Cams?

The 1UZFE EGR Delete Kit is available for sale here.

jibby

New Member
Messages
857
Location
Santa Monica, Ca.
Just want to know if anyone is aware of a cam maker in the US to make cams other then Kelford for IUZ-FE? Shipping is the killer for the Kelford Cams...
 
IDk, but one of my good friends is not just a perfect power dealer, but has rescently started his own low-volume cam biz for "passed over" Toyota engines.
He's got a set of 5vz-fe cams currently (Just finished & dynoed his first set of "mild" cams).
He's doing 3vz-e , 3vz-fe , 1mz-fe, 4a/7a-fe cams, and 3s-5s-fe cams as fast as he get done with his first few 5vz-fe sets as fast as anyone will send a set of cams to him.

I'll give you the general deal, but I'm not johnny, so I AM NOT speaking for him:
* First person, prefferably someone knowledgeable, and somewhat respected for that in their "forum community" will get to keep the first set that has been finished @ no charge.
* DOHC v6 (IDK about the cost for a dohc v8 ) cams are $850 for regrinds, including the shims to correctly use them.
***The first few buyers / several weeks the cams are avalible, they will sell for a reduced cost***
It's common for "generic" regrounds to go for between $200-250usd for a cam. @ his normal cost that's only $212.50 a cam.

SOHC v6 / i4's are around$450usd per set.

He'd be happy to do 1uz-fe cams, if anyone wants to send him a set.



He wants before & after dyno's done, and prefferably a dyno done AFTER fuel & ignition tuning.
He also will accept anyone with an FI'ed engine that has a rescent dyno done, that will take a post cam dyno.
If the tester sends him the cams, he'll pay for the dynos, or vice-versa.


He'll build them for any powerband buyers want, He's also diving into bucket & spring convertions for people buying high rpm oriented cams.
preffers re-grinds because they're lower cost, but is more than happy to do new billet cams for anyone that wants to shell the cost for them.
 
Sorry dont know anyone in US that makes xUZ cams other than Kelford.

I do know of a guy from Aus or NewZealand called Ivan Tighe. He made the cams for the powerhouse performance 600hp blown Soarer.
 
Shipping from Australia for a set of cams should not be that much. I just sent a shipment to Australia that weighed 40 lbs for 200.00 usd, and it got there in a week.

Eric
 
Well fella's I know exactly what cams I want. There the 108 int, 110 exhaust centrelines, this is a nos friendly cam and would work real nice on the IUZ-FE. 40hp-45hp expected gains on my engine without nos. This is all according to the Experts at Kelford (207-T1). I would love a set to help with my top end power and to complement my newly worked over exhaust system... The Dragon T.C.'s really robs a bit of the top end which I would love to try and get back....

Toyserme- If your boy is good and can do what I need, I would be happy to pay $750 + shipping for as good a product as the Kelford Cams. I would need some contact info if it's a go...I would think there are a few import cam makers in the US, no? Just need to look harder.....
 
Thanks Toysrme for the referal, its hard to talk on every toyota forum out there!

I have thought about 1UZ cams for the longest time and now that i see the want for some I can/will go forward into making some up.

For anyone wanting anything, fire me an email and i can see what I can do. If it works out ill be happy to produce & stock the cams here as an alternative to going to overseas.
 
Weasy - Can you make the highest quality of cam like the Kelford cams? I am not an expert on cams and how they are altered but I do have a few concerns and questions so how does one alter the stock cams? I would have thought that you would have to work out the new cams from scratch? How do you increase the size of the lobes? Don't you have to add metel/iron on to the cam to increase the lobe height which inturn creates the higher lift? I could see how you can work them to be smaller but larger, Wow? I am a contractor by trade and can weld pretty well and machine metal decently but hardened cast iron size increase??? Teach me something new please, if you have the time...I will also pm you on this if you think you can get the job done...and yes it is safe to say I am not the only one who would want a 40-45hp increase in power for $750 plus shipping. 40hp+ is a nice little increase, it's a no brainer. I would love a set of cams!!!!!
 
A lesson in regrinds:
Cam grinding is a technique where you take the cam and grind it to make your cam profile goals happen. Now in the process of it you make the cam a bit smaller...in some cases 15thou of an inch smaller...which isn't much...
NOW you ask how can the cam do its job when its smaller? You put shims in the valve buckets so the clearance from cam to valve is within spec. So basically you just fill in the gap of the smaller cam using shims or going to a shimless bucket setup.

Also the difference between regrinds and billet cams is that billets are BRAND new cams ground out from billets. The problem with this is the cost is HUGE!! just to do this. Even on my end i would have to invest huge amounts of money into billet material.

as for quality? People argue cam regrinds will break...not so true...especialy with Toyota cams having a hardener coating on them which makes them pretty damn tough!!
 
I do agree with the billet VS regrind debate.
Regrinding is faster, cheaper, and if you go looka t real custom cam builders, they all make reground cams for all kinds of pushrod, sohc & dohc V engines that spin 9000-9500-10,000rpm.
Billet cams are really nice, but when you're talking no less than twice the cost to make them, sometimes 3x... It just doesn't make since 99% of the time.
 
That is what I needed to hear thank you for the lesson, recieved and understood...so shims, got it......Ok now how would we work out this transaction with you? I am guessing we send in the four stock cams to you via ups Ground or Fed Ex with the goal already laid out for the cam alterations, then you do your thing with the cams, get paid and send them back altered and ready to install? What is the turn around time? No more questions from me after this...
 
