When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I know many people have started cammed lt1 threads, I searched and searched but a few of my questions were left unanswered. I plan to cam and stall my '94 TA gt on a $1,200 budget. A good set of heads aren't in the budget right now as I am a senior in high school. I have done quite a bit of research into what I am wanting to do with my car. Here is what I have as of now.
-Not sure on what cam, looking at Lloyd's 226/232 or 218/224 or maybe the cc503.
-Comp cams magnum hardened chromeoly rods
-2800-3200 stall converter(not sure what brand)
-Transgo HD2 shift kit
-B&M supercooler
-LS7 lifters
Some of things that the searches never answered.
1. Will the cams mentioned above work with my stock heads.
2. Is the LT4 knock module needed for a cammed lt1?
3 What is the best way to go about tuning? I've heard alot of bad stuff with PCM4less. What about tuning by myself?
This car is my daily driver so I need good drive ability characteristics, I want a decent power band, I also will not be spinning the motor passed 6k rpms to reduce excessive wear on my motor. The car already has pacesetter mids, on3p catback(switching to something with an actual muffler), cai, 1.6 rr's, .600" springs, tb bypass. egr delete, and no cats. Any suggestions are appreciated, super stoked to cam my car!
First off its going to be hard to do all that on a $1200 budget, unless you are doing all of the work yourself and then I dont know if it will still come in at that price. Dont forget gaskets for all of the above, hoses, oil, plugs ect, but to answer some of your questions.
I would use the smaller cam
a 3200 stall would work with the above cam
You dont need the LT4 knock module
Tuning yourself? well you could do it with a mild setup and lots of help.
First off its going to be hard to do all that on a $1200 budget, unless you are doing all of the work yourself and then I dont know if it will still come in at that price. Dont forget gaskets for all of the above, hoses, oil, plugs ect, but to answer some of your questions.
I would use the smaller cam
a 3200 stall would work with the above cam
You dont need the LT4 knock module
Tuning yourself? well you could do it with a mild setup and lots of help.
I will be doing all the work myself, I've also priced everything out including sales tax. This includes oil, new gaskets, and trans fluid. Are FTI converters any good?
1. Yes all three will work with stock heads.
2. LT4 KM is not necessary, you can desensitize the knock sensor in the tune.
3. That seems to be the million dollar question these days. I'm starting to think that self tuning is the best way to go.
Regarding converters, yes FTI makes a great converter, I would not hesitate to run one. I would also look into Yank and Circle D. Given how tight some of the quality converters can be I would go with a 3200 all day long. I see absolutely no need to go smaller. I highly recommend the Yank SS3200. My friend has one and it's an excellent converter for a mild LT1 and would be perfect for a DD.
Regarding cams, your 6000rpm limitation is going to really limit your ideal cam choices. General rule of thumb for maximum performance is that you want to shift into the next gear a couple/few hundred rpm's after your power peak. I once had a bolt-on car with the cc503 cam I ran 4mph more in the 1/4 mile when I shifted it in the 6200-6300rpm range vs. shifting right at 6000rpm. Given your criteria, out of those three cams I would go with the smallest (218/224). Even that cam is probably going to want to rev a little beyond 6000rpm for optimal performance. I suggest giving Lloyd a call, he is a great guy and he will be able to steer you to the right cam given your criteria.
I think your budget might be a challenge because a quality converter alone is like $800 new. Figure another $300+ for a cam, a couple few hundred for a tune, another few hundred to cover pushrods, lifters, oil, gaskets, trans cooler, etc. Out curiosity what's the mileage on your car? You may be able to save a few bucks by using the stock lifters if they are in good visual shape, roll freely and if they don't have a ton of miles on them. I would have to check but I may have my stock lifters boxed away, they have <15,000 miles on them. If you get close to blowing your budget and need lifters hit me up I'd sell them to you real cheap since your a high school kid and I was once in your shoes.
I ran a very similar cam to the LE 226/232 and even with forum bought local shop ported heads it wanted over 6k rpms.
It all won't get done for $1200 though...just the stall and cam will be close to $1k. I would take it slow and first do gears+stall+trans cooler. That alone will do more for performance then the cam only build will do anyway. Then when you get a bit more saved up worry about the cam/pushrods/rockers(which you didn't list but will need)/tune.
