Mean sounding cams worth it?

[Grumpy]

I will throw my support behind Rusty Nail, with some additions.
Whatever money you earn, split it in half and don't spend the one half - you never know when you will need it in an emergency - there may be a day when you are out driving around and (Lord forbid) something happens where you will need your cash immediately.... do this for your entire life.

Buy basic quality tools. Something that will last a lifetime - I received a basic set of Craftsman sockets for my fifteenth birthday in 1981 and I still use them as a Journeyman Mechanic everyday. Don't buy tools because you think you need them someday, buy the ones you need only when they are on sale - and every tool will be discounted at least once in a calendar year. Stay away from Chinese-made tools, some might turn out good, others will remind you the poor quality when they fail at the worst time.

Find someone skilled and knowledgeable to learn from. I was freakishly lucky when I was young, a fellow moved in down the street from me and was recently retired from drag racing (Pro Stock, SSA) - it was his only job. Everything went well for a few years until I asked his daughter out for a date - oops. His guidance set me on the correct path for everything mechanical, and believe me when I say he was very careful to modify anything.

As for modifying an engine, things can VERY EXPENSIVE in a heartbeat. For the first while, stick with keeping the engine compartment tidy, maintain all the little things and WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN! Write it out by hand in a notebook - By hand it will commit to your memory easier and it also serves as a proper record if you ever decide to sell your vehicle AND it adds to YOUR PERSONAL RECORD if you ever decide to become a mechanic by Trade. (I still retain five years of written records for everything I have worked on. Not only is it proof of my work, it also provides detailed reference when researching repeat issues on similar vehicles.)

I'm quite OCD, however because of that, I have been fortunate enough to work on some really neat stuff.

 

[Avery brown]

I will throw my support behind Rusty Nail, with some additions.
Whatever money you earn, split it in half and don't spend the one half - you never know when you will need it in an emergency - there may be a day when you are out driving around and (Lord forbid) something happens where you will need your cash immediately.... do this for your entire life.

Buy basic quality tools. Something that will last a lifetime - I received a basic set of Craftsman sockets for my fifteenth birthday in 1981 and I still use them as a Journeyman Mechanic everyday. Don't buy tools because you think you need them someday, buy the ones you need only when they are on sale - and every tool will be discounted at least once in a calendar year. Stay away from Chinese-made tools, some might turn out good, others will remind you the poor quality when they fail at the worst time.

Find someone skilled and knowledgeable to learn from. I was freakishly lucky when I was young, a fellow moved in down the street from me and was recently retired from drag racing (Pro Stock, SSA) - it was his only job. Everything went well for a few years until I asked his daughter out for a date - oops. His guidance set me on the correct path for everything mechanical, and believe me when I say he was very careful to modify anything.

As for modifying an engine, things can VERY EXPENSIVE in a heartbeat. For the first while, stick with keeping the engine compartment tidy, maintain all the little things and WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN! Write it out by hand in a notebook - By hand it will commit to your memory easier and it also serves as a proper record if you ever decide to sell your vehicle AND it adds to YOUR PERSONAL RECORD if you ever decide to become a mechanic by Trade. (I still retain five years of written records for everything I have worked on. Not only is it proof of my work, it also provides detailed reference when researching repeat issues on similar vehicles.)

I'm quite OCD, however because of that, I have been fortunate enough to work on some really neat stuff.

Wow! Thanks alot for the advice I sure do appreciate it! Im probably going to take this advice with me the rest of my life.. Means a lot to me.

 

[OldBlueDually]

@Avery brown welcome to the site, good to see another young guy getting into this stuff.....dam I sound old as heck right now (40). Reading your first post reminded me of myself, I was around 13 when I got my 51 Ford Truck (used to be my dads when he was younger). Man, I was all giddy and excited and I was gunna rip that baby apart and make her a beauty......

THEN, a couple years later one day my school buddy and his dad stopped by after I had dug into this truck. His dad is the local Hot Rodder in the town I grew up in, he had been building cars since 15 years old. He came into my dads garage and saw my 51 Ford with the rear fenders off, box off, front fenders/grill/front pan off, hood off and he looked at me and said "you get this truck back together, do it in 2 weeks".

I looked at him and said "why would I do that, I am fixing her up, gunna do it all". He looked at me and responded "put it back together"....... He told me a piece of advice that sticks with me until this day, and I tell others the same (granted you are not tearing yours down, but you can use this advice too).

He told me that I would lose interest because this is way more work than one thinks it is, he has restored many vehicles, and he too uses his own advice still to this day! He told me to get it back together, be sure it is mechanically sound (If Needed: replace bushings in springs, replace u-joints, re-build brakes, replace brake lines, replace fuel lines....etc., then move on to electrical and replace/repair what is needed, then move to engine to get her running good.....etc.) and the biggest part here is he really pushed into my head was to make sure your ride is road safe.

You know what happened? I was driving that baby around when I got my licence because I followed his advice, and she was as road safe as it was in 1951 and everything worked as it should. I had already worked since 9 years old, so I had some money to buy lowering leafs, I flipped the axle, put on some regular steel painted rims. Now she is low like I wanted. The tinkering could start!!

My advice to you, is the above my friend! Go through it and be sure it all works as should, and make that baby road safe. This costs little to do, and you learn a lot.

Now, speaking of cams I put a pretty large one in my crew cab dually (link below), called a "Thumpr" from Comp Cams. I too, love that cam sound, but this particular cam required work to be done beyond stock, and requires a specific break in (that info also in my thread). I still do not have it running, but I cannot wait to fire this beast up! She will be a mean sounding one.

https://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/76-gmc-crew-long-box-dually-gotta-get-it-on-the-road-again.29806/

 

[DoubleDingo]

@Avery brown welcome to the site, good to see another young guy getting into this stuff.....dam I sound old as heck right now (40). Reading your first post reminded me of myself, I was around 13 when I got my 51 Ford Truck (used to be my dads when he was younger). Man, I was all giddy and excited and I was gunna rip that baby apart and make her a beauty......

