High-performance cams & valvetrains : theory, technology, and selection / Billy Godbold.

Format:

• Book

Author/Creator:

• Godbold, Billy, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

• Transportation.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (384 pages)

Place of Publication:

North Branch, MN : CarTech, Inc., [2023]

Summary:

Understand the "magic" of how optimized camshafts extract the most performance from every engine component, eliminating valvetrain guesswork. Camshafts are the coach and conductor of any four-stroke engine from early flatheads to modern Formula 1. Performance engines are amazingly sensitive to how and when the valves to the combustion chamber open and close. The valvetrain configuration and flow characteristics may change significantly between applications, but the fundamental principles are universal. This allows the language, setup, dynamics, energy, and pressure aspects of a valvetrain to be covered in a way that is just as useful for optimizing a sub-15-hp go-kart engine as it is on a 500-plus-hp street engine or a modern 1,500-plus-hp NHRA Pro Stock engine. In High-Performance Cams and Valvetrains: Theory, Technology, and Selection , farm-kid-turned-physicist Billy Godbold combines his quarter-century of experience with valvetrains at Comp Cams, Lunati, Crane Cams, and Edelbrock with the techniques he uses with professional teams in NASCAR, the NHRA, road racing, dirt-track racing, offshore racing, and land speed racing. He guides you to think about any valvetrain system with his perspective. Often lighthearted and filled with analogies, this book endeavors to make complex concepts easy to understand without watering down important details. Specific configurations and applications are covered, providing techniques and examples for optimizing camshafts and the valvetrain around intakes, headers, superchargers, turbochargers, fuels, carburetors, and modern EFI applications. If you are planning or building a performance engine, or if you just want to know the science behind how cams and valvetrains work, this book is an indispensable resource.

Contents:

• Intro
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Chapter 1: The Language of Camshafts
• What is a Camshaft?
• Basic Terms
• Cam Degrees versus Crank Degrees
• Intensity
• Specification Cards, Comp Adcole Reports, and Published Lobe Data
• More on the Specifications Card
• Adcole Inspection Report
• Chapter 2: Valvetrain Blueprinting
• Setting Rocker Height
• Setting Lash or Preload
• Calculating Optimal Spring Setup Height
• Degreeing a Camshaft
• Piston-to-Valve Clearance
• Advanced Blueprinting
• Specific Stiffness
• Chapter 3: A Dynamic Understanding of Profiles: Velocity, Acceleration, and Jerk
• Velocity
• Acceleration
• Closing Loads Past the Buckling Point
• Chapter 4: Energy and Four-Stroke Engine Fundamentals
• Follow the Energy
• What is Horsepower?
• BSFC and Efficiency
• The Otto Cycle
• Volumetric Efficiency
• Chapter 5: Under Pressure
• Measured and Theoretical Otto Pressure versus Crank Angle
• PV Diagrams
• Chapter 6: Understanding Valve Events
• EVO
• Overlap
• IVC
• Chapter 7: Wave Tuning
• Starting at EVO
• Optimizing Intake Port Length
• Unequal-Length Intake Runners
• Chapter 8: Moving Valve Events
• Standard Optimization Techniques
• Improved Optimization Techniques
• Chapter 9: Camshaft and Cylinder Head Selection
• Exhaust to Intake Flow Percentages and Flow Curve Shapes
• Cylinder Head Configuration
• The Combustion Chamber
• CFM per Cubic Inch
• Chapter 10: Other Engine Considerations
• Bore-to-Stroke Ratios
• Rod-to-Stroke Ratios
• EFI versus Carbureted
• Octane and Other Fuel Considerations
• Variable Advance, Centerline, Duration, and/or Lift Systems
• Variable Displacement Systems
• Power Adders
• Valve-Spring Selection with Boost
• Thermal Management
• Chapter 11: Valvetrain Selection
• Camshaft Type
• Deciding Target Lift.
• Selecting Lift and Profiles around the Valve Spring
• Rocker Ratio, Journal Size, and Lifter Wheel
• RPM and Durability Targets
• Comparing Profile Aggressiveness
• Optimizing the Camshaft for the Application
• Why Do Cam Guys Ask so Much about My Vehicle?
• Chapter 12: Camshaft Selection Examples
• Small-Block Chevy Crate Upgrades: 350 versus 383
• Street versus Racing
• GM 5.3L LM7 Cams: C10 pickup to Circle-Track and Drift
• 6.4L Hemi: Blower and Cam Packages
• Glossary.

Notes:

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

• 9781613258200
• 1613258208