Chad and Christy Stretz wrote:
All this talk about the Isky cam has me foaming at the mouth. I'm
curious about a couple of things: If I replaced my 73 TR6's worn cam
with one of these babies, would I need to change anything else? My
engine is bone-stock. Does a reground cam hold up as well as a new one?
Granted, $90 sounds great compared to $300, but will it last? I would
really like to know about anyone that has installed a z19 (I think
that's what you guys are calling it). I have NO clue when it comes to
duration/timing and the lot.
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Chad - can't give you too many details regarding TR-6s, but can give you
general advice re: cams. YES, you should change other aspects of the motor
to fully exploit the more radical cam profile, otherwise you are just
wasting money. At minimum, you should plan on porting and polishing the
intake manifolds and the head, installing a header and free flow exhaust
system, and changing the needles in your carbs to enrichen the mixture.
Don't forget that you may also have to shorten the pushrods to maintain the
proper valave geometry and you may also want to upgrade the bottom end if
you plan on doing some autocrossing, etc. Otherwise, just improving the
breathing is probably fine for regular old street driving fun (I am assuming
you are not going autocrossing, etc,). All of the above is pretty simple,
but it's the balancing and tuning that will really make a difference. Just
installing the cam by itself will probably just mess up an already good
running engine and make it damn near impossible to tune properly.
Isky makes 2 cams for the TR6 - a "Z19" and a "Z66 + 10". The Z66 is a true
race cam that is not suitable for your motor. The Z19 is listed as "Road &
Race" and is the better choice I would guess. As to longevity, yes, a
reground cam will last just fine. So, my $.02 worth is that you should save
the $90 on the cam, unless you are ready to spend another $200 to enjoy the
first $90 you spent. Good luck
Ross D. Vincenti
64 Spitfire 4
64 Porsche 356C Coupe
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