Cam for magnum

[kelsey45acp]

The valve springs on Magnum engines were barely adequate for the stock cam. After 25+ years and a bunch of miles they are probably no longer adequate, so you'll need to upgrade the springs if you're going anything more than stock. I would recommend the Hughes kit part #1199. They sell a tool that can apparently allow you to do the springs with the heads still on the engine, but my heads were off when I did mine (PFM 66784)

As for the cam, I bought one from Hughes, but these days most guys are getting a regrind from Oregon Cam Grinding. You'll save a bunch of money going with a regrind.

I would avoid Hughes at all cost! I placed an order with them for a Magnum engine I was working on in March of '23: the Hughes intake, head gaskets, a cam, that same valve spring kit, some little odds and ends...and their stainless rocker arm kit. The whole order was around $2700, of which the rocker arms were $800. They were out of stock on the intake kit and rocker arm kit. No biggie, I thought...they'll send 'em when they get the parts back in stock, and I wasn't ready quite ready to start on the engine yet anyway. Around June, they got the intake back in and sent it to me. Every few weeks I would email and ask how it was looking for the rocker arms, and they would always say something along the lines of "waiting for the supplier to get the materials to make the parts". Fast forward to October of that year. Dave Hughes himself calls and gives me the "good news/bad news" line: Good news is they FINALLY got the rocker arm kits back in stock and they were ready to ship...bad news is the new price is $1299. He says that they were advertising them at the old price and didn't know their supplier was gonna increase their price due to material cost. I said "Where does that leave me?", to which he responded "You can pay the differemce or I can refund your money." No apology, didn't offer a discount on a future order. Nothing. I PAID IN FULL when I placed that order, including the advertised price of the rocker arms (which they DID NOT mention were out of stock on the website), and they held my money prisoner for 7 months, only to almost DOUBLE the price when they got the parts back in stock. Obviously I just got a refund...their was no way in hell I was paying twice as much for something that I had ALREADY paid for, especially when there options for far less money. I filed a claim with the better business bureau of Illinois...they aren't an enforcement branch, just a facillitator between parties. Mind you, messages between parties are directed through the BBBs website, so it should be easy to read, right? Not for Dave Hughes. His response came in the form of a hand "written" letter, which had to be uploaded to the BBB server (I say "written because that's closest description I can offer...I could BARELY read it), in which he complained about the price of everything being through the roof because of who was in the white house. And he actually had the audacity to ask the question "What am I supposed to do, eat the cost of the difference?" YES! If a customer PRE-PAYS for an item based on the price shown on YOUR website, you don't get to hold onto their money for 7 months, then hike the price on 'em without notice!

I came on the FABO forum a couple weeks later to get some opinions on a good alternative for rocker arms. Somebody had mentioned Hughes Engines, so I extended the same warning that I'm conveying here. The very next day, somebody responded to my post and told me that Hughes had done the exact same thing to them at the same time. I vowed right then to warn anybody whenever i see they're considering Hughes Engines. He acts like you're wasting his time when he answers the phone, he's condescending when you ask him about products or tech questions...and he'll try to rip you off. BUYER BEWARE!

 

[autopar3000]

