F13 cam install review
05-03-2005, 09:06 AM
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F13 cam install review First i need to thank a few people.
1st- Thank you to all my fellow members & administrators. Without reading the
many success stories and horror stories, i would never have attempted
this install by myself.
2nd- Jmx's LS1howto.com cam and spring swap tutorial. His write up is
NEARLY bolt for bolt on how to change a cam in your LS1.
3rd- I also need to thank SSrallyred for helping me over the phone with the
LS6 intake. First round is on me ken!!
4th- Bille Lawler@Prescribed Power for tuning my car at a fair price.
Last but not least, Allen Futral, for making a very nice cam!!
Ok, i need to preface this review with the fact that i have never installed a cam in my life. This was my first time, and i did it by myself. Other than the extra set of hands from my neighbor to get the radiator in and out, this was my show.
The best tip i can pass along, is the same one that was told to me ten times. Take your time. I planned to have 4 days off last week and took all 4 days to do my cam swap. I can hear people laughing. But that was a relaxed pace, and i enjoyed doing it. And isn't that the point?
The second tip i want to pass along, is buy the right tools for the job. The 10mm gear wrench was in my back pocket for 4 days. A pair of small diameter drop lights made changing springs and the intake alot easier to see. The cranecam "dual" compressor was well worth the money, even if it took me a while to learn how to get it centered over the valves. I also bought the 3 arm gear puller only because i can use it at work, but it made the crank pulley a piece of cake.
Monday- I had a digital camera with me and took pics at every step, so at
anytime, i could go back and see what it looked like before. I had
to go back only twice, but it was nice to have a back up reference
point. I also labled each bolt and bagged them together with post it
notes. I hear people laughing again. But this made reconstruction a
breeze. By the end of the day, i had my stock cam out and the new
one in. I used 5/16" steel rod ( 21" long ) for the driver's and 1/4"
steel rod ( 21" long ) for the passenger side. Worked nicely.
Tuesday- I pulled the old oil pump off and set the new timing chain and
timing gear. Dot to Dot looked good, so i moved on to the new
oil pump. I carefully dropped the oil pan, and jacked the car up
a few more inches so i could sit cross legs infront of the crank
snout. I used a 15mm open ended wrench to hold down the oil
pick up tube with my left hand, as i lined up the new oil pump
with my right hand. Easy? No. An hour and a half later, it went
on. For the pickup tube bolt, i got on my back and used both index
fingers to thread the bolt in. Easy? Yes. That took five seconds,
go figure.
Wednesday- I pulled the old LS1 intake off and marked which hoses went
where with post its. I covered the ports with clean rags and then
changed my springs. Springs locks were made by the devil. They
have a mind of their own, and will only work if you talk nice to
them. Once i had the springs in, i installed the new LS6 intake.
On the back four bolts, where the fins are on the bolt, is where
they are out of the hole. So i use a small strip of duct tape on the
bolts and it made it alot easier. At this point i started putting things
back together.
Thursday- I drank a cup of coffee while my crank pulley was in the oven @
200 for 25 minutes. I used the longer crank bolt and it worked VERY
well. On the water pump, you have six bolts, three on each side.
The lower drivers side needs to be taped into place on the water
pump BEFORE in put it on the car or you'll never get the bolt in. The
rest of the day was spent looking over everything, to make sure i
didn't forget something. I found a few things i forgot to do, so this
step is worth the extra time.
Fire in the hole!!
She fired up the first time with a sound that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up!
OMG! This was better than anyone elses cammed car because *i* did it! The car has this slight shake as it idles at 750 rpm. 
I drove her for four days without a tune and she only surged once pulling out of a gas station. The SOTP difference was undeniable.The looks,smiles,nods have been priceless! People let me into traffic more now than ever!!
Monday- Bille Lawler meet with me down at Dynolab and tuned my a/f down to a nice 12.5-13.0 line. You can see on the chart where i lost a little low end from when i just had headers at about 2500rpm's. But that was to be expected. To be honest the low end doesn't "feel" bad at all, and the mid range "feels" ALOT stronger, so to me it was a worthy mod.
Ending conclusions-As a newbie, this was by far, the best mod i've ever done to my car. I wouldn't hesitate to do this again, or if a set of ported heads landed on my door step, i'd break out the zip lock bags!