When I got my car it was bone stock and I was in high school as well. I first did headers, FIPK, and a 3" dual exhaust. Drove like that for a while but got tired of making more noice then moving forward so then I did a stall and trans cooler. Traction went out the window so I then went on a suspension kick and got LCAs, relos, TQ arm, panhard bar, drag radials, and rear sway bar. The car was a ton of fun by that point and hooked hard and straight, ran high 12s, and spanked my buddies stangs and ricers. Probably my favorite time for that car was at that point before I started taking off the creature comforts and was really just enjoying it every day. Then I got some used ported heads from the forums, 1.6rrs and COMP pushrods, and ordered a custom cam. Installed all that, then a dyno tune. Starting going a bit crazy and pulling out weight, 1LE AC delete, yanked rear seats, removed all speakers except the two fronts, fiberglass hood, etc. Eventually that combo was down to mid-high 11s on motor.
Basically what I'm saying is, take your time and do it right instead of trying to rush everything at once on a budget. We've all been there .
Heh. Run the XE224/236 cam, on a 112 lsa. It drives fine and makes great power peaking right around 6k with stock heads. The dyno graph speaks for itself. Like most anything else it will prefer 3.73 rear gears but it will also do fine with 3.42s or 3.23s due to the stout torque curve it makes. Back when I ran it my M6 car had 3.42s and it pulled them just fine. Also trapped 112 mph in less than ideal conditions. Several other people I know with A4 cars also ran this grind with great results. They were running 12.0s to 12.20s at around 110-111 at or close to full weight with 3.73s and a 3200 converter.
I love my 235/240 cam! It doesn't drive bad at all, especially when you consider how large it is for the street! I use 3.90 gears and I love it. Full specs are 235/240 .629/.615 111LSA and 109 ICL. Check it out, you may like it!
Hey y'all. Been pretty busy here lately so looks like it's time to resurrect the thread! Been doing quite a bit of research according to what you guys have said. I think I am going to hold off til mid-late October so I can gather some suspension bits and pieces. Here is the plan.
-I think I'm going to go bigger with the cam and my shift points, currently looking at getting the 280XFI HR13(224/230 .576 .570 113LSA) $274.97 from TSP. Should I go for more lift or duration on the cam?
-Looking at getting the Comp cams magnum hardened chromoly rods $104.97
-I can get a set of LS7 lifters for just under $89.99. StealthFormula: What would you want for those <15k Lt1 lifters?
-As for a converter, I think the 9.5" 3200 FTI economy street racer converter will do just fine for the power level I will be at for awhile. $436.25 from Jegs.
-Transgo HD2 shift kit $77.97 from Summit
-B&M Supercooler 70264 $92.86 from Jegs
-Felpro Timing cover/waterpump/intake manifold gaskets $15.40
-Mobile 1 fully synthetic $22.89 from wally
-Wix oil filter $6.49 from wally
-Dexron VI $21.35 from wally
-As far as tuning goes I'm still stuck on what route I should go, I think I'll just buy the 60 dollar aldl cable and give tunercats a try.
This puts me at 1,203.14, with this setup I think it will be a pretty mild daily driven LT1. My budget does have a little leeway, it might have to depending on what I do for tuning anyways. If I missed anything let me know, thanks guys!
......-I think I'm going to go bigger with the cam and my shift points, currently looking at getting the 280XFI HR13(224/230 .576 .570 113 LSA) $274.97 from TSP. Should I go for more lift or duration on the cam?......
You don't want more lift with the stock heads.
The stock heads don't give you more flow once you've gotten close to .600" range.
My cousin has that cam on a 112 lsa in a 96' Trans Am M6 with stock heads.. The car made 355rwhp and 363rwtq with a rigged up y pipe.. Very good choice for a daily driver..
daily drivers:
1. avoid high lift and fast ramp rate camshafts
2. avoid opening the engine at all costs, just change the oil
3. spend $$ on the drivetrain (trans converter diff)
4. if you are power hungry, go turbo (100+rwhp in a single swoop)
I was in your shoes once, in 2001 had a daily driver Camaro. Built an engine, did several cam swaps over 6 months fooling around. My downfall was my failure to realize that the inside of an engine, is like the inside of a body. It must remain surgically clean when you open and change parts around inside it. You don't even want a fingerprint on a cam lobe to say the least. Furthermore, you have to really know how to use a torque wrench and be familiar with gaskets/gasket sealers, and the fitment and gentle procedure involved with some of the parts/seals. Without this prior knowledge, it is an enormous risk to open an engine in your only daily driver vehicle, as a student on a budget.
Originally Posted by ACE1252
Oh because its an LT? I completely agree that with an LT reverse cooling engine, stick to fun cheap mods until you can replace the engine first with a suitable LS. Then go turbo.
09-01-2016, 12:18 AM
Yet another cam thread 
. 
