Kelford camshafts, Nissan RB26DETT, low lift
Kelford is a New Zealand camshaft manufacturer with roots in Christchurch dating back to 1968. Its profiles range from upgrades for street-driven cars to fully built race engines. Choose the cam around the rest of the engine and its intended use, rather than simply picking the longest duration.
This selection is for the Nissan RB26DETT, low lift engine. Profile differences, spring recommendations and required modifications are detailed below.
Technical specifications – available profiles for this engine
Profile L182-A
Street profile with good throttle response, quick spool and more low and mid-range pull. Suits upgraded twin turbos or a single 54–66 mm turbo. Retains a stock-size base circle without head machining for cam clearance. Recommended springs: KVS15 or KVS1855-BT. Supplied with a spline/half-moon trigger as standard. Specify a yoke trigger when ordering if required.
| Specification | Intake | Exhaust |
|---|---|---|
| Cam lift | 9.20mm | 9.20mm |
| Net valve lift | 8.95mm | 8.90mm |
| Advertised duration @ 0.35mm | 264° | 264° |
| Duration @ 1.00mm valve lift | 226° | 226° |
| Rocker ratio | 1 | 1 |
| Suggested centre lines | 110 ATDC | 114 BTDC |
| Valve clearance | 0.25mm Set COLD at the CAM | 0.30mm Set COLD at the CAM |
| Timing IVO @ 1.00mm valve lift | 3 BTDC | – |
| Timing IVC @ 1.00mm valve lift | 43 ABDC | – |
| Timing EVO @ 1.00mm valve lift | – | 47 BBDC |
| Timing EVC @ 1.00mm valve lift | – | 1 BTDC |
| Valve lift at TDC | 1.27mm | 0.87 mm |
Manufacturer profile information
Profile L182-A-R34
Street profile with good throttle response, quick spool and more low and mid-range pull. Suits upgraded twin turbos or a single 54–66 mm turbo. Retains a stock-size base circle without head machining for cam clearance. Recommended springs: KVS15 or KVS1855-BT. Supplied with a spline/half-moon trigger as standard. Specify a yoke trigger when ordering if required. The R34 cam trigger differs from earlier RB26 versions. Select this version for the R34 sensor.
| Specification | Intake | Exhaust |
|---|---|---|
| Cam lift | 9.20mm | 9.20mm |
| Net valve lift | 8.95mm | 8.90mm |
| Advertised duration @ 0.35mm | 264° | 264° |
| Duration @ 1.00mm valve lift | 226° | 226° |
| Rocker ratio | 1 | 1 |
| Suggested centre lines | 110 ATDC | 114 BTDC |
| Valve clearance | 0.25mm Set COLD at the CAM | 0.30mm Set COLD at the CAM |
| Timing IVO @ 1.00mm valve lift | 3 BTDC | – |
| Timing IVC @ 1.00mm valve lift | 43 ABDC | – |
| Timing EVO @ 1.00mm valve lift | – | 47 BBDC |
| Timing EVC @ 1.00mm valve lift | – | 1 BTDC |
| Valve lift at TDC | 1.27mm | 0.87 mm |
Manufacturer profile information
Profile L182-B
Street and drag profile focused on mid-range and top-end pull. Suits upgraded twin turbos or a single 64–72 mm turbo. Retains the original base circle without head machining for cam clearance. Recommended springs: KVS15 or KVS1855-BT. Supplied with a spline/half-moon sensor drive as standard. Specify a yoke version when ordering if required.
| Specification | Intake | Exhaust |
|---|---|---|
| Valve clearance | 0.25mm cold at the cam | 0.30mm cold at the cam |
| Cam lift | 9.20mm | 9.20mm |
| Rocker ratio | 1 | 1 |
| Net valve lift | 8.95mm | 8.90mm |
| Advertised duration @ 0.35mm | 272° | 272° |
| Duration @ 1.00mm valve lift | 234° | 234° |
| Timing IVO @ 1.00mm valve lift | 7 BTDC | – |
| Timing IVC @ 1.00mm valve lift | 47 ABDC | – |
| Timing EVO @ 1.00mm valve lift | – | 51 BBDC |
| Timing EVC @ 1.00mm valve lift | – | 3 ATDC |
| Suggested centre lines | 110° | 114° |
| Valve lift at TDC | 1.60mm | 1.20 mm |
Manufacturer profile information
Profile L182-B-R34
Street and drag profile focused on mid-range and top-end pull. Suits upgraded twin turbos or a single 64–72 mm turbo. Retains the original base circle without head machining for cam clearance. Recommended springs: KVS15 or KVS1855-BT. Supplied with a spline/half-moon sensor drive as standard. Specify a yoke version when ordering if required. The R34 cam trigger differs from earlier RB26 versions. Select this version for the R34 sensor.
| Specification | Intake | Exhaust |
|---|---|---|
| Valve clearance | 0.25mm cold at the cam | 0.30mm cold at the cam |
| Cam lift | 9.20mm | 9.20mm |
| Rocker ratio | 1 | 1 |
| Net valve lift | 8.95mm | 8.90mm |
| Advertised duration @ 0.35mm | 272° | 272° |
| Duration @ 1.00mm valve lift | 234° | 234° |
| Timing IVO @ 1.00mm valve lift | 7 BTDC | – |
| Timing IVC @ 1.00mm valve lift | 47 ABDC | – |
| Timing EVO @ 1.00mm valve lift | – | 51 BBDC |
| Timing EVC @ 1.00mm valve lift | – | 3 ATDC |
| Suggested centre lines | 110° | 114° |
| Valve lift at TDC | 1.60mm | 1.20 mm |
Manufacturer profile information
Profile L182-C
A 280-degree street and strip profile for the RB26. The archived Kelford catalogue states that the head does not require cam-lobe clearance machining. Lift is listed as valve lift, without a separate net-lift designation.
| Specification | Intake | Exhaust |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised duration @ 0.35mm | 280° | 280° |
| Duration @ 1.00mm valve lift | 242° | 242° |
| Valve lift | 8.95mm | 8.90mm |
| Valve clearance | 0.25mm | 0.30mm |
| Suggested centre lines | 110° | 116° |
| Valve lift at TDC | 1.96 mm | 1.33 mm |
Manufacturer profile information
Checking heights are shown with the duration figures. Net lift is the net valve movement specified by the manufacturer, while cam lift is listed separately. IVO/IVC denote intake valve opening/closing and EVO/EVC exhaust valve opening/closing. BTDC/ATDC mean before/after top dead centre, and BBDC/ABDC before/after bottom dead centre.
Installation and profile selection
Confirm the exact engine version, valvetrain design and the modifications required by the profile. Check cam timing and valve-to-piston clearance during installation. Springs, lifters and other supporting parts mentioned with a profile are not included unless the profile explicitly states that they come with the kit.
Examples of related vehicle applications
- Nissan Skyline GT-R R32 (1989–1994)
- Nissan Skyline GT-R R33 (1995–1998)
- Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 (1999–2002), select correct CAS trigger version
- Nissan Stagea 260RS Autech (1997–2001)
The list covers versions with the specified engines only. Exact fitment and required modifications depend on the selected profile, cylinder head, lifters and timing system.
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