Thanks for reading my long post, hope i helped someone like so many have helped me!
Mike
1st- Thank you to all my fellow members & administrators. Without reading the
many success stories and horror stories, i would never have attempted
this install by myself.
2nd- Jmx's LS1howto.com cam and spring swap tutorial. His write up is
NEARLY bolt for bolt on how to change a cam in your LS1.
3rd- I also need to thank SSrallyred for helping me over the phone with the
LS6 intake. First round is on me ken!!
4th- Bille Lawler@Prescribed Power for tuning my car at a fair price.
Last but not least, Allen Futral, for making a very nice cam!!
Ok, i need to preface this review with the fact that i have never installed a cam in my life. This was my first time, and i did it by myself. Other than the extra set of hands from my neighbor to get the radiator in and out, this was my show.
The best tip i can pass along, is the same one that was told to me ten times. Take your time. I planned to have 4 days off last week and took all 4 days to do my cam swap. I can hear people laughing. But that was a relaxed pace, and i enjoyed doing it. And isn't that the point?
The second tip i want to pass along, is buy the right tools for the job. The 10mm gear wrench was in my back pocket for 4 days. A pair of small diameter drop lights made changing springs and the intake alot easier to see. The cranecam "dual" compressor was well worth the money, even if it took me a while to learn how to get it centered over the valves. I also bought the 3 arm gear puller only because i can use it at work, but it made the crank pulley a piece of cake.
Monday- I had a digital camera with me and took pics at every step, so at
anytime, i could go back and see what it looked like before. I had
to go back only twice, but it was nice to have a back up reference
point. I also labled each bolt and bagged them together with post it
notes. I hear people laughing again. But this made reconstruction a
breeze. By the end of the day, i had my stock cam out and the new
one in. I used 5/16" steel rod ( 21" long ) for the driver's and 1/4"
steel rod ( 21" long ) for the passenger side. Worked nicely.
Tuesday- I pulled the old oil pump off and set the new timing chain and
timing gear. Dot to Dot looked good, so i moved on to the new
oil pump. I carefully dropped the oil pan, and jacked the car up
a few more inches so i could sit cross legs infront of the crank
snout. I used a 15mm open ended wrench to hold down the oil
pick up tube with my left hand, as i lined up the new oil pump
with my right hand. Easy? No. An hour and a half later, it went
on. For the pickup tube bolt, i got on my back and used both index
fingers to thread the bolt in. Easy? Yes. That took five seconds,
go figure.
Wednesday- I pulled the old LS1 intake off and marked which hoses went
where with post its. I covered the ports with clean rags and then
changed my springs. Springs locks were made by the devil. They
have a mind of their own, and will only work if you talk nice to
them. Once i had the springs in, i installed the new LS6 intake.
On the back four bolts, where the fins are on the bolt, is where
they are out of the hole. So i use a small strip of duct tape on the
bolts and it made it alot easier. At this point i started putting things
back together.
Thursday- I drank a cup of coffee while my crank pulley was in the oven @
200 for 25 minutes. I used the longer crank bolt and it worked VERY
well. On the water pump, you have six bolts, three on each side.
The lower drivers side needs to be taped into place on the water
pump BEFORE in put it on the car or you'll never get the bolt in. The
rest of the day was spent looking over everything, to make sure i
didn't forget something. I found a few things i forgot to do, so this
step is worth the extra time.
Fire in the hole!!
She fired up the first time with a sound that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up!
OMG! This was better than anyone elses cammed car because *i* did it! The car has this slight shake as it idles at 750 rpm. I drove her for four days without a tune and she only surged once pulling out of a gas station. The SOTP difference was undeniable.The looks,smiles,nods have been priceless! People let me into traffic more now than ever!!
Monday- Bille Lawler meet with me down at Dynolab and tuned my a/f down to a nice 12.5-13.0 line. You can see on the chart where i lost a little low end from when i just had headers at about 2500rpm's. But that was to be expected. To be honest the low end doesn't "feel" bad at all, and the mid range "feels" ALOT stronger, so to me it was a worthy mod.
Ending conclusions-As a newbie, this was by far, the best mod i've ever done to my car. I wouldn't hesitate to do this again, or if a set of ported heads landed on my door step, i'd break out the zip lock bags!
