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Do I need a LS6 intake before a cam or no?

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Old Sep 24, 2005 | 09:01 AM
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Default Do I need a LS6 intake before a cam or no?

Just got my LT's and ORY plus Hooker CB installed, so next up is the intake. I have a '00 with the LS1 manifold, should I upgrade to a LS6 manifold before a bigger cam or should I just get the cam and wait on the bigger manifold for later?
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Old Sep 24, 2005 | 09:09 AM
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You will see much better gains with the LS6 intake on top of a cam.

Manifold is much cheaper anyhow. $400 or so. Cam install tends to be about $1000 if you do it yourself.

Good luck either way, doesn't really matter which order you do it, as long as you know you are going to do both. Personally, I would just get the LS6 intake on there first though.
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Old Sep 24, 2005 | 10:23 AM
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Originally Posted by Mr. Luos
You will see much better gains with the LS6 intake on top of a cam.

Manifold is much cheaper anyhow. $400 or so. Cam install tends to be about $1000 if you do it yourself.

Good luck either way, doesn't really matter which order you do it, as long as you know you are going to do both. Personally, I would just get the LS6 intake on there first though.
Exactly, do both. You'll get much more bang-for-the-buck for the thousand bucks you spend for the cam and springs.

I agree also that you might as well get the intake on there first. You don't have to remove the intake to install the cam.
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Old Sep 24, 2005 | 11:28 AM
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Both of them hit it on the head. The only thing is that you never mentioned a budget. If money is an issue go with the LS6 intake first. IMHO, you wont get the most outta a cam anyway if it cant breathe enough. Most people who go with just a cam install on a LS1 intake manifold and no heads dont see much gains just sound. Trust me I was one of them till about 2 months ago.
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Old Sep 25, 2005 | 07:15 PM
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do the LS6 intake if you want the +/- 15 hp
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Old Sep 25, 2005 | 07:22 PM
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In a perfect world I'd say do both. The LS6 is not necessary though. You can always do that later. You'll see much better gains with a cam than you will with an LS6 intake. Even with the LS1 intake, you will make some good gains with a cam.
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Old Sep 25, 2005 | 09:03 PM
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I put down like 370 hp and 370 tq with my TR 224 and the stock LS1 intake. I have since put on a LS6 intake and cant wait to get some new numbers. I would do the cam first, an intake swap is much easier to install and its nice to get the hard stuff done first. I spent well less than $1,000 on my cam and install (did it myself). The gains in power with just the cam will be much more than just the LS6 intake. Plus the cam will raise your whole power curve where the LS6 intake get most of its gains in the higher RPM's. If you go with a big cam you might not even end up going with an LS6 anyways you might end up wanting an LSX.
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 02:10 AM
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I did the cam first and just recently added the ls6 intake. I could really feel the cam but I can't feel a huge gain from the intake.
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 09:00 AM
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Originally Posted by soslo
do the LS6 intake if you want the +/- 15 hp

Well, hopefully it will be +15hp and not -15hp.
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 09:16 AM
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I did a cam before an LS6 intake and felt dramatic gains. Still waiting on doing the intake as I'm going to do heads and intake at the same time for more of a seat of the pants difference. I'm still on the stock pulley too. If I had an LS6 intake and pulley I'd have an 11 second car on a baby cam, but 12.3 @ 110 in 2000' DA isn't too bad for a stock intake and pulley. I'd do the cam first as it's more fun (more power, more sound), then add the intake as soon as you get a chance after that.
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 09:35 AM
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You probably will get 15hp+- but it will be mostly at the upper end of the rpm range. The cam will raise the whole bar not just the peak #'s. Peak #'s arent everything thats why some cars dyno very high #'s but dont run that great at the track.
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 09:39 AM
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If you have a big duration, high lift cam I highly recommend it. If you don't I'd still recommend it. You'd be leaving A LOT of power on the table without it if you had a cam like mine.
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 10:01 AM
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ya get both....its worth it
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 12:49 PM
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If you do the cam first, you'll want to get a tune right away, then another tweak-out tune after the intake. If you do the intake first, you can wait until after the cam's installed to do one tune. Most likely, two separate tunes doing the the cam first. Either install both the cam and intake at the same time, or install the intake first, then the cam. JMO.

Last edited by Predator; Sep 26, 2005 at 03:03 PM.
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 01:25 PM
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depends, are you for sure going to have the money for a FAST intake?

personaly this is the order id do it in

LS6 intake
Cam
Heads
FAST intake

Id do heads before a larger than LS6 intake. so my answer is "yes get the LS6 intake"
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 04:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Cop Car
depends, are you for sure going to have the money for a FAST intake?

personaly this is the order id do it in

LS6 intake
Cam
Heads
FAST intake

Id do heads before a larger than LS6 intake. so my answer is "yes get the LS6 intake"
It doesn't make much sense to me to buy one intake just to have to sell it for a loss later on down the road. I like the order you mentioned with the exception of the LS6 intake being first. I'd scrap that and just do Cam, heads, and then Fast intake and TB.
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 05:04 PM
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It's usually a good idea to mod your car from the outsides in. You've already opened up the backside with your exhaust... but typically after a cam, I'm not sure which one you are getting, but you will need a tune. There is no sense in paying for a tune or spending time on it, if you are gonna increase the airflow in the future with a ls6 intake and then have to redo it.
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Old Sep 26, 2005 | 08:56 PM
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I have a LS6 intake that I'm getting ready to put on e-bay. PM me if interested
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