I want to buy one of the New comp cam thumper Series cams..... Summit sells them! ! ! But Im worried about tech help if Comp goes out of business,I think Summit would stand behind them somewhat , but I don't know for sure , I will call them in the morning and get the low down about Comp products, 1)I would like to know what all you guys feel about the thumper series cams? 2)Do you think there is a better cam for the proformance and sound ? Thanks for the help.... If a stupid question let me know about that also. FLAME ON ,Ive got my fire suit on! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Nobody stands behind anything with cams. As long as the right part number's in the box, you're on your own. Frankly the whole concept behind the thumper seems cheesy. If you pick any moderate cam and exhaust, it's gonna rumble and thump and sound good. I'm sure they're fine, the marketing just chafes a little good luck
Well said.....shoot for power and then get the sound as a benefit. Also, make sure you degree the cam, dont just put it in straight up.
I believe they get their sound by having a large overlap. I would check into specific specs and if it is really the best cam for your setup. You might run into vacuum problems if your running power brakes with so much overlap.
Your best bet, as always, is to call the Comp Cam help line and discuss your EXACT application with someone trained to point you in the right direction. Just don't BS them and try to make out your John Force Just the facts ma'am. They don't want a dissatisfied customer and have years of experience mating cams to applications. Even if you have to pay for the call ($10 maybe) it will be the best money you'll spend knowing you've got the right piece for such a critical component. I've used Comp Cams for years and have never had one recommended by them to be wrong. Frank
Thanks everyone ,well said by all so far. Im thinking about 492/510 height ,high as I want to go ,should have real good power and should sound good ..headers with 2 and 1/2 in pipes and flowmasters ,electric cutouts I don't have power brakes ,so thats not a problem.........
i have heard of the thumper cams but dont know the exact specs...the name comes from the fact that it has enough duration and lift to give you a rough choppy idle which any cam starting at about 480 lift and 280 duration and up will give you....the thing to look for is the requirements for running a specific cam. like headers,stahl converter larger than stock. different gears and weight of vehicle all play a part in making it all work together....
I like the Comp Cam help line idea, I wonder if their line is still up and running or if its been shut down along with the company?
I just put one in my engine. I had ordered the big mutha, but it was back ordered for weeks and was pushed back twice. (late model OE roller cam) I finally told Summit to send me the middle weight. It got here in 2 days. I only gave up about .010 lift on each side. I'll let you know how it works out. It may be a while before I turn it over. It was a pain to degree in. I figured there was something machined wrong; crank key way, timing set, cam or maybe stack of tolerances in all three. It was retarded 3-4 degrees when timing set was straight up and each key way was + and - 5-6 degrees. I finally installed a cam bushing to nail the specs on the card. Local speedshop owner tells me that in all his years he has never seen a roller cam install correctly out of the box. I dunno. I chose it specifically to get the narrow lobe separation (107*). It is about as much overlap as you can get anymore. All the cams available today, short of max race, have wide separation to create vacumme for power brakes and idle well with efi. I built mine for a real 11:1+ compression and want every bit of cylinder pressure I can get. The marketing campaign is kinda cheesy, but I am sure they get tons of calls asking for that "knarly, race car, lope". Anyways, once degreed in, it matched the spec card very closely. It may be a couple thousandths short on lift, but it's within the tolerances I expected. As far as a better cam for performance, that is all relative to your situation. Their tech line can help a lot, but you need all the details. If this will be your first conversation on that topic, expect general reccomendations on the safe side. They won't get "gnarly" with an amatuer. They expect pro builders to know their shit. You can play with all the options by downloading their camquest software. It's a trip to see how different changes affect power and torque. Just be real with the data you feed it and the expectations you have. I can create a combo in the software that makes 517 HP, but that isn't realistic for my parts. Being careful with my input, the software put me in about 425 HP, right where I was aiming with my build copied from a couple of magazine builds that I've researched very well. I think you can trust it, but it really is a case of "garbage in = garbage out".
