"Custom Cams"

by

Kennedy's Dynotune

The camshaft is sometimes called the "brains" of the engine. Proper camshaft selection is part art and part science. At Kennedy's we know both. We have extensive experience with designing and testing cams for supercharged, nitrous, and dual power adder applications as well as the more common NA engines. The power-adder cams are very different than cams for normally aspirated engines. If you choose the wrong cam you are giving up horsepower and can make street driving a chore instead of a pleasure. With a custom cam from Kennedy's you can have it all: great performance at the drag strip and the monster mid-range torque needed to make your car a street terror! If you choose one of our race cams you will have the edge on your competition. We can design and test cams for the following applications. Whether you have a Corvette, Mustang, Camaro, Hemi, Viper, race or non-domestic performance car, we can help.

• Small block Chevrolet Gen I, Gen II LT1/LT4, Gen III/IV LS1/LS2/LS3/LS6/LS7

• Small block Ford FE

• Big block Ford "385" family

• Big block Chevrolet Mk. IV, Gen V, Gen VI

• Small block Mopar/Chrysler (A, LA)

• Chrysler Hemi (original and modern Hemi)

• Ford "modular" motor (2, 3, and 4-valve)

• Viper V-10

• Honda VTEC

Street/strip and race cams are our specialty and our results speak for themselves. Some of the cars using our custom cams can be seen on this site. Joe Zito's 5.0 Procharged Mustang runs in the mid 8's at over 160mph with one of our street/strip solid roller grinds.  Rich Krause's LT1 Camaro is a fully equipped street car running through cats with full emissions. It is driven to the track with the AC on and mellow tunes playing on the stereo. Weighing in at 4,100lbs with portly driver, this convertible needs all its' 800+rwhp from Kennedy's custom dual power adder hydraulic roller cam to run 10.04 seconds at nearly 145mph. Cheryl and Jerry Malczewski's 5.0 is another 9 second car (9.70 @ 140mph) with a Kennedy's street/strip grind.

The Sound of Power

Lately we have been getting questions and requests related to cams and how they sound. People are after a cam that not only makes horsepower but sounds "powerful". To a great extent this can be accomplished, primarily by juggling the exhaust opening point and the LSA. When done properly the cam will still make great torque and horsepower. If this is what you want, let us know and we can design a wicked sounding cam for you.

What can a cam change accomplish - the 100 hp cam swap

Most off the shelf grinds are compromises. They work well but are not designed with a specific individuals needs in mind. It's like the difference between a custom tailored suit and one that is "off the rack". Inevitably, the suit designed for your particular measurements is going to fit better. Your goals in contemplating a cam swap are just as varied as individual people are. That is one of the compelling reasons for a "custom". Most people are after more power, with varying degrees of importance placed on drivability, emissions, economy, etc. As an example, we designed and installed a cam in "Docs" BBC bracket car this year. The cam is a solid roller which replaced an off the shelf solid lifter flat tappet cam. The goal was consistency and reliability along with hp. Before the swap, the car developed 523rwhp and ran consistent 9.4's at ~144mph. After the swap, we saw 627rwhp and the ET's improved to 9.0's at over 149mph. Gaining over 100hp and four tenths just from a cam swap! Peak hp and shift point are unchanged, due to the need to preserve reliability and consistency. That's another facet of the Kennedy advantage! We don't want to mislead anybody - this is an extreme example because the originally installed cam (bought with the motor) was an outmoded flat tappet design and we replaced it with a state of the art solid roller design, new springs and roller rockers. None the less, the numbers are impressive and illustrate what a custom cam and associated components can do. 

Update: we did another roller cam for the 27T and gained 30 more horsepower! Here is a video of the 27T making a pass. 

Custom Cam Terms/Conditions and Pricing

Most hydraulic or solid flat tappet grinds are $325.95* Most rollers are $399.95*. LS roller cams are $425 as the cores are more expensive. There may be an extra charge for odd-ball cores, firing order swaps, non-standard base circles, etc. Note: this is very close to what an off-the-shelf cam costs but ours is designed for YOUR needs. Lifters and other supporting components are available at competitive prices.

Please call us to discuss your needs. We will spend the time it takes to get you a cam that will meet your individual needs. When you call, the more information you have about your combo the quicker we will be able to help you. We can also recommend and supply springs, rockers, retainers, and all of the other components to make your valve train upgrade a complete success. We can also setup your heads or provide a whole new top end package if you are really ready to "up the ante"! Your cam design will be based on our extensive experience on the track and the dyno backed up by computer simulation. Once we have worked up the specs for your cam, we will give you a final price based on the core price plus our design fee. At that time you can order the cam and pay in full. It typically takes 7-10 days for your cam to be ground and shipped. If you wish us to release the cam specs and not order the cam, you can elect to give us a $75 deposit. If you then decide to order, the deposit is deducted from the total. If you do not order the cam, we keep the deposit as partial payment. It typically takes us at least an hour to work up a cam, and often longer. We are therefore unable to provide this service for free. 

Most of our cores are from Lunati or Comp and cover many modern (1950's and up) domestic vehicles and the more popular imports. 

*Prices are for an OHV single cam engine. Certain cores are more expensive. Multicam engines will be more expensive. Shipping is extra at actual cost.

Link to Nitrous Cams Tech Tips page.

Link to Turbo Cams page.

Link to Big Cam Sound page.

If you wish to order a cam, please refer to our Custom Cam Information form.