Hi guys,

I just bought a CAPA eliminator chip and am now looking at a few other goodies and, as always, have questions....

1. I'm looking for another cam. The Wade 1636 seems to be the best and cheapest option. I know I don't need to, but, would it benefit me at all if I got tougher springs or an adjustable cam gear to go with the 1636?

2. I wouldn't mind upgrading to a Tickford head... or something... But is it worth it? I know they come standard with a better cam (irrelevant if I'm getting a 1636) and bigger exhaust valves... but is that it? Any other benefits? Also, are there any other heads that would suit my EF (something off an EL perhaps) that would have bigger valves or some type of super dooper amazing thing that I really don't need but will feel cool having????

I don't want to go the full ball but I was planning on doing my head these uni holidays anyway (just to be safe) so why not spruce things up a little?!

Any other fairly low-cost (that means no porting) things I could do whilst the head is off?

Cheers,
Sam.

I had stock EF valve springs tested and they were stiffer than the Crow double valve springs. If you don't rev your car past redline regularly, then you don't need to upgrade the springs.

As for the EF head, according to JMM, it flows well and is easier to modify than the earlier heads. Cleaning up the ports & matching them to the gaskets is the first suggestion. Maybe shave the head by 10-25 thou. If you raise the compression (I think it's over 9.2:1?), then you'll have to run on Premium Unleaded all the time. If you want to get the cam timing spot on, then a vernier gear is recommended.

Tickford head would also have better valve springs (I think same as heavy duty springs at Crow) and better flow. So if you plan on upgrading the cam from 1636 to 1673 or bigger...you won't need to replace the springs.

Vernier gear is good...cheap tuning tool (relatively speaking). You can have considerable gains compared to stock setting, depending on camshaft.

I think either EF/EL Tickford head will be good on the EF. But not sure if there were much differences between EF and EL heads...someone else can fill you in on that.

phong =P~

Shortshift and Phong pretty much have it spot on there..

With the 1636 from you won't need uprated springs.. The standard springs work fine with the 1636 as its still fairly mild. The only time id think you would need to use stiffer springs with a higher seated pressure would be when you're using a big cam with high lift (over .520 lift or something). With the 1636 it works fine on the standard ecu. Getting it fine tuned with the capa chip should make the most of it

As for the head, id stick with the one you have now. Just get a valve regrind done and get the seats recut, replace the valve stem seals while the valves are out and get the head machined a few thou to make sure its dead flat. Put an AU headgasket in and it'll bump the comp up a bit..

If you can source a tickford head for a really good price, id go with it. Would make it a lot easier then cause you could get one head prepped and ready to go then just swap it over when it comes to doing the job. As you said, its got the larger ex. valves, slightly stiffer springs, etc, so if you are not planning on doing any headwork at least the tickford head would flow a little better.

The only other head with larger valves apart from the tickford one would be the AU head (EL hybrid too). They had the larger 41mm ex. valves already and have thinner valve stems (7mm) as apposed to the earlier e-series. Although the AU head doesnt flow as well stock, you get good gains out of porting it so unless you are doing headwork dont bother with it.

So from the sounds of things, I should...

Chuck in the 1636 and not bother with any other things like springs or vernier cam gear.

And If I can find a Ticky head at the right price then grab it, clean up the ports, and chuck it in with an AU head gasket.

But nothing else is really hugely worth doing..?

The wreckers will try to rip you off if you get Tickford head from them. I haven't found any that will negotiate prices. Sometimes one's available on Fordmods at a good price. With EBay, apart from waiting for one to appear, you can end up in a bidding war.

Perhaps consider modding your EF head. I paid about $90 to get larger diameter valves installed in the EF head I'm using.

$90 total? or per valve..?

A Tickford Head, even a cheap one, will still set me back about $300+... Not really worth it.

Hey, Have you read through these threads it has a lot of info, but just letting you know. About cams and heads the whole lot.
http://www.fordmods.com/viewtopic.php?t=66
http://www.fordmods.com/ford-4l-and-6-cylinder-f1/click-here-it-has-the-answers-to-all-your-6-cyl-questions-t33978.html