New LS1 Owners - Newbie Tech - Cam work for blower down the road?

I am installing a cam right now to add a little power while I am fixing an issue and making parts stronger. However I am wondering if down the road this will make a decent cam for a stage one (around 7PSI or so) Procharger. If it will be acceptable I will keep it. If there is a good chance that I will have to be change it when I add the Procharger I will get the two piece timing chain cover. But money is tight right now so if I don't have to change cams I won't. If 120 buck investment now will save me hours of labor in the future then I will try to find the cash to buy one.

This is the cam going in...

https://www.texas-speed.com/p-1146-texas-speed-224r-224224-581581-camshaft.aspx

Any suggestions on what might be an issue such as the 114 LSA I am going with as the rest of the car including trans is stock. I do plan to upgrade tranny and rear diff when it is time for the blower along with the necessary fuel injections and pump etc..

For a blower in the future I would go with this one on a 115 lsa.
http://www.texas-speed.com/p-1147-texas-speed-224228-581588-camshaft.aspx

Blowers like more exhaust lift and duration than intake. You need to get the air out of the engine now that its being forced in.

Typically we will recommend that 224/228 on the 114lsa, as we have seen the best results in boosted applications such as yours.

Typically we will recommend that 224/228 on the 114lsa, as we have seen the best results in boosted applications such as yours.

Can that cam be used now without a converter change etc.? It is not that far off the cam I was talking about from the numbers posted. I did notice that the stock cam and LS6 cam and GM Hot cam all had different exhaust vs intake.

I can only afford a tune right now after the cam install. Suggest I change it later or what would happen if I got this cam now instead of the 224R?

Buy a D1 and even this a stock cam you should be at the limit of the bottom end. Most blower specific grinds are never optimal n/a and often fustrating. Word has been that 2001+ LS6 factory grind is boost friendly and some have done well with it.

All depends if you want the cart before, or after the horse.

Unless the cam is so far out of whack you could change the pulley to help with bleed off due to overlap, not a FL guru but there are definitly different ways to approach this.

I have personally seen cars putting in optimal blower grinds on stock bottom ends and hating it since the power band has been pushed sooooo far forward that it needs tons of stall and gearing and still is not a fun car.

Buy a D1 and even this a stock cam you should be at the limit of the bottom end. Most blower specific grinds are never optimal n/a and often fustrating. Word has been that 2001+ LS6 factory grind is boost friendly and some have done well with it.

All depends if you want the cart before, or after the horse.

Unless the cam is so far out of whack you could change the pulley to help with bleed off due to overlap, not a FL guru but there are definitly different ways to approach this.

I have personally seen cars putting in optimal blower grinds on stock bottom ends and hating it since the power band has been pushed sooooo far forward that it needs tons of stall and gearing and still is not a fun car.

Well the guy at Texas Speed said the 224R would work with the blower, I noticed it has the same LSA that is supposed to work. It is just the duration and lift is different on int and exh on the blower specific cams.

If I can get away with the same cam great. If I am going to have to eventually swap cams it makes sense to me to get that two piece timing chain cover. It will be a while before I can afford the blower, especially since it will require trans and rear upgrades which cost bucks. Have not decided on the converter yet but this is to be my daily driver and a road race type car and not for drag racing if you get my drift. Putting something in now that will work really well is most important but I do think I will want the blower when I can afford it so want that as easy a job as possible.

Buy a D1 and even this a stock cam you should be at the limit of the bottom end. Most blower specific grinds are never optimal n/a and often fustrating. Word has been that 2001+ LS6 factory grind is boost friendly and some have done well with it.

All depends if you want the cart before, or after the horse.

Unless the cam is so far out of whack you could change the pulley to help with bleed off due to overlap, not a FL guru but there are definitly different ways to approach this.

I have personally seen cars putting in optimal blower grinds on stock bottom ends and hating it since the power band has been pushed sooooo far forward that it needs tons of stall and gearing and still is not a fun car.

His deal is he's already going to be in there replacing lifters, so it's almost stupid not to replace the cam. Plus his may be damaged because he had a trunion bearing failure.