Questions are always welcome!
Yep for this transaction you send them up here fedex ground (ups is a pain) making sure you mark the box and the paper with WARRENTY REPAIR and i will do the same as the cams are not new so we dont have to deal with duty.
I then send them to the cam grinder and he works away at it.
I then ship it back with info on the shim specs within a week of getting them.

Of course in the future i will have cores stocked here so there is less turn around.


fire me an email when your ready
 
Ok, sounds doable, so rather then take my cams out and disable my car for weeks, I am going to check the local yards tomarrow for a spare set of stock sc400 cams to send to you. Then the plan will be to swap my old cams out of the car and in with the new when they arrive. I will then proceed to pile up my backyard with more lex auto parts crap or try and re-sell the extra set of cams on Ebay. Just throwing ideas out for others. Thanks Johhny I will be in touch with you shortly....

Now I need to learn up on changing out the stock cams to performance cams on the Iuz-fe.. I would guess there is some Ecu tuning involved, head gasket replacement, etc.. that would need to be done in the swap.. there always is...Now, I have changed cams on Chevy small and big blocks before but never dual import overhead cams on the IUZFE...hope it isn't too much different and difficult my brain is already like mush from learning all this new crap on these forums in the past weeks...I feel like I am back in college cramming for finals...:smileysex Good stuff though....thanks all.
 
Just keep in mind "fat shims" have been known to flick out of the bucket which tends to ruin a perfectly good cam.

The correct way to change a standard cam to a "performance" grind used cams is to build up the lobe by hard welding then grind the profile you want. This maintains the base circle and allows you to use normal sized shims.

If you go too big in the shim department you may have to make them.

The cost of Kelford cams compared to reground used cams isn't all that much.

It looks like you will spend US$6,000 building an engine and put half priced/used/machined cams into it. Would you re-cycle your head gaskets?
 
Zuffen - that was exactly what I was thinking, wow I wasn't to far off.. I need to hear these shims won't come off the cams. Weas.. how many of these shimed cams of yours failed? 1%,10%? I am waiting for your thoughts on Zuffen's comments. I have seen cams and man to add size to the lobe is mind boggling to me, I can't even see a weld and grind happening on such a percision auto part...hardened steel too boot..
 
correct the shims CAN come out...but that is where you have to know a good cam grinder, as they can make a new profile without much grinding off the cam itself.
The amount taken off my cam was 10 thou that is next to nothing when it comes to this. It is very tough to be able to ge the discs to fly out unless you blow away the clearences and everything. Engineers are smart and made enough shims to go 50-75% larger in size.

I am going to be purchasing a single bucket for the 1uz to see if they are similar to the shim under bucket setups i am working on for the 5vz, if so then its easy...no shim can fly out when its under...or even shimless buckets :)
 
My guess is with this sc400 re-worked cams made to run with my nos sysem with the output of 108 int and 110 exh cent. is not a huge shim increase from what I am reading. I read up on some more cam info and I am reading that these shimmed cams are for the most part are reliable if done correctly and should not fail.

Toys - I have read so many of your posts and I know you are very knowledgeable in these areas so do you think huge shims will be needed to change the stock IUZ-FE cams to those specs like the 207-T1 performance cams from Kelford? Do you think it is a safe go or should I really be concerned about the cams shims failing? Give me your honest opinion as if you were to buy a set?

Thanks for all the info fellas....good stuff.
 
Something to remember when casually saying "use thicker shims" is the sheer cost of 32 new shims.

32 shims in Australia would cost over $500.00.

By using cams with stock base circle it stands to reason you will be able to re-use your old shims, albeit in different locations, as the clearences will still be within stock tolerances. I would expect to purchase perhaps 6 shims with new cams as against 32 shims with reground cams.

Tighe Cams in Australia welds and grinds 1UZ cams. Peter Scott has these and recently reported no signs of wear and he has (I think) about 60,000k's on them.

The 1UZ uses a thin steel washer under the springs.

When looking at new followers look into Toyota Echo followers. These was a thread here 18 months ago about them. They are cheaper lighter and apparently are a perfect fit.
 
I'm not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to cam specs, but just setting up a quick generic romp through old DD2k:
The specs on the 207-T1 plugged into it moves peak horsepower more to 6000-6500rpm. That's not going to cause problems with stock buckets & shims. It always remains to be seen how stock springs cope with stronger angles & more lift... But AFA shims getting knocked out of a bucket, no. That's not gonna be a problem at that low of an rpm range.

No, I honestly see you having no problems running re-grinds.
If you were looking to take a stock toyota engine that cuts off @ 6500 or 7000rpm up to 8000rpm... Then you start getting into the RPM ranges where a few 3s-gte's with shims, running very high lift, without enough spring, have knocked them off at 8K+. Which is why most of them, when doing cams for high rpm go with the 3s-gte shimless bucket.
Obviously anyone can make-up numbers, but with more Toyota i4's & v6's I deal with redlining 6250-6850rpm & cutting off @ 7000rpm, I really don't see any problems just using the stock bucket system if you're not going to be maxing out around 8K.

IMHO, at *that* point you might aswell do a shimless, or a better bucket conversion.
 


Top