Nick Jadlow

i have a 2008 ly6 engine and i was wondering if i do a vvt delete on the engine can i still use the stock cam or do i need to swap the cam out?

casias

iTrader: (1)

You can't use the same cam. It is totally different.

What are you putting it in?

I ran the VVT for a year or so and really liked it for daily driving. My truck ran 13.4 at 103 with that (4200#).

Then I did the VVT delete and put in an LS9 cam, ran 12.76 at 112.

JoeNova

Keep VVT, get a good VVT cam. If you have it, take advantage of it.

casias

iTrader: (1)

I disagree, from my own experience. I really wanted to believe in the benefits fo VVT, but realized it was not worth pursuing. As you increase the lift of the cam, the ability to vary to timing goes to almost 0. There is little benefit from the extra complexity, the acuator on the cam weighs about a million pounds, and tuners don't want to screw with the tables to tune it.

Edit: But if anyone wants a vvt setup for their 6.0/6.2, let me know. I have it for sale.

JoeNova

That's what the phase limiters are for, and they're cheap.

Saying that VVT isn't worth it because "Someone that doesn't own my car doesn't want to deal with it" is a fairly poor excuse.

casias

iTrader: (1)

Show me your success. Show me how many LS3 guys are adding VVT for its benefits. Zero, zilch, none.

G Atsma

And you know this how??

Nick Jadlow

the engine is going into a 85 chevy swb and if i do go with the ls9 cam what kind of valve springs do i need and can i reuse the pushrods and everything else i'm not looking for a lot of power now im just trying to get it running and driving now and in a year or so is when i will really start to build it and what about a used ls3 cam i can find those on ebay for around $30-$50 is it okay to use a used cam i think i read somewhere the ls9 and ls3 have similar specs but i could be wrong.

casias

iTrader: (1)

Let's just say I know a lot of people running L99 and LS3. No one is jumping on the VVT wagon. There isn't even a wagon. This guy is asking for real advice, not some one-handed keyboard jerk off who "believes" in the virtue of a technology nobody uses.

OP.

LS3 or LS9 is a great choice to start with. LS9 has slightly less torque early on, with slightly more power at the top end. The only other thing you need is front cover, cam gear, timing chain, and the wiring for the cam sensor. I think that is everything.

Here is an excerpt from my vvt delete.


This is how it looked when I tore it apart a week ago. For those of you that don't know, the intake is made from 4" PVC pipe, and a toilet flange from Lowe's. Screw the $200+ CAI, this worked great. I had replaced the water pump with a 2010 camaro pump, and put a dirty dingo bracket to relocate the belt.





So, on with the standard, LS cam swap write-up.

After exposing the timing gear, I pulled off the original VVT cam gear.



After locking the tensioner in place with an allen tool, and spinning the cam, I put wood dowel rods to hold the lifters up, and swapped the cam.



This engine has 170k miles, so I pulled the heads to check everything out. Didn't have to do this, just wanted to. Everything looked real nice, so I put in Comp Cams 918 springs. Time for LS9 head gaskets also.



Scrape the crud out of the block. Not a perfect job, but I think it will be ok. This motor has 170k miles on it.



Back together with new cam gear, LS9 cam. I reused the chain and tensioner because they seemed ok.



GROAN! I can here it now. The LS9 cam is not great. More on that later.

On goes the LS3 timing cover.



You have to remove the wiring harness from the old cover and reuse it, because you need a 5-pin plug. This is self explanatory when you see the parts. Save money and buy only the LS3 cover. The cam sensor and wiring harness are reused.



And on goes the LS3 intake.









And, I moved the heater hoses by making copper tubes, and attaching them to the bottom of the windshield wiper tray.



Results:

The LS9 cam, which is more aggressive lift and duration, has a super lazy LSA, according to some. Others have swapped the LS3 cam with this cam, and claim no loss in torque, but increased horsepower at the top end.

My thought was to decrease some of the torque initially, and get the truck moving without wheel spin, then the power would grow quickly at 2,500 rpm on.

I was pretty happy with the original LY6 cam and VVT. Really. It was perfect with the 6l90 and 3.92 gears on the stock torque converter. But having only .450 or so lift, and about 220 duration, it ran out of steam at the top end.

The LS9 cam added torque, and horsepower. The VE efficiency, even with stock exhaust manifolds, is an impressive 84%. And, it still runs on 87 octane, no problem.

I think the same cam with a more aggressive LSA of 110 or so would probably just make the truck hard to drive. Right now, it will spin the tires with a blip of the throttle. If spinning, it will spin to about 50 mph.

I wouldn't hesitate to use this cam again with this set up. Seems to work out nicely.

Nick Jadlow

i went ahead and got the ls9 cam with pac 218 springs can i still use the stock pushrods and everything if not what do i need to replace.

casias

iTrader: (1)

Yes, stock pushrods and rockers. You will also need the cam gear for the LS9 and the LS3 timing cover.

Nick Jadlow

thank you guys so much. you have helped me so much