The 224/228 cam will work fine N/A or with boost. It's not some big donkey dick cam that doesnt start to make power untill 4,000 RPM's. It comes on a little higher in the rpm's than stock.

His deal is he's already going to be in there replacing lifters, so it's almost stupid not to replace the cam. Plus his may be damaged because he had a trunion bearing failure.

Yup that is the deal. I am tearing the motor apart looking for more rocker bearings and at the same time upgrading parts including LS7 lifters and whether the cam is damaged or not I would like to get more power out of this now to make myself happier about spending all the money. Texas Speed said the cam would work for boost and I would just do another dyno tune after the blower, injector, fuel pump, adjustable knock sensor arrangement...along with a beefier tranny and rear end which is going to be expensive so having some power now from the cam and tune is pretty important to me. I noticed the stock LS1, LS6 and GM Hot cam having different int and exh specs vs like this 242/242 but am going with what is recommended to me. Apparently the 114 LSA is good for my stock converter now and also better for blower applications. So I think I will only change cams if after I get the blower things are not running great. However from what people have told me it should work well for both now and later. I hope that is the case.

$500 to have another cam swap down the road is only going to be a drop in the bucket once you start doing forced induction. In my opinion, get a cam that makes good power NA now and when you get the funds to go FI then swap the cam out again then. I think that will make you a lot happier.

Correct me if I'm wrong but you are having a shop do this right? If they are going to be doing that big of an install later down the road (FI, Trans, rear) they'll probably do the cam swap for free.

EPP blower cam FTW! Ive seen great power from that cam N/A

$500 to have another cam swap down the road is only going to be a drop in the bucket once you start doing forced induction. In my opinion, get a cam that makes good power NA now and when you get the funds to go FI then swap the cam out again then. I think that will make you a lot happier.

Correct me if I'm wrong but you are having a shop do this right? If they are going to be doing that big of an install later down the road (FI, Trans, rear) they'll probably do the cam swap for free.

Honestly I had no choice with the current stuff as it was only supposed to be a rocker bearing upgrade that snowballed when my car was apart at the shop.

From what I have read about the Procharger installation I very well might do that myself. If the cam turns out to be as acceptable as I am being told then I won't change it and do it all myself. If I do have to do more I may involve a mechanic. It is just much nicer to spend money on parts than labor IMO.

So if same cam I will do it myself except of course having it tuned again by the dyno tuner. My issue is also having the space and equipment to do the trans/rear swap. It may be a year away and who knows what garage set up I will have then. Right now I have a 3 car garage, one filled with my motorcycles and the other two filled with tons of other stuff. My driveway is steep so not a good place to work on cars.

I am installing a cam right now to add a little power while I am fixing an issue and making parts stronger. However I am wondering if down the road this will make a decent cam for a stage one (around 7PSI or so) Procharger.

I think people miss understood what I was saying.

Looking back at the OP, he talks about "down the road" "when he gets a procharger" which could be a season or two or driving (read 1-2 years).

So in perhaps that time frame should he pick a cam that is more towards blower spec or a nice N/A cam that can be boost friendly. I say put whatever you want and I would say a really good N/A cam for now since he has to do the work and then, WHEN the blower is purchased, either buy another one more friendly or specific for the head unit.

Example of those who I have raced with a blower spec grind in a n/a set up waiting for said blower often became disappointed with results. IN some cases never got the blower.

That is all that I am saying. Build the car for the "now" and not for the future.

UNLESS the blower is going on this year, I would go for a good fun n/a cam that is honestly resellable down the road.

I agree with above. No offense, but the people that say later down the road I'll do xyz (especially when money is tight at the time) usually end up selling the car before even beginning the big stuff (I know, I've done it myself haha)

If he's running a stock converter/trans I don't see how he's going to put in a good power making n/a cam :confused:. I'd stick with the blower cam if he's doing lifters anyways, and leave the expensive stuff for down the road (and it will be expensive to have a converter purchased, installed, and cooled). Depends how sure he is of going fi imo. I'd want my converter to match my whole setup (after the supercharger) and wouldn't want to buy twice. Stick with something that works with your current setup, or you're just going to be spending money twice. But like others have pointed out, if you are unsure if you are going D1, then just go with a good N/A setup and do the converter as soon as you can.

