7AFE camshaft grind Options

[GriffGirl]

Looking into getting my cams ground, keeping stock internals for the time being. Two questions: if I have my cams ground, do I need to re-shim the valves or any of that sort of stuff, or is this basically a "drop in"? I'm looking for more of an overall performance grind, with the intention of turboing the 7A in the hopefully not too distant future. So how much should I have ground? I know webcams has a numbered grind system, but I'm looking at having them done locally, and it'd be nice to sound at least a *little* bit like I know what I'm talking about.

[hurley97]

I'm pretty sure I have a spare set of cams in the basement if you want them, that will reduce down time while you have them re-ground. Mine are from Web Cams, they don't specifically make a set for the 7A so you have to have them custom made. I had them custom ground based on the fact that I was going to turbo the motor in the near future. I did drive the car with the motor stock and just the cams for like 13k miles. They basically didn't do very much on the low end (since the addition of a turbo would increase low end power) but it held out the power all the way to redline as opposed to dropping off in the mid rpm range.

All the following info is from my engine rebuild thread when I installed the cams, hope it helps a little...

what is ur cam spec?

someone asked about re-shimming the valves so I took some pics before the valve cover went on today.

first you hand tighten the cams in (no need to torque them at this point) and turn it to top dead center. starting with one side first and using a feeler gauge...


do only the valves where the lobes are facing up. pull out the min and max sizes on the feeler gauge.
the minimum should fit between the shim and the cam lobe...


and the maximum should not fit all the way under the lobe at all...

[GriffGirl]

Not only does this info help, it's actually what's inspired me to do this in the first place

I've been following your build(s) now since you started them, and have recently been referring back to your build thread quite frequently to study it for info, tips and ideas. I check Craigslist almost daily to look for Celica parts, which is how I stumbled on the post for the free 7AFE head. I appreciate the offer on the cams, I was actually gonna PM you if the free head (heh heh, I said free head) thing didn't work out, but I was able to pick it up on Saturday, so now I've got the cams & don't have to worry about down time! The head was described to me as most likely being warped; original owner blew the gasket so he just replaced the entire head. Makes no difference to me if the head is warped though, it's an opportunity to study it and learn it. I'll keep the cams (obviously) and the valve cover (yay!) and get a few bucks for scrap metal on the rest.

So I'm probably NOT going to send the cams to Web Cams, only because there's a few places local to me that can do it, and I kinda want to have them done in time for the Cali meet at the end of the month.

So the ultimate goal with these is yes, to increase top end performance. Because the low end will be covered with the turbo build. It's gonna be a TEENSY turbo, I'm seeing what I can put together on a budget. I picked up a little twin entry T2 with the manifold (hoping I can use it for the flange? Not sure yet) for $60 this weekend. But I figure on stock internals, realistically I'm never gonna put out more than 200 HP, and the T2 is rated up to 225, so with a quick spool and lower heat, it should be a pretty good match and a GREAT starting point for my first build. Now that I've got the turbo, I just need everything else.

If I print out that specs sheet you posted and take it to the place I'm having the cams done at, it contains enough information for them to basically replicate that, yes? Obviously the grind number isn't relevant to them, but the degreeing info is where it's at, correct?

I'm pretty sure I have a spare set of cams in the basement if you want them, that will reduce down time while you have them re-ground. Mine are from Web Cams, they don't specifically make a set for the 7A so you have to have them custom made. I had them custom ground based on the fact that I was going to turbo the motor in the near future. I did drive the car with the motor stock and just the cams for like 13k miles. They basically didn't do very much on the low end (since the addition of a turbo would increase low end power) but it held out the power all the way to redline as opposed to dropping off in the mid rpm range.

All the following info is from my engine rebuild thread when I installed the cams, hope it helps a little...

what is ur cam spec?

someone asked about re-shimming the valves so I took some pics before the valve cover went on today.

first you hand tighten the cams in (no need to torque them at this point) and turn it to top dead center. starting with one side first and using a feeler gauge...


do only the valves where the lobes are facing up. pull out the min and max sizes on the feeler gauge.
the minimum should fit between the shim and the cam lobe...


and the maximum should not fit all the way under the lobe at all...