I would avoid Hughes at all cost! I placed an order with them for a Magnum engine I was working on in March of '23: the Hughes intake, head gaskets, a cam, that same valve spring kit, some little odds and ends...and their stainless rocker arm kit. The whole order was around $2700, of which the rocker arms were $800. They were out of stock on the intake kit and rocker arm kit. No biggie, I thought...they'll send 'em when they get the parts back in stock, and I wasn't ready quite ready to start on the engine yet anyway. Around June, they got the intake back in and sent it to me. Every few weeks I would email and ask how it was looking for the rocker arms, and they would always say something along the lines of "waiting for the supplier to get the materials to make the parts". Fast forward to October of that year. Dave Hughes himself calls and gives me the "good news/bad news" line: Good news is they FINALLY got the rocker arm kits back in stock and they were ready to ship...bad news is the new price is $1299. He says that they were advertising them at the old price and didn't know their supplier was gonna increase their price due to material cost. I said "Where does that leave me?", to which he responded "You can pay the differemce or I can refund your money." No apology, didn't offer a discount on a future order. Nothing. I PAID IN FULL when I placed that order, including the advertised price of the rocker arms (which they DID NOT mention were out of stock on the website), and they held my money prisoner for 7 months, only to almost DOUBLE the price when they got the parts back in stock. Obviously I just got a refund...their was no way in hell I was paying twice as much for something that I had ALREADY paid for, especially when there options for far less money. I filed a claim with the better business bureau of Illinois...they aren't an enforcement branch, just a facillitator between parties. Mind you, messages between parties are directed through the BBBs website, so it should be easy to read, right? Not for Dave Hughes. His response came in the form of a hand "written" letter, which had to be uploaded to the BBB server (I say "written because that's closest description I can offer...I could BARELY read it), in which he complained about the price of everything being through the roof because of who was in the white house. And he actually had the audacity to ask the question "What am I supposed to do, eat the cost of the difference?" YES! If a customer PRE-PAYS for an item based on the price shown on YOUR website, you don't get to hold onto their money for 7 months, then hike the price on 'em without notice!

I came on the FABO forum a couple weeks later to get some opinions on a good alternative for rocker arms. Somebody had mentioned Hughes Engines, so I extended the same warning that I'm conveying here. The very next day, somebody responded to my post and told me that Hughes had done the exact same thing to them at the same time. I vowed right then to warn anybody whenever i see they're considering Hughes Engines. He acts like you're wasting his time when he answers the phone, he's condescending when you ask him about products or tech questions...and he'll try to rip you off. BUYER BEWARE!

Yikes, that was certainly not a good approach on his part. He must know the Mopar community is small and tight, and that sort of behavior would get around.

I'm not a small business owner, but if I were I think I would (a) apologize profusely, to the point of being annoying. And (b) I would do SOMETHING on the cost side of things. Obviously eating the difference would have been the best thing for him to do, although I can understand he may not be in a position to do that. But at the very least he could have offered you the rockers at his cost.

I'm sure he feels like he got screwed by his supplier, but the last thing he should do is then screw his customers.

 

[kelsey45acp]

Exactly! Ya don't rip off the guys that have been looking out for each other since the Ford and Chebby guys decided we were less than a long time ago...word gets around! And this is me doing my part to try to see to it that other Mopar folks don't get burned...if you can get your parts ANYWHERE else, DON'T get 'em from Hughes Engines!

 

[Kern Dog]

I would avoid Hughes at all cost! I placed an order with them for a Magnum engine I was working on in March of '23: the Hughes intake, head gaskets, a cam, that same valve spring kit, some little odds and ends...and their stainless rocker arm kit. The whole order was around $2700, of which the rocker arms were $800. They were out of stock on the intake kit and rocker arm kit. No biggie, I thought...they'll send 'em when they get the parts back in stock, and I wasn't ready quite ready to start on the engine yet anyway. Around June, they got the intake back in and sent it to me. Every few weeks I would email and ask how it was looking for the rocker arms, and they would always say something along the lines of "waiting for the supplier to get the materials to make the parts". Fast forward to October of that year. Dave Hughes himself calls and gives me the "good news/bad news" line: Good news is they FINALLY got the rocker arm kits back in stock and they were ready to ship...bad news is the new price is $1299. He says that they were advertising them at the old price and didn't know their supplier was gonna increase their price due to material cost. I said "Where does that leave me?", to which he responded "You can pay the differemce or I can refund your money." No apology, didn't offer a discount on a future order. Nothing. I PAID IN FULL when I placed that order, including the advertised price of the rocker arms (which they DID NOT mention were out of stock on the website), and they held my money prisoner for 7 months, only to almost DOUBLE the price when they got the parts back in stock. Obviously I just got a refund...their was no way in hell I was paying twice as much for something that I had ALREADY paid for, especially when there options for far less money. I filed a claim with the better business bureau of Illinois...they aren't an enforcement branch, just a facillitator between parties. Mind you, messages between parties are directed through the BBBs website, so it should be easy to read, right? Not for Dave Hughes. His response came in the form of a hand "written" letter, which had to be uploaded to the BBB server (I say "written because that's closest description I can offer...I could BARELY read it), in which he complained about the price of everything being through the roof because of who was in the white house. And he actually had the audacity to ask the question "What am I supposed to do, eat the cost of the difference?" YES! If a customer PRE-PAYS for an item based on the price shown on YOUR website, you don't get to hold onto their money for 7 months, then hike the price on 'em without notice!