Any converter above stock would benefit any set up. The cam does not need to be a T-rex or MS4 which would act more like a blower cam in terms of power band but a good 230/23x @110-112 just to have fun.

Fact is that 4LJunkiE will give up the ghost long before the blower ever sees it and maybe dump 2000-4000 in a rebuild and then pic an optinmal converter.

I agree with above. No offense, but the people that say later down the road I'll do xyz (especially when money is tight at the time) usually end up selling the car before even beginning the big stuff (I know, I've done it myself haha)

The truth is that I was not sure about leaving the car stock as it had under 40K miles in mint condition in case it goes up in value. Now I have decided to mod it.

Much of the question was to determine if I would buy the two piece timing cover or not to make a future cam swap easier.

I am not going with a more radical cam or different LSA because I do plan to keep the transmission and rear stock until I up the power to have to change them to a 12 bolt or S60 and upgraded 4L80E.

In the mean time the motor will be cleared of any bearings left in there, any damaged parts replaced. And the cam will give me some added power without changing anything else right now.

I will be getting a dyno tune right after this install which will make things run right. What else I do I am going to consider the Procharger. That was always my desire and in speaking to people at the shops they have said this cam would work with the procharger, perhaps not as well as a true blower cam but from what I am told especially with the 114LSA or larger it is more compatible.

So I am getting my motor fixed and adding a bit of power at the same time for now. Then do things that will benefit me now and when I can afford the Procharger such as exhaust and suspension parts.

That is how I am hoping things will work out. I was not sure if I could afford the Procharger this year or not due to needing all the supporting items that cost money. With this hit is is now more likely another year down the road.

I had thought about trading in my stock mint low mile WS6 for a newer car such as new Camaro but I like the car, love the body style and think it will be a good bang for the buck. Instead of waiting 20 years hoping it will increase in value I am going to make it as fun to drive as I can for those 20 years, my new attitude. All parts just got ordered so it is set in stone.

Any converter above stock would benefit any set up. The cam does not need to be a T-rex or MS4 which would act more like a blower cam in terms of power band but a good 230/23x @110-112 just to have fun.

Fact is that 4LJunkiE will give up the ghost long before the blower ever sees it and maybe dump 2000-4000 in a rebuild and then pic an optinmal converter.

Agreed 100%. Thing is I didn't think he wanted to do a converter, which was my point. Nothing wrong with a small/blower cam for now while he's doing his lifters, and then adding a beefed up converter/60le down the road to match the setup. It's a low mileage trans that will last just fine with a small cam for now. Question is, how serious is he about going fi? Trex or ms4 was not even a thought for me, and would be better suited for an NA build...obviously. Just giving another perspective from someone else who has trialed and errored his way to getting a decent setup. Do what you want, but don't do it twice, and don't waste money. I think we all agree on that one.

Agreed 100%. Thing is I didn't think he wanted to do a converter, which was my point. Nothing wrong with a small/blower cam for now while he's doing his lifters, and then adding a beefed up converter/60le down the road to match the setup. It's a low mileage trans that will last just fine with a small cam for now. Question is, how serious is he about going fi? Trex or ms4 was not even a thought for me, and would be better suited for an NA build...obviously. Just giving another perspective from someone else who has trialed and errored his way to getting a decent setup. Do what you want, but don't do it twice, and don't waste money. I think we all agree on that one.

Yes I do seriously plan to do the blower kit. This cam, lifter etc. stuff was NOT planned. Only a rocker bearing issue that changed. So as long as I was in there getting bearings out if there are any left I thought I would upgrade durability and use a hotter cam that would not require torque converter or other mods. I had $400.00 budgeted for this so you can imagine how much extra I am spending on just the parts list I have mentioned before. Having the cam and dyno tune will take the edge off the pain of the sudden big cost of things.

