Does anyone happen to know the max lift the stock e7 valve springs can handle? I am picking up my cam tomorrow and would like to install it next week but I would rather not have to buy new valve springs right this second, maybe in the next 5-6 months I can look into it. So I was wondering if anyone knows if my e7 valve springs can handle a tfs1 cam?
This engine will probably never see over 5000-5500 rpm and I was hoping to make these valve springs work until I get my other 302 engine build finished.
The cam specs are as follows
Cam Specs
2,000-5,500
Intake Duration at 050 inch Lift: 221
Exhaust Duration at 050 inch Lift: 225
Duration at 050 inch Lift: 221 int./225 exh.
Advertised Intake Duration: 275
Advertised Exhaust Duration: 279
Advertised Duration: 275 int./279 exh.
Intake Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio: 0.499 in.
Exhaust Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio: 0.510 in.
Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio: 0.499 int./0.510 exh.
Lobe Separation (degrees): 112
Camshaft Gear Attachment: 1-bolt
Computer-Controlled Compatible: Yes
Grind Number: HR-224/339-2S-12
Valve Springs Required: Yes
Lift w/ 1.6 rocker (intake/exhaust) - .499"/.510"
Lobe separation (degrees) - 112°

Thanks in advance!

 

You are pretty close to the maximum lift with the factory springs IMHO. The bigger issue is the LSA of 112 degrees. That is not Speed Density friendly especially on a 5L engine. Your .050 duration numbers are pushing the limit as well.

I would suggest you check carefully for coil bind if you are hell bent on that cam. It may be listed as computer compatible but not on a Speed Density computer system.

If you have a truck with MAF that cam will work but it does shift the power band up the scale. I hope you have some low gears in the axle(s).

 

What you seem to be asking is clarification for the spec: Valve springs required - YES In which case I personally would be calling the source of this information. It does not seem to distinguish a difference between 1.5 and 1.6 ration rockers, would be leaning toward the answer yes meaning better springs than stock required ....

 

With those spec's I'd go ahead and do springs, and I mean springs the cam folks recommend. Technically you can do such a thing without removing the heads but ya got to be careful or you will be forced forced to pull the heads for obvious reasons of course. Second as stated if it does run on Speed density it will run like dog crap except for WOT. Idle will be iffy, cruising could be affected, might load up sitting at a light in gear or try to hunt around at times. Just nanny crap that some can live with and others cry over until the MAF swap happens.

 

I'm sorry guys, I should have clarified in my original post this is going in a 96 maf truck.

I know that someone had mention gears, as of right now the truck has 3.55 in the rear end but I have a set of 4.11's waiting to go in.

When I finish my other engine build that will be swapped into this truck it will have twisted wedge heads which will come with the valve springs that trick flow suggest for this cam so I guess you can say I'm trying to avoid buying the valve spring kit twice, that engine will be a 331 and it'll probably be close to a year before I'll be ready to swap it in so I was just wanting to run the trick flow cam in my truck until I'm ready to swap that engine out.

 

That seems like a lot of work to run it for a year and then swap engines. Are you buying the same cam for the other engine or will you have to tear this engine apart to reuse this cam? I don't have that much time on my hands.

 

I'd go with a different cam. Here's a screenshot of a mustang thread where a guy used that cam with stock heads and gained nothing




As you can see he says he lost so much down low that the gain up top ended him with running same quarter mile time as the stock camshaft.
So in a MUCH heavier truch the problem will be compounded.
And I've seen it myself, a cam that was good in a car making a truck almost underivable. Was a E cam in a MAF 94 f150 with the aluminum version of the gt40 heads y303s. Ran great from 2800 to the rev limiter. The problem was to get it moving below that required 4.56 gears and stock tires. If you want taller tires look for 4.88s or higher

 

Haha I do have quite a bit of time on my hands, i work in the oil industry and with the way that's going they cut all overtime and make us take mandatory furlough days, all I do when I'm not working is work on my truck so time is what I've got plenty of. As for your question, I will be reusing this cam in the new engine.

I know the weight of the truck was mentioned, I've been meaning to get it to the scales but haven't gotten around to it just yet. It is a regular cab short bed 2wd and everything I can find online puts its weight around 3800-3900. I'm going to be putting it on a small diet so it should end up weighing a few hundred pounds more than a convertabile fox.

As for tires I have dropped the tire size from 29 inches to 27.9" (275-60r15).

 

I suppose you could put a stall converter in it to help bandaid the loss of lowend. But, I believe anything you gain above 5k is going to be offset by the truck ecm rev limit being MUCH lower than a mustang.

 

That cam will fit with the stock springs as long as you use stock or other 1.6 ratio rockers, as far as how it will work with a truck engine in general I think you have been suitably advised.

 

Thank you Conanski, I was hoping that you would give me your thoughts on the springs and I really appreciate it.
I have seen a whole lot of your suggestions on cams for people and I know this probably isn't one that you would suggest but after doing a lot of research I do think it will be a decent cam for me.
My whole point of this truck is just to make it as light as possible while getting as much mid top end as I can while not losing to much bottom end and I will gear accordingly to be able to get it moving.

The purpose of this truck is purely street and occasional strip so I don't think I'm going in a bad direction with my cam choice, but if you think I'm totally wrong Conanski I wouldn't mind hearing your opinion. I do already have this tfs1 cam so I will definitely be trying it out just to see what I think.

 

The best truck I could think of that would be like what I'm trying to achieve would be lew's f150 and I know that he is running an e303 and that truck really seems to run. The tfs1 has a earlier operating range (2000-5500) than the e303 (2500-5500) so hopefully that will be in my favor.

 

Assuming your truck is a '96 MAF Automatic truck, running the stock MAF system, there's a couple of things you need to keep in mind:

1. The stock rev-limit is set at 5200 RPM. So not even the full operating range of the cam. The Foxbody ECUs are set at 6500 RPM.
2. The stock 1-2 WOT shift point is 4300 RPM, and the 2-3 is 4400 RPM.

Without custom tuning, the only way to get the most out of the cam will be to put the truck in manual 1st and shift it right at the limiter.

 

Lead head, that is really good info! I've been searching forums trying to figure out exactly where the rev limit and shift points are at and you just answered my question without having to ask!!
So I guess now the question is, is the rev limit and shift points something that can be moved via having someone tune the truck? I did plan to have it dyno tuned once I get everything sorted out.

Or would it be possible to replace the stock f150 ecu with a fox body ecu that is from a 5.0 automatic car?

 

You'd be better off selling that cam and getting one that will work at a lower rev range, then gearing the snot out of it. In reality, the 93-95 Lightning had a TINY cam and 4.10 gears ( yes it had 50 more cubic inches than a 302) but the would outrun a 454 SS truck.
PERSONAL COMPARISON: I have a 95 302 truck with 3.55 gears and 31 in tires. Best friend has a 95 302 with 3.31s and 31s with that small ratio difference I take him by a truck length. And that's bone stock.

You get a truck aftermarket cam and gear like 4.56 or 4.88 it will be faster than the tfs1 bumpstick.