Contact at comp cams

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Monza355
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Contact at comp cams

Post by Monza355 »

Hello fellow racers. I’m eyeballing a custom camshaft from comp cams. Does anybody here know a smart knowledgeable contact to talk to about this matter ?

Thanks in advance.
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by rebelyell »

Why not discuss with Mike Jones of Jones Cams? He owns this site and often posts here as CamKing.
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by prairiehotrodder »

i bought a custom cam last week from comp. I talked to 2 different people on the tech line. My experience was, either buy a catalog cam that they suggest or tell us what you want for a custom cam and its your baby. I also filled out the cam recomendation form from Bullet and got no response and i emailed Erson and got no response.

In the end i used advice that i received from Camking and my friend old school to just go ahead and order one from Comp. I used comp because i get free freight and a wholesale price from them.

Brian
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by BlitzA64 »

In the end if you talk to Mike you are actually talking to the guy that designs the cam. A lot of cams companies have been bought out and the folks that knew their stuff have gone away so like the experience above you either pick the lobes or the person on the line reads off a generic ad for a generic grind.

If it is a budget build and you just want to get somewhere in the ball park that may be ok for a bracket type deal. If you are racing in a class and want to be in the front row of the ball park, Mike is a good choice and for a little extra I know I am at least in the 98th percentile. One less thing to worry about in a world where a set valve covers can cost more than a camshaft
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by pdq67 »

It's a shame that UDHarold is long gone because He flat knew his stuff. And I am not taking anything away from Cam-King..

And to this day, I still miss Harold!!

pdq67

PS., UDHArold of, "ULTRADYNE CAMS fame!! I think that he once posted his history and it showed that he had designed as well as worked for a bunch of cam companies before creating his own company!

I want to say he did CC's HE cam line...
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by Kevin Johnson »

pdq67 wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 1:24 pm It's a shame that UDHarold is long gone because He flat knew his stuff. And I am not taking anything away from Cam-King..

And to this day, I still miss Harold!!

pdq67

PS., UDHArold of, "ULTRADYNE CAMS fame!! I think that he once posted his history and it showed that he had designed as well as worked for a bunch of cam companies before creating his own company!

I want to say he did CC's HE cam line...
harold.jpg
https://www.yellowbullet.com/threads/harold-brookshire-udharold-rip.1193162/post-29387970 wrote:
Ron,

Don't apologize....I sometimes think threads for him were meant for me, too...
Since you asked, I'll give everyone a very very short history of me, so you'll know where I came from.
1969---Went to work for State of Mississippi as computer operator, rose to be lead operator at CDPA, Central Data Processing Agency.
1972---Began working on cam design program in my spare time.
Dec 15, 1972---Sold 310AP SBC solid to Reed Cams, Georgia, for $125.00.
1973---Made $3000 selling to Reed, Isky, Engle, Norris.
1974---Designed Reed's RxxxULX line of rollers, and a lot more, including Benny Parson's 1975 Daytona 500-winning cam. Also Shirl Greer's TF/FC NHRA National Champion Nitro Funny car cam, designed for Norris, and it was a True Chrysler flat tappet, with .438" lobe lift.
1974---Became General Kinetics' cam designer, worked with people like Bill Jenkins and Jack Roush on the cams for their ProStockers.
1976---Jenkins wins Pro Stock Natinal Championship, with GK doing large-barrel cams.
1977---I start in January with Competion Cams, as their original cam designer. Over the next 3 years, I design them hundreds of cams, including the 268 High Energy. I introduce them to the unsymmetrical cam.
1979---I write them their 1st in-house cam design program. Before that, we shared a program with Cam Dynamics.
1980---After negotiating since late 1976 for some stock ownership in Competition Cams, I leave and start UltraDyne on April 1st, 1980. The 1st month I design the 288/296F5 and the 288/296R6, the 2 most popular cams I ever made.
1981---In September, I hire my 1st employee, Mike O'Neal, who ran my shop, made all my models and masters, etc.
1982---We're running 2 shifts, from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Tim Goolsby comes to work for me, he is Mike's brother-in-law. I also design UltraDyne's first hydraulic cams, such as the 272, the 276, the 288/296H.
From then on until 2000, we all just worked. UltraDyne grossed over $1.2 Million a year from 1990 to 1999.
2000---A number of independent factors began to take their toll---Federal Mogul acquiring my 2 major solid lifter core manufacturers, and their later Chapter 11, Lifter companies disappearring, tremendous cash-flow problems in the end of 2000, initially triggered by the UPS strike---We lost around $50,000 in the strike.
2001---A un-named cam company in Memphis hires 8 of my 12 employees, and 2 more just leave because they think --that's it. Only Tim and Gail are left with me.
2001-2003---UltraDyne is in the Chapter 11 'Death Spiral'. I take a $0 salary for 2002, and pump all my, and my wife's, retirment money into UltraDyne, along with all the equity I could get on my house, etc, etc, etc.
June 2003---Everything is gone, the government locks the doors.
August 2003---I go to work at Lunati, charged with completely re-doing their entire line of cams. Mike is already there, waiting for me, along with Steve Slavik, who worked for me for 13 years (Mike for 19...). Then I meet the corporate world.....
Oct 2004---Lunati introduces the VooDoo cams. And they really work good.....

