whats a good cam kit

[gahcamaro2]

i have a 88 camaro with a 5.7 350 crate engine w/vortec heads, and i blew the timing chain right threw the timing cover. so i guess this is the time to put a better cam in it. what is a good cam kit and what timing gears should i put in as well. thanx

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[RPegram]

Your cam decision is determined by what the engine is used for. Do you run 1/8, 1/4 mile, round track, dirt or is it just a daily driver? You also must consider what intake, carb, compression, valve covers, rocker arms and exhaust you are currently running. Also, don't forget the gearing in the rear end. The wilder the cam, the higher gears needed due to higher rpm range. A wild cam with high gears means slower getting away from the stoplight. Throwing a wild or even a mild cam in a completely stock engine will do no good. I would also investigate into why the chain broke and went through timing cover. This is not a normal break. Your best bet would probably be a very mild roller cam with a roller timing chain. These give a little higher lift than stock, keep duration around stock grind, have a good idle and keep car driveable. Places like Summit Racing have a good selection of cams. Just remember, changing cams is not going to drop your 0-60mph times much. You will need a good quality digital stop watch to see the difference.

[gahcamaro2]

i know its not a normal break, and thats what i dont understand, it broke in my driveway, the motor only has 54k miles on it. i turned the key and i heard crunching...jacked up the car and i saw teeth on the ground. i do race 1/4 but i do like 2 drive it on the street as well. its not everyday driver but i do love driving around town. i dont know much about cams but i guess i just want somthing a lil beefier so that latter on i can add turbos or super charger without problems. if it helps hes the link to the motor that i have....http://www.summitracing.com/parts/NAL-19201329/

and this is what it looked like when i took the chain cover off...http://img17.imageshack.us/i/sspx0349k.jpg/

[RPegram]

That is a nasty break. It looks like something jammed in gears and chain. Look around for missing pins, bolts, etc. I would also pull intake and oil pan to check for damage and make sure everything is rotating as it should.

If you looking at a cam for a blower or turbo, then you are not looking for a "wild" cam. These cams have special grinds to allow good flow into cylinder. I would wait and purchase cam when you decide which one to go with, a blower or turbo. Each has its own specific cam that needs to go with it to get the most out of it. A turbo would keep it a little more of a daily driver. It doesn't work until you get into it. A blower works all the time, so it really sucks some gas. You will need a heavily modified lower end to take the abuse the blower will throw at it. At a minimum you want a steel crank, forged rods and forged low compression pistons. The compression on your engine is a little high for a blower. You may find yourself purchasing some very expensive fuel. If you go with a blower with your current engine, keep the blower pressure down. A good choice for your current engine would be something like the small units that mount on brackets to front of engine. These are similar in style to the factory blowers found on the blown 3.8 liter Park Avenue. A turbo will need a little less, but it will need to be modified since rpm's will be high to get turbo to spool up. Your crate motor was not built to take the extended abuse of either one.

As far as a cam for your current setup, look through places like Jegs, Summit, etc. and pay attention for reccomendations for your current compression, intake, carb and exhaust setup. These are matched to work well together. If you try to go too big, it will hurt more than help.

Since you do a little 1/4 mile, check around the track for good machine shops. As you ask around, you will start to see the same name in who people use. A lot of racers will do their own assmebly, but farm out the machine work. If you are not experienced at building high performance engines, let the machine shop do it for you. Their prices will be much cheaper than Summit or any other retailer.

Keep us updated on what you decide and what you find caused the break.