Thanks for reading my long post, hope i helped someone like so many have helped me!
Mike
05-03-2005, 09:34 AM
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Thanks guys!
UMD_Jesse- I just used my jacks stands with a 2x4 under the floor jack to get that little extra height.
Freakynipples69- That F14 is gonna sound MEAN! Hope your swap goes well too! I've got a short quicktime vid of my car, but i don't have a place to post it. If anyone could post it i would greatly appreciate it.
UMD_Jesse- I just used my jacks stands with a 2x4 under the floor jack to get that little extra height.
Freakynipples69- That F14 is gonna sound MEAN! Hope your swap goes well too! I've got a short quicktime vid of my car, but i don't have a place to post it. If anyone could post it i would greatly appreciate it.
05-03-2005, 09:42 AM
#6
Very nice, I'm looking forward to doing my cam swap too in the future. Let me ask you, is this car a daily driver? How do you like the day-to-day drivability of the F13? I was considering the same cam, but I don't want to enjoy it for a while and then hate life later on when the rough idle etc.. get annoying, if that happens rather, that's why I'm looking for personal feedback. How do you like it thus far?
Thanks..
Thanks..
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05-03-2005, 10:05 AM
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VTC_WS6- To be honest, the first 4 days ( without the tune ) was heaven. She idled around 750 which made her lope HARD, and all she wanted to do was FLY!
But now that she's tuned, she idles around 900 ( less lope ) and drives VERY close to stock. I TRIED to make her surge on the way home from the dyno last night and couldn't make her. At this point, i would let my g/f drive and not worry about her acting unruly( Not my g/f
) The mid range on this cam feels very good, to the point that i'm gonna start saving money for 3.73's in a new 12 bolt. As a DD, this cam feels right at home.
Hope this helps,
Mike
But now that she's tuned, she idles around 900 ( less lope ) and drives VERY close to stock. I TRIED to make her surge on the way home from the dyno last night and couldn't make her. At this point, i would let my g/f drive and not worry about her acting unruly( Not my g/f
) The mid range on this cam feels very good, to the point that i'm gonna start saving money for 3.73's in a new 12 bolt. As a DD, this cam feels right at home.Hope this helps,
Mike
Last edited by Stark; 05-03-2005 at 12:20 PM.
05-03-2005, 10:08 AM
#9
Thanks for the nice write up. Its nice to read a review on how difficult the swap is. I cant wait to rip into my engine to install my own f-13. It wont be my first ls1 cam swap, but it will be my first in this car, and its nice to read your review and remember exactly what is involved. Glad to hear your happy with teh way it turned out!
05-03-2005, 10:26 AM
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Thanks GuitsBoy,
You'll enjoy this cam, even tho it's my first, i think i choose wisely. This really made me apperciate all the hard work and mistakes made by others before me. Standing on the shoulders of giants and all that....the view is nice!
You'll enjoy this cam, even tho it's my first, i think i choose wisely. This really made me apperciate all the hard work and mistakes made by others before me. Standing on the shoulders of giants and all that....the view is nice!
05-03-2005, 11:30 AM
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Excellent write-up!
I work in much the same way...TAKE YOUR TIME! Since mine isn't my daily driver, I have no reason to get in a rush. Labelling and bagging bolts is a very good idea when doing something new like this.
Cheers!
-Jason
I work in much the same way...TAKE YOUR TIME! Since mine isn't my daily driver, I have no reason to get in a rush. Labelling and bagging bolts is a very good idea when doing something new like this.
Cheers!
-Jason
05-03-2005, 11:54 AM
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Thanks FinalTA!
I just wanted 1st timers to see it can be done by taking your time and READING the many post about this subject. I enjoyed wrenching on my car because i took the time to research the project, bought the right tools and parts, and planned for car to be off the road. Now i need to start reading about replacing rear ends!!
I just wanted 1st timers to see it can be done by taking your time and READING the many post about this subject. I enjoyed wrenching on my car because i took the time to research the project, bought the right tools and parts, and planned for car to be off the road. Now i need to start reading about replacing rear ends!!
