Avoid the thumper cams They are good for what they say they are for, a rough sounding idle. They are not and never were the best choice for horse power or torque in fact they are 'compromised' to make an engine just sound loud. If a thumpy sound is what you want then get one. If you wish to purchase a cam that makes better hp/torque then avoid the cams that promise to make the crowd hear you a block away. jmho .
Yep, just like detuning your carbs to give your old jalopy a rougher idle. In the 40's, a rough sounding Flathead easily impressed those that were impressed upon easily. .
I am running the comp-cams hydraulic roller thumpr. It sounds good, and works good too... I dont know what all the hate is about??? Like the old saying goes- opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.
I ran 10.87 a while back w/ the Big Muther Thumper hyd. roller w/ six 94 two barrels on engine only.Thats not blistering fast but a great start..........A cam does not necessarily make or break you......it's the whole package together, from the power plant to the rear wheels... which most hotrods lack.............Just like all these threads that I find silly...''what is the best engine ? ''.........Hell ,you can make any engine fast if you want too !.....To me they are all pretty much the same and not worth fighting over the brand, you can manipulate all of them..........Littleman I will add I ran 1.62 rocker ratio w/ this cam to wake it up....
comp is good stuff,they made these because alot of people want the sound and drivability,my 2 cents Who has used one for a old 392 hemi,would like to get some input from some people who really have one or know there shit.
Funny. All the people who never used one say that they are stupid and dont work then the people actualy driving and using the cams say they are great. I am planing on putting one in my A and guess whos opinion I am going to take?
got one in a 327, camel heads, flat tops, tunnel ram w/ 450s, headers, lots of timing - revs instantly, pulls hard, runs good up to 6500 - what's the problem?
someone that DOESN'T have one chiming in: It is a compromise, but with modern tech and good engineering behind it. The hope is that the engineering nudges the compromise over towards the side where you get the sound you like, without losing too much driveability. If the thumper series only loses a modicum of torque but gives a truly NASTY idle, then it could be worth it to add some auditory attitude to a street ride. I'd imagine that a good cutoff might be 25-30 lbs of torque-meaning that if a "standard" or "ideal" grind would give more than 25-30 lbs more, then go with what works over what sounds bitchin. Your butt-dyno may allow you to sacrifice more or less torque than that but there is a fine line to what sound good and what is considered clownish. -rick
jdubbya, Dont know what prompted the hate either! Thanks to all for the "Positive" replies! I'm just weighing some options for my frequently driven 327 ...
No hate here... and just because I don't run one doesn't mean I'm not failure with them. As stated above there is some compromise in performance and Comp Cams engineers will tell you as much.They have different grinds that will give you better performance with all other factors being equal. That doesn't make them bad but as I was trying to infer in my previous post,just like noisey timing gear sets, the sound really won't make the car go any better. To tell the truth I like the sound of the idle with a Thumper but that doesn't change the fact that it's just window dressing just like chrome and (Bite my tongue)billet. I guess its all in what lights you fire and only you can answer that. Keep us posted.
First hand experience here. Bitchin' little cam. Compromise? Maybe. A hotrod is, bt nature, a compromise. Race cars are nit good street cars. Street cars are not good race cars. Hotrods generally do both. So?! The key selling point is the valve overlap from the narrow lobe separation. It's actually better for higher compression and higher octane. I suspect the little roadster we got here is good for mid 12's on 9.5:1 compression. Hope we find out soon. I have another one in the works that will make good use of the lobe separation angles with 11.5:1 compression. You that be hatin', must have never heard what Mama said... If you ain't got nothin' good to say, don't say nuthin' at all!
YOU , may want to look up HOT ROD mag, Did a shootout with this cam, the dyno results speaks for itself, check it out. The cam was developed for road racers ,what does that tell you.?
If it was developed for road racing it should have a lot of torque. As road races are a lot of little drag races from corner to corner. Been there done that for nearly 40 years.
call comp cams, get the info from them, that is where i got that info. I have that cam and with the right combo ,i think it is pretty torquey, drag racing for over 46 years.Not my first Rodeo either.
I would think that when you ask for peoples opinions you should expect to here both the good and the bad. Why else would you ask?
Positive and negative from replies from persons having first or even second hand experience with the question are always welcomed. I be hatin' the Haters that have never even opened the box and say things like "it's a gimmick only for the sound", "poser", etc. Anyone havng constructive opinions opposing my own will always be welcome at my table. It's how I learn a little more.
OK, Now that the "Wad Squad" has spoken can everybody just post how they really feel !!!!!! LOL Tom (Tired Old Man)
Has anyone used a comp cam Thumper in a Fe Ford 390 for street use to run good and sound bad? If so do you have the number? Ron43
The Jalopy Journal