This has been the line and times of a cam designer, and even with the down sides, it has been the time of my life, and I'm going to stay at it as long as I can.....

No comments are necessary, you are all a great bunch, and as that Great American, Minnie Pearl, said, "I'm just so proud to be here!"

Thanks,

UDHarold
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by Monza355 »

prairiehotrodder wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 10:18 am i bought a custom cam last week from comp. I talked to 2 different people on the tech line. My experience was, either buy a catalog cam that they suggest or tell us what you want for a custom cam and its your baby. I also filled out the cam recomendation form from Bullet and got no response and i emailed Erson and got no response.

In the end i used advice that i received from Camking and my friend old school to just go ahead and order one from Comp. I used comp because i get free freight and a wholesale price from them.

Brian
It’s the same here. I got no response from Bullet and i’we tried a few times over the years ! The guys i’we spoken to at comp don’t quite seem to have the knowledge. Thus trying to sell me a std base cam for a 4” stroke sbc. They probably base their recommendations on their camquest system. Then the new comp cams website is not great either. Maybe my best bet is to contact Mike !
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by pdq67 »

Kevin Johnson wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 2:00 pm
pdq67 wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 1:24 pm It's a shame that UDHarold is long gone because He flat knew his stuff. And I am not taking anything away from Cam-King..

And to this day, I still miss Harold!!

pdq67

PS., UDHArold of, "ULTRADYNE CAMS fame!! I think that he once posted his history and it showed that he had designed as well as worked for a bunch of cam companies before creating his own company!

I want to say he did CC's HE cam line...
harold.jpg

https://www.yellowbullet.com/threads/harold-brookshire-udharold-rip.1193162/post-29387970 wrote:
Ron,

Don't apologize....I sometimes think threads for him were meant for me, too...
Since you asked, I'll give everyone a very very short history of me, so you'll know where I came from.
1969---Went to work for State of Mississippi as computer operator, rose to be lead operator at CDPA, Central Data Processing Agency.
1972---Began working on cam design program in my spare time.
Dec 15, 1972---Sold 310AP SBC solid to Reed Cams, Georgia, for $125.00.
1973---Made $3000 selling to Reed, Isky, Engle, Norris.
1974---Designed Reed's RxxxULX line of rollers, and a lot more, including Benny Parson's 1975 Daytona 500-winning cam. Also Shirl Greer's TF/FC NHRA National Champion Nitro Funny car cam, designed for Norris, and it was a True Chrysler flat tappet, with .438" lobe lift.
1974---Became General Kinetics' cam designer, worked with people like Bill Jenkins and Jack Roush on the cams for their ProStockers.
1976---Jenkins wins Pro Stock Natinal Championship, with GK doing large-barrel cams.
1977---I start in January with Competion Cams, as their original cam designer. Over the next 3 years, I design them hundreds of cams, including the 268 High Energy. I introduce them to the unsymmetrical cam.
1979---I write them their 1st in-house cam design program. Before that, we shared a program with Cam Dynamics.
1980---After negotiating since late 1976 for some stock ownership in Competition Cams, I leave and start UltraDyne on April 1st, 1980. The 1st month I design the 288/296F5 and the 288/296R6, the 2 most popular cams I ever made.
1981---In September, I hire my 1st employee, Mike O'Neal, who ran my shop, made all my models and masters, etc.
1982---We're running 2 shifts, from 7:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Tim Goolsby comes to work for me, he is Mike's brother-in-law. I also design UltraDyne's first hydraulic cams, such as the 272, the 276, the 288/296H.
From then on until 2000, we all just worked. UltraDyne grossed over $1.2 Million a year from 1990 to 1999.
2000---A number of independent factors began to take their toll---Federal Mogul acquiring my 2 major solid lifter core manufacturers, and their later Chapter 11, Lifter companies disappearring, tremendous cash-flow problems in the end of 2000, initially triggered by the UPS strike---We lost around $50,000 in the strike.
2001---A un-named cam company in Memphis hires 8 of my 12 employees, and 2 more just leave because they think --that's it. Only Tim and Gail are left with me.
2001-2003---UltraDyne is in the Chapter 11 'Death Spiral'. I take a $0 salary for 2002, and pump all my, and my wife's, retirment money into UltraDyne, along with all the equity I could get on my house, etc, etc, etc.
June 2003---Everything is gone, the government locks the doors.
August 2003---I go to work at Lunati, charged with completely re-doing their entire line of cams. Mike is already there, waiting for me, along with Steve Slavik, who worked for me for 13 years (Mike for 19...). Then I meet the corporate world.....
Oct 2004---Lunati introduces the VooDoo cams. And they really work good.....

