Crower Cams and Equipment Co.
If you've read the previous two pages you might be getting the hint that there is a long bit of intertwined history behind American camshaft companies. Crower turns 50 this year, and like some of the other companies we called, is named after it's founder and subsequent family owners. According to Crower's website, Bruce Crower's business stemmed from his high-school buddies wanting to buy the parts he'd make for his own '32 Ford. He realized if he could make larger quantities he'd turn a profit. Perhaps what separates Crower from the other cam companies is that Crower was never just cam company. Formally called "Crower Cams and Equipment Co." the business has always been about engine parts, such as cranks and rods, as much as valve train parts. Perhaps the intimate knowledge of bottom-end building gives Crower an advantage when making a cam and valvetrain recommendation.

Crower Cams Tech Line Evaluation Tech Line Number: (619) 661-6477    Hours: M-F 7am-5pm PST (closed 12-1) Hypothetical Engine Time of Call Tuesday, 9:00am PST Wed, Thurs, Fri various times On Hold Duration < 1minute (or to voicemail box) voicemail Tech Operator Hospitality 3 Not Available Camshafts Recommended PN: Hyd. Roller [email protected]: 228/234 valve lift: .512/.531 LSA: 110 deg. Not Available Remarks Best website of the bunch.

Calling Crower for cam advice takes some patience. We called several times for our 347 motor and got voice mails each time. Finally on the third day we did get a live body. However after getting voicemails on several consecutive days we gave up. Therefore you see no cam recommendation for the 460. We're disappointed in this outcome because we really like the Crower.com website. It is well laid out, pleasant to read, and has lots of info. We got pumped reading about Bruce Crower's history and how he started the company. Unfortunately not being able to get someone on the phone consistently is a let down.

Isky Racing Cams
Isky Racing Cams is another legend in the camshaft business. Back in the 1950's, during the post war hot-rodding boom on the west coast, dry lake racer Ed Iskendarian (see side bar) got impatient with the long lead times in getting cams ground. Seeing the market need for a California based cam company he used his experience as a tool and die maker to set up shop. Isky seemed to make their mark by utilizing computer technology to develop aggressive hydraulic lobe profiles. To supplement these high-rpm cams, Isky also developed matching valvetrain components such as anti pump-up lifters and more stable valve springs.

Isky Racing Cams Tech Line Evaluation Tech Line Number: (323) 770-0930     Hours: M-F 8am-5pm PST Hypothetical Engine Time of Call Tuesday,11:30amPST Thursday, 2:34 pm PST On Hold Duration <1 min <2 min Tech Operator Hospitality 3 4 Camshafts Recommended PN: Custom Type: Solid Roller [email protected]: 266 valve lift: .602 LSA: 108 deg. PN: CL311271* Type: Hyd. Flat Tappet [email protected]: 221 valve lift: .542 LSA: 108 deg. (*cam + lifter kit) Remarks Pleasant website, good tech info. Section the history of Isky cams gives a warm fuzzy feeling about their cam advice. Quick phone response, fairly engaging operators. Small company feel from a big cam company.

Isky is pleasant to deal with. You get the feel you are calling a big and organized company, yet there is small shop hospitality. The guys on the phone are like talking to your dad or older brother. Calm, reassuring, and at least you feel like they are giving you a cam recommendation that they themselves would run in their car. Isky get's the prize for offering us the biggest and smallest cams of any company we called. Remember, we gave all the companies the same specs and same details for our intended use of the motor. For the 347 Isky suggested a whopping 266 deg duration and .602 lift single pattern, solid roller. We like the aggressive approach, but if the operator would have asked about our cylinder heads we think they may have suggested something around where the heads flow. Assuming we'd get the same go-big mentality for the 460 motor we were surprised to instead hear about a mild 221 duration cam.

Conclusion
As you can see each cam company has their strengths and weaknesses. Some run very organized tech lines, with a very service-oriented goal of answering the call, processing it quickly, and then moving on. Other companies don't have dedicated tech lines and you might get to talk to the actual engineer behind that company's cams. We can't say that one avenue is always better than the other. Some of the big cam companies have developed cam selection software where the tech operator can punch some basic engine and vehicle specs and the programs gives back a recommendation from that company's catalog. However this interaction leaves something to be desired in terms of personalized service. We often felt rushed on these types of calls, and not too convinced that their isn't a better cam out there for our application. With the smaller companies we definitely got a warmer feeling talking to the guy on the other end of the line. We often felt they were genuinely interested in what it was we were building or doing with the motor. On the flip side however, we got an uneasy feeling that if we called back and talked to someone else in the company they'd recommend a totally different cam.

Just about all of the companies we called surprised us is in the lack of information they asked for. Only one of the tech guys we talked to out of all six companies ever asked about cylinder head flow data. We've always been taught that you pick a cam which matches the flow characteristics of the heads. We also were curious why none of the companies which also make and sell an entire lineup of valvetrain parts failed to mention this during the call. While we're not so concerned about the bottom line of these companies, you have to wonder why a tech operator wouldn't at least throw out some part numbers of matching lifters, springs, pushrods or rockers that would go well with the cam.

This survey is probably a good lesson why anyone looking for cam advice should call around and get several recommendations. Consider throwing out the biggest and smallest recommendations, or calling those companies back, because it might mean some misunderstanding on the tech's part for what you want to do with the car. It might also mean that the tech guy you spoke too just likes big cams.