I came on the FABO forum a couple weeks later to get some opinions on a good alternative for rocker arms. Somebody had mentioned Hughes Engines, so I extended the same warning that I'm conveying here. The very next day, somebody responded to my post and told me that Hughes had done the exact same thing to them at the same time. I vowed right then to warn anybody whenever i see they're considering Hughes Engines. He acts like you're wasting his time when he answers the phone, he's condescending when you ask him about products or tech questions...and he'll try to rip you off. BUYER BEWARE!

Do you think that businesses are charities? By the way that you commented about Hughes remarks about inflation, you showed your stripes.
Yeah, the guy has a reputation for being curt but if his costs shot way up, how long do you think he could afford to absorb the difference? He would lose money on every sale. Can you afford to do that?

 

[kelsey45acp]

The fact is that he took my money - money that I paid based on HIS ADVERTISED PRICE - and held onto it for 7 months, THEN doubled the price. And I wasn't the only one he did it to. It has nothing to do with charity...it has to do with being a reputable business and not screwing your customers. I'm not saying he should lose money. All I was trying to do was warn another FABO member so that hopefully, they don't get screwed. Take your stupid little memes and pictures and stuff them up your ***.

 

[273]

It was the manufacturer that took 7 months and raised the price, there's not much he can do about but give you the options he did.

 

[Kern Dog]

The fact is that he took my money - money that I paid based on HIS ADVERTISED PRICE - and held onto it for 7 months, THEN doubled the price. And I wasn't the only one he did it to. It has nothing to do with charity...it has to do with being a reputable business and not screwing your customers. I'm not saying he should lose money. All I was trying to do was warn another FABO member so that hopefully, they don't get screwed. Take your stupid little memes and pictures and stuff them up your ***.

8 Posts here in over 14 years and you're going to put me in my place?
There are too many people that think that all businesses are crooks and all customers are victims.
Maybe this isn't you but you are making a case for that.
Have you ever owned a business and had to meet the demands that they do? He offered to refund your money. You whined about it.
The man was right...bad policies led to rapid inflation and everyone got caught up in paying more. If you supported those bad policies, you are just as much to blame.
I don't like the inflation any more than you do but I'm smart enough to not blame the businesses and vendors. Most often, they have cut into their profit margins just to keep money moving. They cannot sell products for less than they pay for them or they go broke.
Yes, the situation that you are dealing with is a real shitty one but it isn't against the law to act as Hughes did. Nobody will defend his "bedside manner" because many have also experienced his personality over the phone. Maybe you were just triggered by his demeanor as much as his policies?
It does suck that we as Mopar guys don't have that many choices for parts as the Chevy guys. I wish that Mopar Performance were still as active as they were 10-15 years ago.

 

[mgoblue9798]

Swapping my 87 Dakota from 3.9la to 5.2 magnum. Found the cam has a chewed up lobe. What the best replacement cam for stock engine.

Hughes has a small cam specifically for the stock 5.2. Might also check with Oregon cams. Just make sure to ask both about a spring upgrade if needed.