Whiplash, Thumper, Bootlegger etc cams

[F-BIRD'88]

You can get a similar exhaust sound on more typical cams like a Comp 292H-10 Magnum cam by advancing it more eg 101/119 centers vs normal 106/114 centers (110 LSA) This opens the exhaust valve sooner for more exhaust sound pulse pressure. It also closes the intake valve earlier to create a more punchy low/midrange torque curve vs top end power.
The chambered style (Flowmaster) mufflers tend to favour the desired nasty idle and volume.
On a low compression ratio "Saturday Night Cruiser" this more advanced cam phasing may often be a overall car performance improver with a cam like a 292H-10 Magnum.
These cars often lack gearing to make good use of the big cam power.

[travis]

I'm running a Vortec head 350 SBC, maybe 9.0:1 compression (stock dished pistons with 64 cc chambers), with a Thumper cam (smallest of the bunch) and a dual quad Edelbrock RPM intake, headers and dual exhaust. Trans is a TH350 with a shift kit with a 2500 stall convertor with a lock up. This is in a 83 Pontiac Parisienne (GM B body) 4 door. Heavy car, 3800 lb. It'll spin that one tire at will off the line for longer than one would expect in a old barge of a car. A lot of people don't have too much good to say about these cams but I suspect they've never actually run one. I like the way it sounds at idle.

I’m curious what you have for gears in that thing. I love those B bodys…I’ve owned several over the years.

[travis]

I have always wanted to try this cam in something. Crane Energizer 274 H06. 218/218 @.050, .450 lift, 106 lsa. Should be great for having your sound and good manners too. Summit seals their copy of it for $95.

I’ve used the 274H06 (and copies) in probably a dozen builds for other people over the years in everything from 305’s to 383’s. It’s a quite versatile grind, and IMO sounds great without being excessive…and it doesn’t have so much overlap to really hurt drivability. To me, the huge seat to seat exhaust split on the thumpers and what not sounds “sloppy” at idle unless you have some compression. Not all of them, but a large percentage of them do.

[1980RS]

I have run both the 292H and the Elgin 1165P cam in my SBC, the difference on power is noted by the 3 tenths the Elgin picked up over the Comp 292. Never ran better than a 11.59 with the 292 but ran 10.92 with the Elgin cam. Ya the Elgin does have that idle everyone wants and as far as driviability goes, you need to tune the car for that stuff no mater what cam you have in the car.

[af2]

This thread cracks me up. Kind of like the blower surge with a shitty running blown street car. A good sounding cammed car is going to idle around 1100 RPM IMO...

[Steve K]

I'm running a Vortec head 350 SBC, maybe 9.0:1 compression (stock dished pistons with 64 cc chambers), with a Thumper cam (smallest of the bunch) and a dual quad Edelbrock RPM intake, headers and dual exhaust. Trans is a TH350 with a shift kit with a 2500 stall convertor with a lock up. This is in a 83 Pontiac Parisienne (GM B body) 4 door. Heavy car, 3800 lb. It'll spin that one tire at will off the line for longer than one would expect in a old barge of a car. A lot of people don't have too much good to say about these cams but I suspect they've never actually run one. I like the way it sounds at idle.

I’m curious what you have for gears in that thing. I love those B bodys…I’ve owned several over the years.

Stock 7.5" diff so probably 2.73's if that. With a 28" tire it tachs around 2100 at 65 mph. 26' tires around 2300 rpm. Its my daily driver. I also have a 78 Delta 88 with he 6.6 lt. That thing is smooth...

[Adger Smith]

Have any of you guys ever checked the Thumper cams on cam Dr. or Cam Pro Plus, Ect??

[PSA]

I believe the designer at Compcams even said some time that it was a decision made by the marketing team, there was no strive for performance that guided the work.
Not to go off topic, but I think it's kind of the same thing as when you see showcars with twin turbo bigblocks that's only suited to turn tires into smoke.
If you like it, go for it, but it's not for me.

[F-BIRD'88]

Re: The Elgin E-1165P camshaft.. I often pondered if this series of Elgin Hyd FT cams had been offered in tighter 106-108 LSA either single pattern or dual pattern grinds, vs the 112 and 114 LSA version that they should work pretty good for builds that need it. That E-1165P is a recent addition to the catalog list... Looks to perform well.

[BradH]

... it was a decision made by the marketing team, there was no strive for performance that guided the work.

I suspect strongly that has happened with at least one oil company whose Marketing Department caught ZDDP Fever and started screaming "More! More!! More!!!" for their race oils at Engineering. I'm no tribologist, but some of the ZDDP #s advertised are IMO off the scale for what constitutes a reasonable amount.

[1980RS]

Re: The Elgin E-1165P camshaft.. I often pondered if this series of Elgin Hyd FT cams had been offered in tighter 106-108 LSA either single pattern or dual pattern grinds, vs the 112 and 114 LSA version that they should work pretty good for builds that need it. That E-1165P is a recent addition to the catalog list... Looks to perform well.

It sure does.

[PSA]

... it was a decision made by the marketing team, there was no strive for performance that guided the work.

I suspect strongly that has happened with at least one oil company whose Marketing Department caught ZDDP Fever and started screaming "More! More!! More!!!" for their race oils at Engineering. I'm no tribologist, but some of the ZDDP #s advertised are IMO off the scale for what constitutes a reasonable amount.

Oil will usually turn into religion, all marketing, lots of beliefs and no logic.
But I guess we all fall for anecdotes sometimes, despite empirical evidence, the really bad part is like you say when the mfg follow customer demands instead of science.

[77cruiser]

Have any of you guys ever checked the Thumper cams on cam Dr. or Cam Pro Plus, Ect??

What does it reveal?