If I were to get a performance cam for my EF, is it just a case of swapping the cams out, or will I need shims and such?

The car is a manual EF, that already has coby extractors and a stage 2 J3, so tuning shouldn't be any great issue

If using a Billet Cam, then only one shim should be required.

If using a Regrind Cam, then additional shims will be needed. Should be 2 per rocker as long as the cam is ground correctly.

Hmm okay, so one shim per rocker? And where does one acquire such shims from?

Also, are new valve springs required?

Are you using a billet cam or a regrind?

Shims second hand, wreckers, Ebay etc.

Would recommend at least XR springs or better, depending on the cam grind.

Not sure yet - haven't started looking at cams yet, figured I would find out how to do it first

To clarify SWC, your standard cam has one set of shims already... You'll usually need an additional set to run a regrind... A regrind profile is limited because the lobes are pretty much already set by the first grind...

You occasionally see used billets up for sale... They don't make blanks anymore to my knowledge so you wont find a new blank to turn into a billet... I recently found a billet blown cam so was glad to pick it up for a great price to put towards my future project works...

Remember you cam governs where and how your motor makes power... So you can go "big" which is big lobe lifts and close lobe centres which gives very low manifold vacuum and poor idle quality, which makes a big cam go fantastic in a race car, but isn't so practical in a daily driven street car...

Pretty sure camtech have a good site which gives their models of cams to suit and specs and what the ideal running rev range is for each lumpy stick...

Cheers,
Tim

Thanks heaps for the info guys - so billet is better if I can get it, and springs are a must? Only need additional shims for a regrind, and bigger isn't necessarily better?

Also, how would I be able to tell if I have a factory cam or something else already in the engine?

Billet is good but hard to get hold of. Regrinds are more common. Spring upgrade is a must in my opinion.

In this case bigger is not always better. You need to get a grind suited to your needs.

I found this list - don't know if the prices are good or which one would suit my needs though

http://www.aucklandcams.co.nz/cam_listings.php

Never heard of Auckland cams... They don't fill me with much faith though as factory rocker ratio is 2:1 not 1.9:1

The Aussie companies are all good an if you're a kiwi you should be able to import a good aussie one free of our gst... Pending your import taxes of course...

http://www.camtechcams.com.au/ford_6cyl_eael.html

There is also crow cams and Wade cams... Wade may have closed down but there may still be second hand ones kicking around...

If you wanted to go to a hybrid or au head I did see this billet one the other day...

https://m.facebook.com/groups/958501577 ... 6948885823

Cheers,
Tim