THEN, a couple years later one day my school buddy and his dad stopped by after I had dug into this truck. His dad is the local Hot Rodder in the town I grew up in, he had been building cars since 15 years old. He came into my dads garage and saw my 51 Ford with the rear fenders off, box off, front fenders/grill/front pan off, hood off and he looked at me and said "you get this truck back together, do it in 2 weeks".

I looked at him and said "why would I do that, I am fixing her up, gunna do it all". He looked at me and responded "put it back together"....... He told me a piece of advice that sticks with me until this day, and I tell others the same (granted you are not tearing yours down, but you can use this advice too).

He told me that I would lose interest because this is way more work than one thinks it is, he has restored many vehicles, and he too uses his own advice still to this day! He told me to get it back together, be sure it is mechanically sound (If Needed: replace bushings in springs, replace u-joints, re-build brakes, replace brake lines, replace fuel lines....etc., then move on to electrical and replace/repair what is needed, then move to engine to get her running good.....etc.) and the biggest part here is he really pushed into my head was to make sure your ride is road safe.

You know what happened? I was driving that baby around when I got my licence because I followed his advice, and she was as road safe as it was in 1951 and everything worked as it should. I had already worked since 9 years old, so I had some money to buy lowering leafs, I flipped the axle, put on some regular steel painted rims. Now she is low like I wanted. The tinkering could start!!

My advice to you, is the above my friend! Go through it and be sure it all works as should, and make that baby road safe. This costs little to do, and you learn a lot.

Now, speaking of cams I put a pretty large one in my crew cab dually (link below), called a "Thumpr" from Comp Cams. I too, love that cam sound, but this particular cam required work to be done beyond stock, and requires a specific break in (that info also in my thread). I still do not have it running, but I cannot wait to fire this beast up! She will be a mean sounding one.

https://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/76-gmc-crew-long-box-dually-gotta-get-it-on-the-road-again.29806/

Excellent advice. I will keep this in mind when I start repairing Crusty Biscuit. I do have to tear it apart somewhat to take to the frame shop, but that is only because the parts being removed are munched. It won't be running for a long time, but will get re-done basically bumper-to-bumper. But I will keep this in mind so I don't take on too many things at once, which I tend to do and then get overwhelmed.

 

[OldBlueDually]

Excellent advice. I will keep this in mind when I start repairing Crusty Biscuit. I do have to tear it apart somewhat to take to the frame shop, but that is only because the parts being removed are munched. It won't be running for a long time, but will get re-done basically bumper-to-bumper. But I will keep this in mind so I don't take on too many things at once, which I tend to do and then get overwhelmed.

I hear you there! It is still hard for me not to go "all in" on something. It is nice though, because you get to drive it around some, then do a little at a time on it which is usually Saturday work, and then you get to drive it around more until the next weekend of tinkering.

My friends dad just built a 31 Studebaker Erskine....like a Model A on steroids! Anyhow, he drove this baby around in bare steel with seats for a couple years, he then finished it all up, so even till this day he still does what he preaches, one step at a time and enjoy them a bit while you work on them, but safety being #1.

 

[Avery brown]

@Avery brown welcome to the site, good to see another young guy getting into this stuff.....dam I sound old as heck right now (40). Reading your first post reminded me of myself, I was around 13 when I got my 51 Ford Truck (used to be my dads when he was younger). Man, I was all giddy and excited and I was gunna rip that baby apart and make her a beauty......

THEN, a couple years later one day my school buddy and his dad stopped by after I had dug into this truck. His dad is the local Hot Rodder in the town I grew up in, he had been building cars since 15 years old. He came into my dads garage and saw my 51 Ford with the rear fenders off, box off, front fenders/grill/front pan off, hood off and he looked at me and said "you get this truck back together, do it in 2 weeks".

I looked at him and said "why would I do that, I am fixing her up, gunna do it all". He looked at me and responded "put it back together"....... He told me a piece of advice that sticks with me until this day, and I tell others the same (granted you are not tearing yours down, but you can use this advice too).

He told me that I would lose interest because this is way more work than one thinks it is, he has restored many vehicles, and he too uses his own advice still to this day! He told me to get it back together, be sure it is mechanically sound (If Needed: replace bushings in springs, replace u-joints, re-build brakes, replace brake lines, replace fuel lines....etc., then move on to electrical and replace/repair what is needed, then move to engine to get her running good.....etc.) and the biggest part here is he really pushed into my head was to make sure your ride is road safe.

You know what happened? I was driving that baby around when I got my licence because I followed his advice, and she was as road safe as it was in 1951 and everything worked as it should. I had already worked since 9 years old, so I had some money to buy lowering leafs, I flipped the axle, put on some regular steel painted rims. Now she is low like I wanted. The tinkering could start!!

My advice to you, is the above my friend! Go through it and be sure it all works as should, and make that baby road safe. This costs little to do, and you learn a lot.

Now, speaking of cams I put a pretty large one in my crew cab dually (link below), called a "Thumpr" from Comp Cams. I too, love that cam sound, but this particular cam required work to be done beyond stock, and requires a specific break in (that info also in my thread). I still do not have it running, but I cannot wait to fire this beast up! She will be a mean sounding one.

https://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/76-gmc-crew-long-box-dually-gotta-get-it-on-the-road-again.29806/

How! Thanks alot for taking the time to tell me your personal experiences and some great advise that I will definitely use. And I agree 100% that once it's all took apart you think twice about if you want to do this or not.