Looking at getting a custom grind on a billet cam. Who have you used and had the best results?

Do all of the cam makers come up with the same results when given the specs they need?

I had a Comp grind a turbo cam for me. I had in my hand 3 days after ordering.

I've used crower and cam motion.

So far, the cam motion has been great and I haven't started the crower yet.

Comp Cams, especially on custom grinds Thay seem to have the biggest selection of lobes of any of the better cam companys out there, I'm sure thier doing constant R&D also

Bullet or Predator

I started using Cam Motion in 1998 and still do, but as of late we have had some differences of opinion on certain parameters but I will still say they are number one for grinding what you ask for. Garbage in, garbage out. You can't fudge numbers.

I still use Racer Brown a BUNCH because Jim and I see eye to eye on so much that it makes it hard not to at least get his numbers and see what he says. You can't BS Jim. My current project is using one of RB's grinds. He had the balls to hear me out, correct my erroneous thinking, and grind something dang close to what I thought I should have.

Jones Cams. Mike Jones is a smart dude. Have dyno'd a bunch of his stuff and it works. He has different ways of "skinning the cat", but the cat gets skinned .

Those would be my top 3 in any order, most likey I would chose the one who you "get on" with the best on the phone. I go by my gut. Also remember my gut is pretty old.

Dwayne Porter ground my custom cam for me and everyone I know with his cams are very happy. Ron

What part of your tune up is such a departure from competitive engines that the cam has to be different?

I changed the compression and I'm not roundy round racing, so I figured I'd call and find out what a custom grind would look like for my application. Then compare to my current grind. If it's not much different then I'd stick with what I have. If there is quite a discrepancy then I'd probably check with another company and see if their results are the same, if so then I'd opt for a custom grind.

Called a few companies. Many didn't know what an R5 was. Bullit has a guy who did all EEI Cams at comp. Howard's has Mikee who ground all Cams at Arrington. I have a couple predators for R5. Main thing is people who know the engine first. Then who grinds good Cams.

Did you notice much of a difference between a NASCAR cam and your custom grind on paper or real world results?

I have had really good dealings with Chris Straub / Straub Technologies. He was effortless to work with, pricing was fair and he's more than capable of making the results happen. I will also say that his customer service post-purchase is fantastic.

I had a Cody Williams at Comp give me this recommendation for a 505" stroker with ported Stealth's. Gave him all the info. and couldn't belive what I got back!?

This is what he recommended:

http://www.compcams.com/Company/CC/cam-specs/Details.aspx?csid=730&sb=2

Lost all faith in them after this B.S.!

That is the problem with comp. Unless you are "somebody" in the "biz" you just can't call and get ahold of anyone but a salesman, who picks cams from the same catalog or web site you can.

For the brave and daring (or the guys who are testing crap all day long) you can call comp and pick lobes out of the lobe profiles and put them together and have it ground. Me, being a nobody, tried it once, but the salesman convinced me it wouldn't work. Called someone else who custom did a cam and the lobes were pretty much what I picked from comp.

Scott Brown
Competition Components

I've ran bigger cams than that what he recommended in a stock stroke, stock head motor!

Morons...

I mainly use Tim Goolsby at Bullet (dealt with/have an account him for years and years going back to the Ultradyne days)...but I pretty much know what I want in terms of powerband/lift and duration based on cubes/headflows/Compression/gearing/stall and weight...and he helps pick the right lobe and spring requirements for how I intend to use the motor.

AND I would NEVER HESITATE to call Dwayne Porter (Fast68Plymouth) and get a Comp custom grind through him. Countless times we've come up with near identical grinds for Moparts applications. Guys would PM me and ask about a grind they either just bought from him (or were about to buy) and I think every time Dwayne picks the same basic grind, right down to the lobe spread and ICL. We must be kin somehow I think.

X2 - someone who has done great work with those cylinder heads will know what they want for a cam.

ISKY.........