05-03-2005, 12:59 PM
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Just got done putting in my f13 with the crane 921s. I got it HP tuned and the thing will not idle. Its set at 900 and wants to keep dying. The car has stock manifolds on it maybe this is my problem. There are no cats on the car so thats all its going going for it and the SLP TOTL.
I also have to reccomend the CRANE DUAL SPRING COMPRESSOR. It was like 105.00 bucks thru speed inc and it was worth every penny.
I had a LT1 and did a cam in that. This LS1 damn what a breeze it was. I could do these all day long. Best thing is the timing cover doesnt get tucked under the oil pan.
Kyle
I also have to reccomend the CRANE DUAL SPRING COMPRESSOR. It was like 105.00 bucks thru speed inc and it was worth every penny.
I had a LT1 and did a cam in that. This LS1 damn what a breeze it was. I could do these all day long. Best thing is the timing cover doesnt get tucked under the oil pan.
Kyle
05-03-2005, 01:58 PM
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Originally Posted by Stark
VTC_WS6- To be honest, the first 4 days ( without the tune ) was heaven. She idled around 750 which made her lope HARD, and all she wanted to do was FLY!
But now that she's tuned, she idles around 900 ( less lope ) and drives VERY close to stock. I TRIED to make her surge on the way home from the dyno last night and couldn't make her. At this point, i would let my g/f drive and not worry about her acting unruly( Not my g/f ) The mid range on this cam feels very good
Mike
But now that she's tuned, she idles around 900 ( less lope ) and drives VERY close to stock. I TRIED to make her surge on the way home from the dyno last night and couldn't make her. At this point, i would let my g/f drive and not worry about her acting unruly( Not my g/f
) The mid range on this cam feels very goodMike
I want a cam that lopes pretty hard while idling, but with a "nice" rythm sound to it. Do you wish that your cam maybe had a little more lope, what about when it was idling at 750?
thanks for sharing the good info
05-03-2005, 02:27 PM
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BigSteele- Wow, sorry, i forgot about telling everyone which cam it was.
F13 230/232 .595/.585 112 + 4 lsa
When it was untuned it sounded better than i could have hoped for! But Bille explained the ramifications of running the cam at a 750 idle. It's not worth a little extra lope.
I believe it still sounds "cammed" now with the tune. If you pm me your e-mail, i can run go film a short vid for you so you can hear both. I already have a vid "untuned".
Mike
F13 230/232 .595/.585 112 + 4 lsa
When it was untuned it sounded better than i could have hoped for! But Bille explained the ramifications of running the cam at a 750 idle. It's not worth a little extra lope.
I believe it still sounds "cammed" now with the tune. If you pm me your e-mail, i can run go film a short vid for you so you can hear both. I already have a vid "untuned".
Mike
05-03-2005, 04:26 PM
#17
congrats!
i pullled my heads to replace the lifters and it was pretty cool seeing the motor come back together.
first it was just a lowly shortblock sitting in the car, then the heads were bolted on, then the headers, then the intake, then the pulleys, it was like it just grew and grew, getting ever closer to the damn cowl lol.
getcha a ported throttle body and you might be able to hit that magical 400 mark!
http://www.portsculptor.com/
check out that site, the guy is a board sponser here and does awesome work
i pullled my heads to replace the lifters and it was pretty cool seeing the motor come back together.
first it was just a lowly shortblock sitting in the car, then the heads were bolted on, then the headers, then the intake, then the pulleys, it was like it just grew and grew, getting ever closer to the damn cowl lol.
getcha a ported throttle body and you might be able to hit that magical 400 mark!
http://www.portsculptor.com/
check out that site, the guy is a board sponser here and does awesome work
05-03-2005, 05:44 PM
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Thanks TheBlurLS1
Hell yeah, it's nice watching these cars come back to life. I *could* have hit that magic number with ported TB and a underdrive pulley, but funds ran dry.
I had to have money to tune her. Which is fine, i'll just include that stuff with the ported heads!
Tho, next up is the rear end with 3.73's or 4.10's. I've got to do that next for SURE.
Hell yeah, it's nice watching these cars come back to life. I *could* have hit that magic number with ported TB and a underdrive pulley, but funds ran dry.
I had to have money to tune her. Which is fine, i'll just include that stuff with the ported heads!
Tho, next up is the rear end with 3.73's or 4.10's. I've got to do that next for SURE.
