Ok I know I am starting to probably sound like an idiot not being able to make up my mind but I want this rebuild to be perfect so please bare with me.


I am having a very hard time choosing a stock cam.
Oriellys, autozone, and Summit all say to run a SYB-26 Melling cam or Sealed power CS-668.
I am extremely worried about getting one of those two cams and having the truck run like crap, loosing break power, or what ever else problems I could have.
Will one or the other work and which one would be best to run?


I am just doing a completely stock rebuild no mods at all to the engine.


My dad insists the CS-668 will work and so does summit but I don't know the stock specs on the camshaft.


By the way truck is a 1988 F150 4x4 302.
Trav

 

Here
Brand:Sealed Power
Manufacturer's Part Number:CS-668
Part Type:Camshafts
Product Line:Sealed Power Hydraulic Flat Tappet Camshafts
Summit Racing Part Number:SLP-CS-668

UPC:053059121141
Cam Style:Hydraulic flat tappet
Advertised Intake Duration:183
Advertised Exhaust Duration:192
Advertised Duration:183 int./192 exh.
Intake Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:0.239 in.
Exhaust Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:0.246 in.
Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:0.239 int./0.246 exh.
Computer-Controlled Compatible:Yes
Valve Springs Required:No
Quantity:Sold individually.

 

why are you keeping it all stock? the SD friendly cams for these trucks are dirt cheap, and will get you better mileage and driving experience. the stock cam is a good display of a poor cam design.

 

Reason I am stayin all stock now is I want/need to get my truck going and later on I plan to do a MAF swap and do a much bigger/better build when I have more knowledge and a better engine to do it with. This engine is bored .040 over so anymore and it is junk I would much rather find another 302 that can be bored nothing to .30 at the most and build a really nice engine.


I would much rather learn first then screw up a build that I end up putting $1000s into.
Trav

 

If you search around on eBay, you can find a good deal for a Comp Cam, lifters, and timing chain, and usually for the same price as stock cam and lifters. That's a better deal unless your dead set on stock. The reason I mentioned the combo deal is that your gonna need lifters, so get them all together instead of sourcing around.

 

I can get everything (lifters, chain with gears, and cam and prelube) for $130ish where as everywhere I have looked they don't sell a comp cam with 31-255-5 and lifters together. The cam alone price was about $178 at the cheapest.
Trav

 

$130 isn't bad. There is a seller out of Richland, Mississippi, that sells Comp Cam combo's and other stuff. I think with chain, lifters, and 31-255-5 cam was $270. I know it isn't $130, but wanted to share the experience and details.

 

Ya I plan to run the comp cam 31-255-5 or something similar when I do my big build. Like I said I would rather have a little experience rebuilding things before going into such a huge build.
Trav

 

according to the specs on Mellings website the valve lift is .379" intake and .395" exhaust so should I run the melling? All the other specs are the same.
Trav

 

These early stock cams are brutally restrictive and there is simply no good reason to install something that small. In 1994 Ford swapped all these motors over to the F4TE roller cam which is much bigger(0.422/0.456 lift, 256/266 adv duration) but it's still fully compatible with the SD EFI systems. Now I don't expect you will spring for one of these cams since it would be much more expensive than a flat tappet cam but I post this just to show you how much you can "upgrade" the cam without suffering any changes in idle stability, vacuum signal, or anything else, and the motor will make more power.

 

Do you know of a cam around that price (no more then $160 for cam lifters and t-chain) that will work with my truck?


Does it have to be computer controlled?


The problem is my dad is helping me pay for this build while I help him out with things around here so we can't afford much and that is probably the highest he would go. Other wise it is looking like I should go with the melling of the two.


Like I said one day I plan to build a real nice high performance engine to mate in the truck with MAF, aluminum heads, and a built up C6 but right now it just isn't in the budget. I probably will go roller cam then too. This block in my opinion (and my machine shop's opinion) wouldn't be worth putting a lot of money into and would be better to do a stock build to get the truck going and should last long enough for me to hopefully have the money to do the build I plan.
Trav

 

Anybody know if the 31-670-4 cam will work?


Here are the specs:
UPC:036584070429
Cam Style:Hydraulic flat tappet
Basic Operating RPM Range:2,200-6,400
Intake Duration at 050 inch Lift:219
Exhaust Duration at 050 inch Lift:226
Duration at 050 inch Lift:219 int./226 exh.
Advertised Intake Duration:266
Advertised Exhaust Duration:273
Advertised Duration:266 int./273 exh.
Intake Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:0.480 in.
Exhaust Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:0.475 in.
Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:0.480 int./0.475 exh.
Lobe Separation (degrees):112
Computer-Controlled Compatible:No

 

Nope. It won't work.

Easiest way to check is the "computer controlled compatible: no" field. Most cam descriptions will have that category.

 

Well the only ones I have found that work is the Crane cam, comp cam, melling cam, and sealed power cam. The crane and comp are out of my price range right now. Anybody know of any that will work other then the above?
Does summit have a cam that will work?
Trav

 

Summit has the comp cam, and probably the crane cam.........