich5_5k__+vs_+IPDT+both+adv_+2+deg.jpg
 
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Even in normal applications you can't keep an auto car higher in the rpm range where all the power is..for instance I have a b cam in a na auto 240 and its not a good choice imho..for an auto daily a t cam is awesome. Thats whats in my 740

ehh..shift it manually? you can also adjust the kickdown.
 
Kyle, any tips on valve clearance affecting emissions? I am very close on NoX, may have to do sumpin' next time. I seem to recall that someone once said looser exh gives lower NoX, but am not sure if that's accurate.
 
"Congrats! I'm glad to hear you like it. What valve clearances did you end up setting it at and do you have an adjustable cam gear?"
The camshaft had so little wear that all of the lobs clearance at .016 go .018 no go using the go no go method. I am still puzzled by the assertion that the A cam shaft is better than the IPD T cam unless it has something to do with the "Ramp Speed" of the lobe profile. Is that what it is??
 
From linked thread in post #10
I cruise at 2800-3200 RPM when there are no troopers in the area so I need GRUNT from 1500 to 4000 rpm

In that case no other stock cam will match the M cam. In acceleration tests between 2000-5000 rpm, the M cam was quicker by .8 of a second compared to the T cam.

30-80mph_3rdgear_tcam_4psi

30-80mph_3rdgear_mcam_4psi

Hardly a difference, but it's there all the same. This is on a super low boost engine, but I imagine the same tests on a stock N/A would be similarly imperceptible.
 
Kyle, any tips on valve clearance affecting emissions? I am very close on NoX, may have to do sumpin' next time. I seem to recall that someone once said looser exh gives lower NoX, but am not sure if that's accurate.
Looser will pollute less because the camshaft will be "smaller" for the engine and idle efficiency will be greater. So, yes, if they are adjusted at .016" or tighter, set them looser(0.18-.020").

The camshaft had so little wear that all of the lobs clearance at .016 go .018 no go using the go no go method. I am still puzzled by the assertion that the A cam shaft is better than the IPD T cam unless it has something to do with the "Ramp Speed" of the lobe profile. Is that what it is??
My statement that the A is better than the IPD T is with regards to daily driver-ness. It has a sizeable amount more torque until 4500rpm.
In that case no other stock cam will match the M cam. In acceleration tests between 2000-5000 rpm, the M cam was quicker by .8 of a second compared to the T cam.

30-80mph_3rdgear_tcam_4psi

30-80mph_3rdgear_mcam_4psi

Hardly a difference, but it's there all the same. This is on a super low boost engine, but I imagine the same tests on a stock N/A would be similarly imperceptible.
My car showed the T was faster, and it definitely drives like it has a LOT more torque in the rpm range you mention. It jumps off the line better.

In a turbo engine, the M cam is more powerful than a T cam, by looking at the specs, so it should be similar speeds if not faster.
 
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