This has been the line and times of a cam designer, and even with the down sides, it has been the time of my life, and I'm going to stay at it as long as I can.....

No comments are necessary, you are all a great bunch, and as that Great American, Minnie Pearl, said, "I'm just so proud to be here!"

Thanks,

UDHarold
Kevin,

Thanks for posting Harold's history up. I have it saved someplace but didn't have a picture of him...

He died before I could stand face to face with him, but I have spent quite a bit of time on the phone shooting the shit with him before he left us.

pdq67
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by treyrags »

Monza, If you are set on getting a Comp cam talk to Scooter. He seems to know as much as anyone there.
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by BILL-C »

Dave McCarver at comp has always been very helpful and professional with me. If he's not sure on something he will talk to one of his co workers and find the answers. He always calls back when i have to leave a message. Multiple times over the years i have had to give up on other cam guys because they could not bother to answer their phone or return messages in a timely manner.
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by prairiehotrodder »

The main tactic that cam tech guys use is to ask what cam you have now, then asking where you want improvement. Top end or bottom end. Then making a cam recomendation off that info. This may have some value but sometimes i would prefer to just hear what the "right" cam would be for the build based on all the other parts of the motor and its intended use.
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by GARY C »

BILL-C wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 2:57 pm Dave McCarver at comp has always been very helpful and professional with me. If he's not sure on something he will talk to one of his co workers and find the answers. He always calls back when i have to leave a message. Multiple times over the years i have had to give up on other cam guys because they could not bother to answer their phone or return messages in a timely manner.
Thats who I have always used but I don't know if he deals with the general public, if one wants a custom cam and you know what lobes you want then call them and tell them what you want and how you want it.
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by steve cowan »

prairiehotrodder wrote: Sat Feb 01, 2020 10:18 am i bought a custom cam last week from comp. I talked to 2 different people on the tech line. My experience was, either buy a catalog cam that they suggest or tell us what you want for a custom cam and its your baby. I also filled out the cam recomendation form from Bullet and got no response and i emailed Erson and got no response.

In the end i used advice that i received from Camking and my friend old school to just go ahead and order one from Comp. I used comp because i get free freight and a wholesale price from them.

Brian
Brian,
did you stay with the lift and duration mentioned previously??
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by SupStk »

If going with Comp, I'd recommend Tim Cole.
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Re: Contact at comp cams

Post by ProPower engines »

The mistake guys always make is they want to order a cam when the short block is done and about to get the heads bolted to it.
They want a custom cam but it seems like 99.99% of the time they settle for a shelf stick because they are in the git er done mode and have no patience or time to wait the extra week for a custom.

Personally I use lots of Isky camshafts and have yet to have an issue. Customs take 3-5 days depending on the cam.
Next time call and chat with Ron at Isky. He is only on the phone after 3 pm pacific time but he will take your call of he will call you back and talk to you about what the best options are.

Mike Jones does pretty much only custom stuff. I have also used his cams when required as well. A good option as well.

Seems to be guys just forget about the camshaft and order it last and settle for whats on the shelf somewhere that is not there 1st choice [-X
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