NO NOMAD FOR ME
April 28, 2025
THE AUTO BUILDER
Featured
Force-Fed Prelude
The Honda Prelude may not be as popular as the Civic or the Integra, but it does have a rather large tuner following. One of the reasons that the Prelude isn’t as modified as often as other Hondas is that the model’s initial purchase price is considerably more than a Civic Si or Integra GS-R, since the Prelude was better appointed with options and a more powerful engine.
Pump It Up
Small-block water pumps are common replacement parts and are available at prices that are nearly impossible to beat. However, while getting a brand-new water pump for cheap is great, sometimes you need to keep the one you have. If it’s date-coded, or maybe you’ve installed a chrome steel or an aluminum water pump. You aren’t going to get those at the parts counter. In cases like these, rebuilding a water pump is preferred to buying a new one.
BIG ON STYLE
Although there is no set list or solid criteria we look for when choosing a feature car, we typically know the instant we’ve found one. Sometimes it’s a flawless paint job and subtle body mods that draw us in; other times, it’s a fully built motor loping angrily. Other times, though, we come across a car that is just plain cool—not the fastest, or even highly modified, but the kind of car you just look at and say, “Wow, check out that…” So it was at Goodguys Charlotte this year: sitting proudly in the mist and drizzle was Doug Wayne’s ’66 Galaxie convertible. At Auto Builder, we have a soft spot for large vehicles, and, realistically, Ford is not known for making many great small cars. Even small Fords are big, and if you don’t believe us, stick an early Falcon next to a Scion. But few companies do big as well as Ford, and even from a distance, we knew this Galaxie was as cool as it is long.
Spotlighter
PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT: The Truck Norris HEMI Camshaft from Brian Tooley Racing
The Roundhouse Upgrade Your 5.7 Deserves
Every once in a while a part drops that isn’t just an upgrade — it’s a movement. That’s BTR’s Truck Norris HEMI Camshaft — the martial-arts master of Gen III HEMI valvetrain violence. If the name sounds familiar, it should. This is the HEMI evolution of the wildly successful Truck Norris LS cam. It’s been dyno-proven, driveway-tested, and it just works.
Author
The Auto Builder Staff
Photos Courtesy of Brian Tooley Racing
Picture the scene: a bone-stock 2012 Ram with 75,000 miles, six-speed trans, stock muffler, and a backyard wrench session. Friday night, beers on the workbench, hood up. By Sunday evening, it’s idling like a heavyweight prizefighter and pulling clean past 6,000 rpm. That’s not marketing hype — that’s the actual test mule BTR used to prove this camshaft before it ever went on sale.
Why Truck Norris Hits Harder
- Power Where You Live: We’re talking an extra 1,500 rpm of usable range and big gains above 2,000 rpm — up to +69 horsepower and +18 lb-ft on the BTR dyno at 6,000 rpm compared to stock.
- Street Manners + Strip Attitude: It drives like stock at light throttle but snarls when you bury your foot. Great idle quality, no converter-fighting weirdness.
- Factory Converter Friendly: Works with stock converters — no need to blow cash on a high-stall unless you want to.
- Real-World Tested: Cold starts, brake-in-gear tests, freeway pulls. This cam was shaken down in the exact scenario you’re about to use it.
Specs That Matter
Duration @ .050: 212/23X
This high-duration profile gives your HEMI more valve time at high RPM, translating to stronger top-end power without sacrificing street manners. It’s designed to unleash your engine’s full potential while keeping it daily-drivable.
Lift: .587/.586
With nearly .59 inches of lift, the Truck Norris cam opens the valves farther than stock, allowing more air and fuel into the engine. The result? A thicker midrange, more torque at cruising RPMs, and a big smile every time you bury the throttle.
LSA (Lobe Separation Angle): 109.5°
The cam’s 109.5° LSA strikes the perfect balance between aggressive power and smooth idle. You get an “angry-but-streetable” lope, excellent throttle response, and no harsh idle chatter — even on a daily driver.
Operating Range: 1,500–7,000 RPM
From towing on the highway to late-night drag strip runs, the Truck Norris cam delivers a broad, usable powerband. It gives you the low-end grunt and the high-RPM pull you want without any dead spots.
Chop Scale: 5/7
This cam is noticeable without being overbearing. On the chop scale, 5/7 means your neighbors will hear it, but your truck is still completely streetable. It’s the sweet spot for those who want attitude with control.
Dyno-Proven Gains: +69 HP / +18 lb-ft torque at 6,000 RPM
BTR didn’t just test this cam on paper. Real-world dyno pulls prove that the Truck Norris HEMI Camshaft delivers serious performance gains right where you can feel them — midrange to high RPM.
Factory Converter Friendly
No need to spend extra on a high-stall converter unless you want to. This cam plays nicely with your stock converter, keeping your daily driver functional while delivering a meaner attitude under full throttle.
Built as a System
This isn’t just a cam swap — it’s a package engineered to do the job right. BTR’s testing revealed valve tip wear on higher-mileage HEMIs, so they built the Valve Tip Saver — a lash cap tailored for the HEMI to prevent costly valvetrain issues. Pair it with a shorter pushrod (.030″ shorter), SK017 spring kit, and a non-MDS lifter conversion, and you’ve got a rock-solid combo that’ll take abuse.
BTR Video Showcase: See the Cam in Action
If you want to see the Truck Norris HEMI Camshaft in the wild, check out BTR’s official YouTube video. Watch a full install, dyno pulls, and hear the aggressive “angry-but-streetable” lope in action. This video gives you a first-hand look at what makes the BTR HEMI VVT Truck Norris Camshaft a standout upgrade for your Ram.
Bottom Line
The Truck Norris HEMI Camshaft isn’t for spec sheet collectors. It’s for the guy who can swap a cam in his garage and wants results that back up the hype. It’s for the Ram owner who tows on Friday and does a burnout on Saturday. It’s for anyone who wants their HEMI to sound meaner, pull harder, and do it all without losing drivability.
With gains of up to 69 horsepower, 18 lb-ft of torque, and a powerband stretching to 7,000 rpm, the Truck Norris HEMI Camshaft is the real-deal roundhouse kick to stock performance. It idles with a perfect “angry-but-streetable” lope, drives easy, and keeps your factory converter happy.
Made in the USA. Real-world tested. Street-ready.
🔥 Ready to give your HEMI the roundhouse kick it deserves? Head over to BrianTooleyRacing.com and get yours TODAY!
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