2.3L ('83-'97) Camshaft help!

[Jonahan Vangerven]

Hi I am Jonathan and I am 20 doing my first build and I decided to go with the 2.3t for my 1996 ford ranger. I need help with setting up the cam, cam specs are:
Intake 210° @ .050”
Exhaust 210° @ .050”
LCA 111°
Lift .468”
It's a big r performance ranger roller xxx cam
I have a stock 2.3 d port turbo head no porting done yet and no oversized valves yet, head has Allredy been rebuilt. Was wondering what I have to do to measure for clearance from the valve spring retainer to the the valve guide. I have read online that anything over .470 lift the guides need machined down so that they don't contact when running. I have Allredy shimmed all the hla's (I took one of the old hla's apart and took the spring out of it so it would bottom out/collapse and shimmed them all to .040-.050 so that they are in spec I think spec is .030-.0.50 but I wanted to be on the loose side. If I need to clearance the valve guides would it be worth it to go with .100 longer valves from racer Walsh (so I don't have to grind the valve guides) and get the head re sized for oversized valves and port the exhaust and intake?
Let me know what you think I should do thank you

 

[Josh B]

Hey Jonathan, welcome to TRS.
That's quite a deal you've got going on there, good luck with it.
I can't tell you much about that but someone will be around that can tell you all you want to know about it

 

[Josh B]

At least I hope someone will

 

[sgtsandman]

We’ll have to wait for someone that has done this to login and pass on their experience. There are at least 2 or 3 that are running one right now that are active.

 

[Mechrick]

I assume the shims are needed because the base circle changed.

I would assemble a few valves in the head with a fixed HLA (gut it and stack washers in the body of the lifter until when assembled, the follower just touches the valve tip). Rotate the cam carefully by hand and see if the retainer contacts the valve seal (and by how much).

-If there is more than .030" of clearance, you are good to go. If not, machine the guides down to allow about .080" of clearance, ditch the stock seals and switch to umbrella seals.

Having said all that, setting one of these heads up with 1.89"/1.59" valves is worth the time and expense. I've always ran stock length stainless valves, but .100" valves would solve most of your issues...