Help With Head Rebuilding/Cam Choices

[The Red Scourge]

Hi All,

I've lurked for a while and read quite a bit here, but now I need some direct help.  I'm rebuilding my L26 currently and would like to put a more aggressive cam in while I'm there.  I'm new to this kind of engine building.  Been working on air cooled 2 stroke engines for while.  From what I gather, the standard way of doing things is to come up with your power goal first and then decide what parts to get.  In an effort to learn more about how all these areas affect each other, I've started looking at cams first (maybe not the best idea, I know).  I want my 260z to be generally in the area of a resto-mod.  I have round top SU's I'll be using.  Looking for some power gains, but not getting crazy with it.  This will be a street car and I want to maintain reasonable drivability. 

A guy locally has a Schneider Racing cam for sale (new) at a great price.  I've seen conflicting things online as far as what else would be required to support that cam.  People have reported those cams wearing faster and stock valve springs used.  That kinda seems like a recipe for failure though.  

Cam Specs:

Grind: 270-80F

Intake Duration: 270

Exhaust Duration: 280

Valve Lift: .460

So I have some questions regarding this type of setup.  Would this roughly be considered a Stage 3 cam?  Would I need to upgrade the valve springs?  Would I need to increase the compression to get the engine to run properly?  Thanks in advance.  These are likely stupid questions, but I tend to learn a little better this way.

Edited January 15, 2021 by The Red Scourge
Updated Cam Grind

[siteunseen]

Whoa! I messed up. It is a stage 3 on MSA's page. Sorry about that.

Welcome to the party.

MSA uses Schneider's cam kits and they're stage I is closer to the grind you are talking about. 

https://www.thezstore.com/page/TZS/CTGY/classic12e03

here's Schneider's page and it looks like their grind #270-80F

http://schneidercams.com/dastsunL6_NA.aspx

I have one on a shelf in my spare bedroom. I thought I wanted to go faster but after a rebuild and the stock E88 head's performance I am happy just driving it as is. Too many police around here and I have the only bright orange 240Z in the county so they already know me and where I live. Every time I get gas somebody asked to look at it and a lot of times it's the police who are interested in talking.

The premature wear you've heard of happens on they're new cam billets from all I read before ordering mine. You have to send in a original Japanese core with "E30" stamped on there. Like this...

If you do buy that cam make sure it has this stamp, in my opinion, or I wouldn't trust it. 

On a break from work so I can't say much more but glad you found this forum and all the help you can stand from these guys.  

Edited January 15, 2021 by siteunseen

[The Red Scourge]

Awesome, thanks!  I've heard folks talking about MSA but I didn't realize they used Schneider cams.  I'll update my post with the grind #.  I didn't know they were a standard way of referring to different cams.

[jonbill]

I don't think there's a down side to a big cam in a Z. Mine is  ~15mm lift and it goes like a normal engine below 4k rpm and a not so normal engine above. No 'driveability' problems anywhere.

You wont get the full benefit without exhaust, carb, head etc improvements but it won't hurt. 

[siteunseen]

I'll add my best bag for the buck was an aluminum flywheel. It is a Tifton or Tilton or something close but at 10lbs that little motor tachs out fast through the first 3 gears. Never tried 4th and 5th. 

You can have the OE flywheel lightened at a machine shop, if I recall right somewhere between 15 and 20 lbs?

[The Red Scourge]

Thanks all!  That's definitely helpful!

[The Red Scourge]

I figured I'd post an update here.  The guy sold the cam to someone else before sending me any pictures of the stampings, so it may have been a CWC billet cam.  I think I'll be sending my stock cam to Delta Cams for a regrind (as well as the rocker arms).  I need to call and talk to them still.  I'd like a semi-aggressive cam, but I do want to run round top SU's for a while, with my eye on a triple Weber DCOE setup in the future.  If any one has grind recommendations for that while retaining low end power, I'm open to it.  I'm guessing that's vaguely a Stage 2 or Stage 3, but from what I understand the stage designations are a bit arbitrary.  Thanks all!