Engle Camshaft

[dwg86]

I ordered my custom ground Engle camshaft. They have new fast acting cam lobes for the .904 lifter. I did alot of reading and asking questions about split lift/duration cams and straight lift/duration. I decided on the K-54HYD: 214 intake/exhuast duration @.050, .501 intake/exhaust lift, 112 LSA, 109 ICL(They grind the advance in the cam). It wasn't cheap...$176.00+shipping for the camshaft, no lifters. I am going to use the crower camsaver lifters.
If you email Engle, they will send a copy of the new grinds. You can choose what you want for the intake and exhaust, LSA and ICL. They don't list the amc 6 cylinder on thier web site, but they do have them. The cores are MADE IN USA!

[seanyb505]

The cores are MADE IN USA!

Thats good to hear! It sounds like a fun camshaft!

[dwg86]

I thought it might be a little big for an everyday driver and the computer, but after talking to Engle and Hughes Engines I decided it would be OK. They are the experts,not me.
Hughes explained 4.6L 6 cylinder is a pretty big engine if you concider how much CID each cylinder has. I really didn't think of it that way. I guess my mind is still building V8 engines, and a 4.6L V8 is not big.
The 112 LCA should have enough vaccum for the computer. (Hughes suggested to go 109 LSA with a reprogramed computer.)

From what I have read, a single lift/duration cam will produce more torque than a camshaft with a longer exhaust duration, as long as the exhuast isn't too restricted.(Do a yahoo or google search for single vs dual pattern camshafts).

.

[seanyb505]

I went with the dual pattern because the exhaust ports are smaller for the 4.0. That could change with head porting, but I think the exhaust ports would still be smaller.

[kris]

Ya beat me to it !
I havnt been on here for a week or two...

I just got off the phone with them ordering a cam for an AMC 360 build Im doing this week. Ive been running a cam from them in my Wagoneer for about 9 years.

I asked about doing an I-6 cam and he said they've been doing them for a few years. You can see the grind info on their AMC v8 page. No need to email them, its the same grind info.
http://englecams.com/catalog/new_catalog.php
Just select AMC 290-401 and Hydraulic flat tappet from the dropdown menu, and there you are.

The k52 intake and k54 exhaust (what I run in the 360) or a straight k54 with a 112*lsa would be a great cam for a stroker, I wouldnt hesitate to run one.

I asked if their blank used the narrow or wide lobe. He wasnt sure, but Im going to pick mine up in person on Thursday so Ill be sure to get my hands on one.

kris.

[dwg86]

My k-54hyd is supposed to be here this week. After talking with several smaller cam companies(Reed, Engle), I decided to stay away from the big name mass produced cam companies. Reed talked about grinding their cams slower, and getting a better finish and taper on the lobe. I decided to go with Engle because of their new cam grinds. Reed has a cam close to the Engle, but not as fast...214 duration @ .050/ .480 lift. They were also a little more expensive...$199.00 cam only.

[seanyb505]

Just curious, do you know the width of the lobes on the Engle? Stock lobes are 2/3", and most aftermarket lobes for the I6 are only half an inch.

[dwg86]

Don't know yet. I'll let you know when I get it.
When I talked to Reed about the lobe widths, something he said made sense. The bottom of the lifter is curved kind of like a basketball. It doesn't matter if you put a basketball on a 2 foot wide table or an 8 foot wide table, the contact pattern is the same.Thats the reason I sold my 30AB cams and went with something more agressive.

[kris]

Just curious, do you know the width of the lobes on the Engle? Stock lobes are 2/3", and most aftermarket lobes for the I6 are only half an inch.

If dwg doesnt have it by Thursday AM, Ill be down there and measure it myself.

Don't know yet. I'll let you know when I get it.
When I talked to Reed about the lobe widths, something he said made sense. The bottom of the lifter is curved kind of like a basketball. It doesn't matter if you put a basketball on a 2 foot wide table or an 8 foot wide table, the contact pattern is the same.Thats the reason I sold my 30AB cams and went with something more agressive.

I dont buy that.
The base circle is tapered to one side to spin the lifter.
The wider that lobe is, the easier it will spin the lifter on the base circle.
The top of the lobe is flat.
The wider that lobe is, the more the pressure is spread out over a wider area.

I have a bit of experience with Engle cams in AMC v8's. I have not (or anyone Ive recomended Engle to) wiped a lobe or lifter out in 9 years and Ive never used any oil additives, only off the shelf crappy oils. The Engle in the 360 in my garage right now has noticably wider lobes than the off brand "rv" cam that it replaced (Ill measure it when I pull it or pick the new one up, whichever comes first).
I just measured the off brand cam and the lobes are .500" wide. That cam ran for about 2500 miles before I replaced it with an Engle and shows just as much wear as the Engle at 50k miles.

Chris at Engle wasnt able to tell me how wide the lobe on the I-6 blank they are using is. We'll all know by Thursday.
I'll take a wider lobe with the .904" lifter over a narrow lobe any day.

Also...
On the "big engine" comment, yes, a 4.6 6 cylinder is big.
An AMC 360 with a 4.11" bore is 365 cubic inches. Divided by 8 is 45.625 CI/cyl.
A 4.6 I-6 with a 3.905" bore is 280 cubic inches. Divided by 6 is 46.66 CI/cyl.

dwg, you're gonna like that cam.


k.

[dwg86]

When I get the Engle cam, I am going to install in the block and compare it to the stock cam...where the lifters contact the lobes. I want to see if both lobes are centered on the lifter, or if one cam is off set to one side...make sense?

Oh and by the way, I do agree that if the wider lobe contacts further out on the lifter, it should spin the lifter easier...mechanical advantage.

[fishyjeep]

Lobes are supposed to be offset. That's what causes rotation.

[kris]

I just got back from Engle.

First, what a cool old shop.
I got a quickie tour (sorry, no camera but may go back early next week) and got to see a cam being ground.


I did bring my caliper, and measured the lobe width on the I-6 cam blank.

The casting was a little rough, but it came out to roughly .512". So we can call it a .500" lobe. The AMC v-8 lobe was a little wider at about .530".
The blanks are made in the USA. Chris told me the name of the manufacturer but it escapes me at the moment. The bearing surfaces are finished by the manufacturer, they just grind the lobes.

k.

[Mgardiner1]

So more or less, they probably get the same blanks as companies such as crane or comp..... I guess it depends how the end grinder treats the material after they are finished grinding it.

I rebuilt a diesel engine, well, LOTS of diesel engines. But i remember one particular Komatsu engine, the cam had blueing rings on either side of the lobes on the shaft itself. The only thing i could attribute it to, was it being induction hardened.

Would a normal cam benefit from this?