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Need help picking which Cam to use

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Old Mar 12, 2012 | 10:49 AM
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Default Need help picking which Cam to use

I have a 72 Cutlass that I'm doing an LS Swap on. I have a 02 Silverado LQ4 with LS3 Heads/Intake, with Nick Williams throttlebody. Looking to put a Cam in it before completing the swap but I need some help. I've been looking at these 2 cams but not sure which one would be best for me. It's my project car that I would like to drive maybe once or twice a week at most. Let me know if I need to provide anymore info.

https://ls1tech.com/forums/parts-cla...s-cam-f-s.html

https://ls1tech.com/forums/parts-cla...2-112-3-a.html
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Old Mar 12, 2012 | 12:22 PM
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Do the Pat G. It'll be easier to street drive
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Old Mar 12, 2012 | 12:31 PM
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What rear gear and tranny?
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Old Mar 12, 2012 | 01:29 PM
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4L60 and 373 Posi Rearend
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Old Mar 12, 2012 | 01:37 PM
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Hmm, how big is your stall? If it's a fairly large stall I'd get the first cam, if not... Get a shorter rear gear (maybe 4.11?) and go with first cam as well.
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Old Mar 12, 2012 | 01:41 PM
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I haven't decided on Stall yet, just now putting my setup together, but a friend of mine told that the CompCam might be too be causing it to not be very fun to drive on the street. Unfortunately I don't know much about Cams so I tend to want to pick the Cam that sounds the choppiest
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Old Mar 12, 2012 | 01:59 PM
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Originally Posted by 72_Cutlass_LS_Swap
I haven't decided on Stall yet, just now putting my setup together, but a friend of mine told that the CompCam might be too be causing it to not be very fun to drive on the street. Unfortunately I don't know much about Cams so I tend to want to pick the Cam that sounds the choppiest
Your friend is right, that is a fairly large cam. That's why I asked about your tranny/stall/rear gear. With a good tune, a shorter rear gear, and a bigger converter you should be fine. If not, it might bog a bit and make it kind of annoying to drive. If you want a nice choppy cam for your setup... lean towards a 24x/25x .60x/.61x 110-112 LSA. That'll give a nice choppy idle. That's pushing the limits on a 5.7, but on a 6.0 I think you'll be fine. I know what you mean about wanting choppy idle, my cam selection will also be decided by that, even if it means giving up some performance
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Old Mar 12, 2012 | 02:04 PM
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any off the shelf cams that you'd suggest?
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Old Mar 12, 2012 | 02:16 PM
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Originally Posted by 72_Cutlass_LS_Swap
any off the shelf cams that you'd suggest?
Hmm, I have an LS1 so all my research regarding off the shelf cams has been for a 346 LS1. I know that the T-Rex cam is one of the biggest off the shelf cams for a stock cube LS1, so that'll be somewhat mild in an LQ4. Check it out on YouTube and see if you like the sound. Personally, I think the T-Rex on 112 LSA sounds badass in an LS1. I bet it'd sound nice in an LQ4 as well. The T-Rex specs are: 242/248 @.050, .610/.615. Pretty big for an LS1. Look for something similar, I suggest giving TSP a call and telling them about your application and what you're looking to do. They'll be a big help!
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Old Mar 14, 2012 | 08:08 AM
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I ended up going with the Pat G cam, hopefully it'll work out for me as there's no turning back now
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Old Mar 14, 2012 | 08:10 AM
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going to pickup my new springs and pushrods locally so hopefully I'll get the cam by the end of the week
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Old Mar 14, 2012 | 08:52 PM
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Cool man good luck I think you'll be happy with the choice. If you want it to be choppy you can bring the idle down a bit. I used to have a similar cam in my LT1 set up and I had it idle a little lower and it really brought the mean sound.
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