Some are good, some are great...

Japan-market spec Vannete A15 is a full-on H89 engine, oval ports, H89 head, etc. Before 1982 it had the standard large-bore cam, which was fitted to most A14s.

However after 1982, they fitted a very small duration camshaft (less duration than an A12 cam). Would only take a cam change to wake it up.

how could you tell the cam difference?
Ive just put an A15 in my ute that was from a batch of recoed A15 from 7-8 years ago.
Been in storage 7 years.

Didnt know that DD will have to do the cam swap and find out.

Quote:
Drive it. If it runs out of steam at 4500 RPM, it is the mild cam.

You could also degree it with a dial indicator.

I had a decent grind on my A15 big bore and it was ballsy but prefer the stock grinds for better midrange even with quad carbs, high comp good ignition and pipes. Theres just something reassuring about an engine that responds well from normal RPM range rather than a piggy in traffic.