Crane 2020 vs. FRP E303

[74horse]

I am changing out the cam in my 1999 Explorer motor and see that some members are running the Crane 2020 and 2030 and some are running the Ford Racing E303. I will be using the vehicle as a daily driver during the week and some wheeling on the weekend (hunting, etc.). I am looking for mild upgrade in performance but do not want to sacrifice drivability. Any suggestions as to the best cam for this purpose and with the Explorer motor? Thanks for any help.

 

[lars]

I am changing out the cam in my 1999 Explorer motor and see that some members are running the Crane 2020 and 2030 and some are running the Ford Racing E303. I will be using the vehicle as a daily driver during the week and some wheeling on the weekend (hunting, etc.). I am looking for mild upgrade in performance but do not want to sacrifice drivability. Any suggestions as to the best cam for this purpose and with the Explorer motor? Thanks for any help.

Well, since I made the pitch for the 2020 I'll chime in with a couple of thoughts. The E303 is a good cam and has a nice sounding lope, at least in the engines I've heard with it. The argument I was given against it (and the other Ford Racing cams) is that they were "old school" designs. The small block Ford heads supposedly respond well to split duration cams, which is what the 2020 is. Do a search on small block Ford cylinder head comparisons. You'll see that the gt-40p heads flow amazingly well for a factory stock cast iron head- a lot better than the E7 heads found on the 5.0 Mustangs, for which the FRPP cams were intended. The p heads continue to flow well up to almost 0.60" of total lift. I don't believe the E303 even breaks 0.50". Might as well get all the breathing you can. The 2020 goes to around .520" as I recall. More lift = more breathing = more power. Especially since the intake on the Explorer motor happens to be up to the task. The down side is that the 2020 only has 112 degrees of lobe separation, which can give some computers a bit of grief at idle (initial surging on warm start).

 

[74horse]

Lars, thanks I can always count on you to provide excellent well thought out advice. Do you have problems with your computer and the 2030? While I am replacing the cam I will be replacing the timing chain, do you suggest new lifters as well?

 

[RKM]

Yes, any time you replace a cam replace the lifters as well, especially if they were the stock lifters that had been in there for many miles.

However you do not have to........The explorer motor is a roller motor. That said it has roller ends on the lifters. They are not subject to the ware pattern a flat tappit lifter is on a cam. Myself I always replaced the OEM when I did a new cam change. THen for some reason I changed to another cam within a few thousand miles I wouldn't bother.

 

[74horse]

Since I got such a good deal on the motor I can't justify not spending the money and replacing the lifters. I am still way ahead of the game even with a new cam, lifters and timing chain.

Does anyone make a knock-off Crane 2020 grind? I noticed Summit does not make any cams for roller motors.

 

[lars]

Since I got such a good deal on the motor I can't justify not spending the money and replacing the lifters. I am still way ahead of the game even with a new cam, lifters and timing chain.

Does anyone make a knock-off Crane 2020 grind? I noticed Summit does not make any cams for roller motors.

I wouldn't spend money on lifters. I know a lot of Mustang guys, not one of them bothers to replace roller lifters, even with 100k miles on them. They just don't seem to wear out. One thing you should do though, is to replace the valve springs. You don't need to remove the heads to do it. Buy a compression tester so you can get the hose and spark plug fitting, then put an air compressor quick disconnect at the other end. When the cylinder is at top dead center, with that hose connected to an air compressor the pressure in the cylinder will hold the valves closed. Use one of the spring compressors that looks like a crowbar (one end goes under a bolt screwed into the hole for the rocker pedestal) to compress the spring and remove the keeper. Install the new spring, retainer and keeper, then repeat for the other valves. I got a Crane kit that included new springs. It was cheaper than buying them separately. If you do want to look for a 2020 knockoff, get the cam specs off Crane's website so you can compare numbers. Oh yeah, Summit sells all the crane stuff, though you may have to refer to Crane's website to get part numbers.