I would bet that those nascar engines would be better left alone--yes..they are very high RPM packages that have it all moved up to the top--makes them hard to get a good drag race converter dialed in but...they are so well designed -to the point where I would think you would really screw up the combo asking some outfit that may have very little experience with that engine --for drag race use-- to make a good decision on a new grind
I bet it goes backwards with new cam and that you have to start all over again with converter selection--again--very few converter builders with enough drag race experience with those engines.
They are everywhere and cheap--my neighbor has one that is running great in a drag car but that was after a hard season and Lots of $$$$$ spent on converters.
What do you hope to gain? And is a cam the way to make that gain? I bet converter is best way to attack going faster.
All that being said I would call Arrington and stick with whatever they say
just my two cents worth

I agree with Street wize. Calle Comp and same run around from some high school kid on the phone pretending to know something about engines.
Called Cam Motion and liked what I heard, but endced up calling several more people. Really liked Tim at Bullet Cams. His service was really fast and price was better than others.
SO I VOTE BULLET

Cam Motion gets my vote.

Usually speak with Kip, and he is super knowledgable.

Have used others in the past, but Cam Motion definitely gets the nod from me lately.

i have had dwayne spec two cams for me, both comp's and both exceeded my expectations.

Dwayne......mighty smart guy

You need to talk to someone who knows those engines in particular. Listen to Leon.

Excellent question. Many feel that they will benefit more from a special grind verses off the shelf stuff. Just not true, especially if you are using off the shelf parts for everything else and building in the 550 or under HP range. On the second part of the OP's question, it is always smart to get a few different cam vendors opinions when you are looking for a custom grind. Fill out their web sight form and send it in.

This IS the problem. If you don't flow the intake system, don't know all the numbers then off the shelf is probably good enough. But no 2 engines are ever exactly alike.

What I can't grasp is why is it a big deal to pay the same (or even a few $$$ more) to get a cam that is spec'd to YOUR cmbination. If you don't think it's a big deal, make up 3 engines, all with slightly different specs i.e. one with a dual plane, one with big headers and one with 1 point more compression. Then call and get cam grinds called out for each one. Something there to learn.

Under that scenario, all engines should have a special cam?? BTW, it ALWAYS cost more for a special grind cam. I, actually am running a special grind cam from Comp due to my combination ( blower motor, big heavy car, etc. ). When I purchased the cam A few years ago, I filled out the cam form from several cam suppliers. At the time, I was running some cast iron heads that flowed in the 260cfm range. About a year ago I up graded to fully ported aluminum heads that the supplier had flow numbers on - 299 cfm at .600 lift. Everything else stayed virtually the same. Sent a new cam form in with the head changes to the same guys I originally sent to. Got one no reply. Comp replied with a "suggest no changes". Other cam response was " we can't supply anything better than what you are using". Point I was trying to make is, in many cases, that "I need a special cam" is over blown and more of a comfort zone thing for more $. Many cam sellers offer in the range of 15 different off the shelf grinds for any particular cam type, flat tappet, hyd, roller, etc. Covers a lot of different engine combinations and they have already done the work on the matching valve train components to keep many of us out of trouble. I can surely ( and don't call me Shirley ) see special grinds when you are making large HP with many very specialized parts. That's not what I am talking about.

A few years ago I called Comp Cams for a cam for my 360 with stage 2 ported Hughes heads that flowed around 260 cfm and over 12 to 1 comp. They suggested the same cam they told a friend of mine he needed for a stock 440. It was a .520 lift hydraulic cam. I just said thanks and hung up.

There are a lot of different ways to answer your question and it all depends on how serious of an engine that you're working on. For example, picking the perfect lobe is one question but finding someone who can manufacture that lobe might be a different question. Also, some cam companies have really big lobe families while other ones only have a few lobes to pick from.

Anyone on here that thinks they can out design that engine as it was delivered is silly--it was not designed as a drag engine so it is all top end but...they make killer drag engines with the right converter--heading out and thinking that you will make a couple of changes and get a new cam and have the hot lick as compared to what top Nascar guys paid azzloads of well earned cash--testing expensive parts 24 hours a day on three dynos per shop for over 5 years on the same engine is just crazy--you need to be putting in an application at Penske
I bet it slows down with changes--- unless you reach out to P5 gurus and do exactly as they say-
All that being said Bullet first and always--Cam Motion--home of the baddest solid flat tappet cam for big block mopars ever ground if you want bigger than Mopar .590

Ok, after hearing your guys opinion and talking to a few others. I'm going to invest in another converter.

Guys are running mid 4s in 1/8 with only a 250 shot, with stock NASCAR pistons and cam.

I've heard many times you can't spray them, you'll melt the rings right off. 75 passes and running with 250 shot, rings are cheap lol

Well, that ends this thread.