I plan to get a different transmission when I go FI which will include an appropriate converter. To go with a different cam requiring a different converter is not something I can afford right now. If I have to I will swap to a blower cam down the road, if this one will work I will keep it and work on other parts of the car.

Keep in mind my car is a State away in a shop that had only planned on it being there for one day and will have been taking up a bay for a few weeks. I have had to make quick decisions and get parts on their way. It is far different than planning something well as I usually do.

I might have sold the car had I kept it stock and low miles but now that I am modifying it that kills collector value so I am going to just mod and enjoy it. Plus I just plain love blowers and that one in particular.

One main reason for this question was to try to decide if I was going to try to scrape up yet another 120 bucks for a two piece timing chain cover if I was going to do a cam swap down the road. If I don't need to do that then I will save my money, otherwise they make sense to me.

I like the body style and while there are some other cars I would also love to have this car with the sort of mods I plan on will be nice IMO.

That's what I thought. Stick in the xr265hr 114, and it will work and run great with stock converter and even better tuned but no need to tune "yet" really. It's a little better than a '02+ ls6 cam without the longer pushrods or required higher rev limit. Then when you go blower, you will be smiling at not having to dive in again...that's just what I would do.

That's what I thought. Stick in the xr265hr 114, and it will work and run great with stock converter and even better tuned but no need to tune "yet" really. It's a little better than a '02+ ls6 cam without the longer pushrods or required higher rev limit. Then when you go blower, you will be smiling at not having to dive in again...that's just what I would do.
Thanks for everyone's input.
Sounds reasonable. My first thought when considering a cam was the GM Hot cam as I read a CC write up where it gained 49Hp in an article. When I found the lifters I had asked Texas Speed about the cam, not changing the converter right now, they told me to go with the 224R for both now and that it would work well with the blower. I did question why this cam had the same int and exh duration where all the others I was looking at did not. It does have a .581 lift and I got the beehive springs. The salesman on the phone also had quoted me a price for the cam and springs and when it came out to more than that credited me the 90 buck difference. It was the best I could do on short notice. I tried talking to Comp Cams but they were slow in responding and wanted more information than my cars information.

I really just had to get whatever parts I was going to get down to the shop asap, I am even paying for a rental car from Oregon right now. Just so far from ideal and having the ability to plan out your mods. So I took their advice and ordered all the upgraded parts there, the 224r with 114 LSA which at least that part will work with a blower. LS7 lifters. LS2 lifter trays. Beehive springs. Chromemoly pushrods. LS6 ported oil pump. In motion LS1 roller timing chain with torrignton bearing. Those got ordered before the last post on the cam which I did read write ups on and it has longer durations and lower lift with stock rocker arms.

So I am going with this as it was using the best advice I could get keeping things stock otherwise for now. I for sure am happy about the more durable parts and hopefully getting all the bearings out if any are left in there. I am half tempted to get that two piece timing chain cover set though just in case down the road after having time to research this I would be better off with a different cam. From what I have heard those make a cam install much easier.

BTW some have told me that even without a tune the car would be able to be driven but have a poor idle. Though the dyno tuner in that area offered to do a starter tune for free if I brought him in the computer out of the car which would be nice in case I can't arrange picking the car up and having him do the tune in the same time frame. I am going to be anxious to get the tune though and see how the car drives after spending all this loot!

Anyone have a suggestion on that one? All the parts from Texas Speed plus all the gaskets from WS6store are getting there Friday. But putting the timing cover on won't be one of the first things to do of course. How much labor will the two piece save me should I decide to swap cams down the road?

Also the converter is fine but I just did not have the money to do that now. My thinking is to wait to get a different converter when I get the blower and HAVE to upgrade the transmission and rear end. A lot of pressure to come up with a decision, parts and the money to pay for all this and the labor in such a short period of time. So I went with the best advice I had at the time.

Getting any other bearings out of there is pretty important and putting in the upgraded parts for durability is a good investment IMO.