Any cam difference??? G54B

[nerfe12]

I have been looking for threads on this but haven't found one to answer my question. Are the cams for the manual head and hydraulic head the same??? I have an 87 Power Ram with the manual, found a hydraulic head from a Raider but the cam is below spec. Can I just buy the same cam for either? Both heads have the jet valves

[LSR Mike]

Well, I went the other way around, I converted mine from Hydraulic adjusters to manual adjusters using the same cam. I also had the cam profile re-ground and went racing. The way the rockers work doesn't change so I would think you would be safe.

[pennyman1]

No they are different. The specs are different due to the hydraulic lash adjustors vs the mechanical rockers, and the different lengths of the valves used in the heads. The 87 2.6 should have been hydraulic, so the head may be from an older motor, or was converted to mechanical rockers. TEP racing claims their cam will work with either, but they are pricey.

[nerfe12]

Well, I went the other way around, I converted mine from Hydraulic adjusters to manual adjusters using the same cam. I also had the cam profile re-ground and went racing. The way the rockers work doesn't change so I would think you would be safe.

Why the switch??? I'm thinking of getting a performance cam to get a little more power from it. I also found a non-jet head with manual adjusters, would that be good for performance gains?
I was thinking of switching to hydraulic only to bring down the engine noise but I do want to add more power to my old girl

[nerfe12]

The 87 2.6 should have been hydraulic, so the head may be from an older motor, or was converted to mechanical rockers. TEP racing claims their cam will work with either, but they are pricey.

That was my surprise too, from what I've read they converted to hydraulic in 85. The truck had a blown gasket when I bought it and the machine shop I took it to get it reground suggested I switch it to hydraulic for easier maintenance and less engine noise

[pennyman1]

that is true - I had an 85 2.6 and when I went for a stepped up cam, there were 2 listings for 2.6 - mechanical and hydraulic rockers. For mild performance cams, hydraulic rockers are good, but for high lift applications, mechanicals are still the best. There is plenty of information about the debate on which is better on the starquest forums. And just to throw another wrinkle into all of this, if you run 3.0 v6 hydraulic rockers on a 2.6 hydraulic motor, you can get more power due to the 3.0 rockers having a 1.6 rocker ratio, vs the 2.6 1.5 ratio. lash adjustors are the same.

[nerfe12]

that is true - I had an 85 2.6 and when I went for a stepped up cam, there were 2 listings for 2.6 - mechanical and hydraulic rockers. For mild performance cams, hydraulic rockers are good, but for high lift applications, mechanicals are still the best. There is plenty of information about the debate on which is better on the starquest forums. And just to throw another wrinkle into all of this, if you run 3.0 v6 hydraulic rockers on a 2.6 hydraulic motor, you can get more power due to the 3.0 rockers having a 1.6 rocker ratio, vs the 2.6 1.5 ratio. lash adjustors are the same.

Thanks for the info, I'll have to check out the starquest forum and research the 3.0 rockers. If the manual adjusters will work better then I'll stick with those