Cam Upgrade.

[grvrjr]

Ok i've been looking at this for about 3yrs know. Im about to do a cam and head swap on my 96 SS impala. So I figured why not do a cam swap with the cam Walt sells on the site. I want to know if this cam will actually give me a boost in performance or if its just a gimmick. Also will I have to get a custom tune with this set up which will problably have to happen anyway?

[grancito]

Is the Impala a diesel?

[grvrjr]

Is the Impala a diesel?

My bad I meant to say that I'm planning a cam and head swap for my SS. So I was wondering to myself "hey walt sells a custom cam for the 6.5L so why not also do a cam swap to my 6.5L while I'm at it".

[grancito]

cams for a non turbo gas engine make a big difference in performance, but for a turbo diesel, the cam design does not make much difference. More boost and fuel does.

[grvrjr]

cams for a non turbo gas engine make a big difference in performance, but for a turbo diesel, the cam design does not make much difference. More boost and fuel does.

Gotcha. Also would the fluidamper still be a good buy or just stick with my stock damper.

[grancito]

If it isn't broken, don't fix it. If it is, look at the price difference and will a stock one last the life of the truck.

[jimclemjr]

Grancito I really respect your opinion, I will add that I just replaced both my main dampener and the pulley dampener. At my vehicle age I was concerned about the rubber deterioration. I spent the bucks for the Fluiddamper. I bought the pulley dampener at local parts house and took it back after I compared the fit and finish with a factory one & paid the $45 difference. I did this for preventative maintenance & peace of mind after reviewing this forum and the point of no return if the dampener causes a cracked crank. I guess you can call it mild paranoia but can only defend the position cause I could afford it. I was really impressed with how much rubber is in the pulley and what great shape the original was in. The main dampener was also not challenged. I have saved both just in case needed, main dampener for maybe future rebuild. Main point though is that after a 500 mile trip last weekend, the motor was significantly smoother than before. I had noticed a little vibration in about a 300 rpm band that is now gone. Hope that this was a solid decision but maybe never know!

[Husker 6.5]

Although Walt has never confirmed it with me when I asked him flat out, it appears the specs for the performance cam he sells is the marine cam. If so, it is designed to flatten the torque band out more above 1800 RPM, giving the 6.5 a more useable, wider power band at constant, high (3,000 rpm) speed such as would be found cruising at 3/4 power where there would be varying load on the motor (ie: bouncing on waves with prop in/out of water). This wouldn't help bottom end "grunt", but would be much better for a deep geared (4.56 or deeper) load hauler that sees hiway speeds.

True, more fuel + air = more power, but the cam will still affect the engine's breathing and useful power rpm range, even on a diesel.