Degree a E-303 for more HORSEPOWER

[89FHPLX]

I am putting my engine back on by Tuesday. One of my friends told me to Advance the cam to 2 degrees with a Ford Racing Timing Chain.

They say I can get a extra 25HP. Has it been done before? Yes, a freind of mine has done it, and now 3 more friends of ours is going to do it including me.

He says there was a Article about this and test were done.

Now for you pro's out there, Will degreeing a E-303 to 2 Advance give more HP?


I need your opinions on this. Time is running short before I put everthing back.

Thanks

[PKRWUD]

I would have sworn I just answered this for you yesterday. Maybe it was someone else.

There is no answer that is the same for everyone across the board. It depends on what's been done to the engine, and your driveline. Your engine has a power band, an rpm range in which it makes the most power. Advancing the cam by 4 degrees (2 degrees isn't much at all) will lower the point where your power band starts by about 300 to 400 rpms. Retarding the cam 4 degrees will raise the point where your power band starts by about 300 to 400 rpms. Most mild street driven cars do better advancing the cam timing because it brings in the power sooner, but it also lowers your peak power rpm. Cars that are more serious racers will want to retard the cam timing because it will give them more power at higher rpms. Because every engine is different, the best way for everybody to determine the best degree setting for their cam is to install it, and perform a compression test. Then you change the degrees, and do a compression test again. Keep doing this until you find the highest compression reading, and you have found the best degree setting for that cam in that engine.

Don't listen to anybody that tells you any differently, because they are wrong. 25hp by advancing the cam 2 degrees is laughable, but gains can be made if you do it right.

Take care,
-Chris

[tarmon8r]

right on PWRWUD

if knoweldge is power, then you must be king of the world.

[PKRWUD]

Originally posted by tarmon8r
right on PWRWUD

if knoweldge is power, then you must be king of the world.

LOL! Thanks for the kind words, but there is a lot more that I don't know, than there is that I do know. For example; women. I can't figure them out to save my life! oh well.



Take care,
-Chris

[SpeedRacerXTC]

In 1993, I ran an 11.26@128mph with radials in a 1991 Mustang GT.

The car weighed in at 3300 pounds.

Mods were:

• GT40 Heads fully ported by Craig Gallant (formerly of Texas Turbo)
  
• GT40 Intake port matched to heads
  
• 1.7 Jesel Roller Rockers
  
• 65mm Throttle Body
  
• Stock Short Block
  
• E303 Cam indexed and advanced 2 degrees
  
• Texas Turbo Long Tube headers with 3" collectors by Burns Stainless
  
• Vortech B-Trim supercharger with 12 psi of boost. Note it had a 15# pulley combo that netted 12 psi.
  
• Two Chamber Race Style Flowmasters dumped
  
• 3.55:1 gears with Auburn posi
  
• Tremec tranny
  
• HKS Racing Bypass Valve
  
• Canton Oil Pan with windage tray
  
• Full Griggs Suspension
  
• Baer Racing Brakes

If you know of anyone who ever street raced on Almonaster Blvd in New Orleans or was around at the time here in Houston, they can vouch for the car's brutal strength. The car did have GT40s that would flow quite well. Given that most of the engine mods were to breathe at top rpm, the determination to advance the cam two degrees was to eliminate the stumble the car had when shifting on the road course from 4th to 5th. By advancing the cam, the car picked up three mph in the quarter mile and had no dip in power when making the fifth gear shift.

Given the technology of then and now, I will still pic the E303 when I build my new engine.

[jrgoffin]

Not sure if this makes much difference, but I had spent a bunch of time playing with this Desktop Dyno program while I have been building my new motor. I had decided on the Crane 2031 cam installed straight up. My combo in this configuration graphed out at 400 hp @ 6000 RPM. When I played with the advance and retard, here's how it worked out:

-4 degrees: 404 hp
-2 degrees: 403 hp
+2 degrees: 395 hp
+4 degrees: 390 hp

Just an example of how minute the changes were from advancing or retarding it. As PKRWUD stated, it's the overall combo. Don't forget that as you change the cam's position in relation to the crank, you are also changing the piston to valve clearance! Just my $.02.

[SpeedRacerXTC]

Thanks for checking that out. I have used desktop dyno before but it does not play out well for Vipers. Mostly because of the restrictive intake manifold, there are no flow formulas for it.


I do know that in my particular application, the E303 did make great power. Also noted that several people I know with the cam do retard it for their preference. In mine, where I am using the top gears more than the lower ones for acceleration, I needed the cam to make its peak power closer to 4500 rather than 5800 rpm. This gave the engine a much broader torque curve and I would be interested to see how the desktop dyno indeed graphed that out.

I will certainly dyno tune everything now. Back in the day when I had that combo, the only dynos available were Clayton Water Dynos. We pegged those at well over 300 hp!!