I just pulled out the Big Mutha Thumpr hydraulic roller setup out of my 355.......it ran 10.89 w/ six-two's..........I went bigger and went with a solid cam will try that as soon as the track opens........Littleman
Put a really good stereo in your car and play the drumming intro to Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" really really loud if the 'sound' is all you're after when selecting a cam. Really, it's the Best of Both Worlds...you can control the volume and be a Little Dreamer without even leaving your driveway! The engine doesn't even have to RUN, so long as your battery is up to snuff and can power your amps! Ha Ha...marketing a camshaft based on it's 'sound' is just about the dumbest thing I've ever heard of, but fitting, given the source. Personally, I'd buy a cam from Crane (plenty of stock still available out there), Lunati, Isky or even Crower...they have a line of "Beast" cams on the market now with some really sensible specs, with several to pick from for each popular V8 application. Unfortunately, they were probably engineered for their PERFORMANCE, though...so who knows what they 'sound' like?!
scottybaccus Thanks for the help! Littleman Thanks for the reply,thats what I needed , parksquijada My mistake IT is Crane NOT Comp that is out of business............. Fat Hack<SCRIPT type=text/javascript> vbmenu_register("postmenu_3746633", true); </SCRIPT> Thanks MR I JUST GOT MY 55--- LOOK AT ME........ Smart Ass, and to think I was happy with your story about you getting your 55 home! Its NOT just the sound ITS the sound and proformance ............... whatever Thanks Man thats what Im looking for ........ I'm going to be a little less then yours at about 10 1/2-1 350cuin
Actually it should be about the performance, then the sound just happens to fall in line. It's backward logic. With street cams you go for idle manners, because that's the weak point of big cams in street cars. It's what holds you from going bigger and badder. So essentially with thumpers they're advertising the idle quality doesn't match top end performance. There's some good advice here, but you don't have a clue how to pick cams if you're considering some of these user replies to be data points or think you've provided enough for us to recommend something intelligent. There's just not enough information. Wanna know what a real data point involves? displacement, compression, head type, torque converter, transmission, rear gear, cruise rpm, redline, weight, street/strip percent use, and a camshaft part number. So call every cam company. Be real. Put all the recommended specs down on paper. Look for consistency in recommendations and don't be afraid to ask if something sticks out as different than what the competition recommended. That's how you pick a cam. If it just happens to be a thumper, great. Otherwise you're letting the ad guys pick your cam. They don't know shit about your setup. And if you're getting outrun, who really got thumped??? good luck
I have run Comp Cams for years and have had great luck with them. I currently am running a 292/501 cam and it sounds great and makes easy 400+ hp in my 350 (unique engine! ). They also have a downloadable desktop dyno that aids in cam selection and tells you expected horsepower per your combination. Just my .02, but I have always liked then and their service before and after the sale. Chris
I have run comp cams for several years, never had a problem. I am a dealer for them now and if you cant find one let me know and I will see what I can do for you. Best thing to do is to call COMP at 1-800-999-0853 and see what they suggest.
Shifty Shifterton Makes all the sense in the world to me ,Thanks I do know most of what you advised! I DON'T want the AD guys to pick my cam... ERKEL Thanks for the number ,I'll be calling them today , If I need more advise ,I'm pm you.......
Hey Fellas, Do anyone know who built the Thumpr Cams Red Hot Rod that I see on the Thumpr Cams commercial? Jimmie
I seriously doubt comp cams is in financial trouble, there's no warranty with a cam anyway. Spec the cam for the engine, trans, rear, driving style combo you are after. If it does what you want with a lope, great, if not, great. don't get a lopey cam, that can't back it up with performance.
I had one in my car for one year. It was cold blooded and under powered in the lower rpms and extremely low on vacuum. It sounded great but didn't work at all with my combo. I replaced it this spring with a comp cams XE268H and couldn't be happier Has awesome performance and lumpy idle and plenty of vacuum. Call comp and give them your combo and what you are doing with it.
6 years ago when this thread was started, they may have been. Of course alot of companies were in trouble at the end of 2008, start of '09.
Whats the big concern over Comp Cams going out of business? A cam is about the lowest priced performance upgrade you can make. Comp Cams a great manufacturer with quality products.
I'm cam shopping now and have it narrowed down to a few flat-tappet cams and accessories. Where is Comp Cams going? Surely not out of business.
I think that Crower sell's "roundy-round" cams that are down around 104 or so if you want something like this. Anyway, somebody does.. And imho, no more than a good old Crane SBC 274H06 hy-cam is a good one for a mild engine. And here is a little-bitty solid cam: Clevite's cam PN 29-1998; 258/219/270/229 114/110, .456"/.479" gross lift and need's .022" lash on each side! I doubt if it "cackles" much, but it should pull and rpm FINE! pdq67