Cam on, feel the noise!
Matt goes in search of a bit more lift…
Having previously swapped the 2000’s cylinder head over for a TR6 version (PC, July 2021), I then ran the car around for a few months to get a feel for the difference that the new ’head had (hopefully) made. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to have provided the amount of extra pep that I’d been hoping for. Having given it some thought I reasoned with myself that, with the uprated ’head in situ, perhaps a ‘fruitier’ camshaft would make better use of the engine’s now increased compression ratio. Unfortunately for my bank account, this meant that further spends would inevitably be required! I sourced a brand-new Newman camshaft in the famed ‘150bhp’ profile used on the TR5 and early TR6S, along with a fresh set of cam followers. Some people think that the 150 cam can’t be made to play nicely with carburettors but, having used a Piper Yellow cam with a very similar spec to the 150 in my TR6, complete with SU HS6S, I knew that wasn’t the case. Goodies in hand, I called in friend and general mechanical whizz, Jason Wright to help with the cam install. My dad, Keith also happened to be visiting for the weekend, so he too got roped in to help. Many hands make light work, as they say! With the cylinder head only having been in place for a matter of months, everything came undone easily enough and we soon had it on the bench. It is possible to swap a camshaft on a 2000/2500 with the engine still in the car, but you do need to remove the radiator and front grille to allow the cam to come out through the front panel.
Unexpected distraction
Unfortunately, having removed the aftermarket electric cooling fan ( a Revotec ‘sucker’ fitted in 2015 that has proved to be an impeccable upgrade since) and then the radiator, the latter was found to be in somewhat ‘tired’ condition. It had been replaced not long before I bought the car back in 2007, so I was slightly surprised to see what a state it was in. The forward-facing side had quite a few fins missing, particularly within the centre section – it was obviously still functioning OK as the car doesn’t overheat, so previously ignorance had been bliss. Whether the fact that I’d run the car in a bumperless state for a number of years and therefore left the radiator more exposed – in theory at least – had exacerbated the situation, I’m not sure. However, with the unit out of the car and the potential
issues with it being undeniable, now was clearly the time to sort it. We elected to carry on with the rest of the cam works, with the radiator being sent away for a refurb in the interim. With the pushrods out of the way, the head came off and was placed on the bench ready to have its face inspected and cleaned up. Next, the cam followers were carefully extracted and the timing cover on the front of the engine was unbolted and put to one side, exposing the timing gear itself. Once that had all been removed, the incumbent cam was unbolted and gently slid out through the space where the front grille would normally be – the first time it had seen the light of day since dad and I built the engine together in late 2011-early 2012. It was still in excellent condition and definitely has plenty more miles left in it, so for now that will go back into the combined George spares stash. For once, John Haynes’s famous phrase rang true and the reverse was indeed the opposite of removal, meaning the new cam was soon in place in the engine block. Jason used his extensive and everimpressive knowledge of such things to time up the new cam perfectly, which will allow the engine to reach its maximum performance potential – at least that’s the theory! With the cam now in place, the cylinder head was subsequently refitted, complete with new gasket, and then torqued down. While waiting for the radiator to come back, I took the opportunity to give the timing cover a fresh coat of paint, as well as replacing all the hoses in the cooling system with a brand new set. The latter was £60 that I didn’t necessarily need to spend but, with all the hoses dating back to when the engine was fitted a decade ago, it seemed prudent to replace them. Once the radiator’s ready, it’ll be time to put everything back together and see if the cam swap was worthwhile! ■ matt.george@practicalclassics.co.uk