over the winter, i have some plans for my car....

for the engine, im starting with head work before i get to the bottom end...

403 cams and upgraded valvetrain.... maybe a 3 angle valve job.

if i dont intend to use them to advance the timing, is there any benefit to aftermarket cam gears (weight/rotating mass for example) or should i just stick to stock?

 

With stock cams, no not really. But with aftermarket cams, you can dial in overlap, and move your tq band up/down. Also, you might need them to dial the cams into the manufacturer's specs, with a degree wheel, I'm not exactly sure how that part works.

-PHiZ

 

With some particular aftermarket cams you don't mess with timing much, and others you'll find that almost nobody runs them at 0 0. I would install them for flexibility, but if your budget is really tight then get ahold of other people running the 403s and see what their cam timing settings are.