5.3 cam questions
5.3 cam questions In a few weeks i am going to be putting a blower on my truck with a 5.3. I figured this might be a good time to do a cam swap also. The motor is a 2004 5.3 with about 40000 miles on it. Is it possible to use a gen IV cam and swap to the newer style cam cover? I was looking at a LS9 cam becasue they are pretty cheap and a GM engineer that i know said that would be a good cam for my application.
thanks
thanks
TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 3
From: Upstate NY
In a few weeks i am going to be putting a blower on my truck with a 5.3. I figured this might be a good time to do a cam swap also. The motor is a 2004 5.3 with about 40000 miles on it. Is it possible to use a gen IV cam and swap to the newer style cam cover? I was looking at a LS9 cam becasue they are pretty cheap and a GM engineer that i know said that would be a good cam for my application.
thanks
thanks
No offense intended to your GM engineer friend, but your 5.3 truck application is very different from the LS9 application. You would be better served by having the appropriate cam tailored to your combination and desired results.
i know that it is not the best choice in the world but cost is also playing a part in this role, a custom cam is big $$$ where as a LS9 cam lists on GMPD for $98. The LS9 cam will still out preform the stock cam with boost. I also want to take advantage of the fact that there is a lot of time put in GM profiles and engineering where as a custom cam there is not so much engineering going into it
If cost is your primary motivation, go with the LS6 cam, already suggested in post #3. If you want to be different, and make it more complicated, best of luck. You could end up spending more to make the OEM Gen IV cam work - and compromise on the power you could make - than it would cost for a custom grind cam that gives better results...
Your choice...
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You don't know how correct you are. There are countless hours tied up in engineering the LS9 camshaft to work in a 6.2 liter engine with vastly different heads, for a 3300lb car, with a manual transmission. There is no reason it wouldn't run in 5.3 liter, 4500lb truck with stock heads and an automatic, but it's certainly not application it was engineered for.
If cost is your primary motivation, go with the LS6 cam, already suggested in post #3. If you want to be different, and make it more complicated, best of luck. You could end up spending more to make the OEM Gen IV cam work - and compromise on the power you could make - than it would cost for a custom grind cam that gives better results...
Your choice...
If cost is your primary motivation, go with the LS6 cam, already suggested in post #3. If you want to be different, and make it more complicated, best of luck. You could end up spending more to make the OEM Gen IV cam work - and compromise on the power you could make - than it would cost for a custom grind cam that gives better results...
Your choice...
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Verdad Gallardo TECH Fanatic
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,979
Likes: 3
From: Upstate NY
You are using the same style puffer as the LS9, correct? Of course you aren't using a centrifugal, because, as your friend surely pointed out, the cam requirements are quite different.
FWIW, I'm an old GM engineer.
Jon
i know that it is not the best choice in the world but cost is also playing a part in this role, a custom cam is big $$$ where as a LS9 cam lists on GMPD for $98. The LS9 cam will still out preform the stock cam with boost. I also want to take advantage of the fact that there is a lot of time put in GM profiles and engineering where as a custom cam there is not so much engineering going into it
I picked up a z06 505hp cam to use in my 04 6.0 block, it's a 3 bolt gear attachment but does not have the cam sensor trigger on the rear, it has 216/230 dur and the 594/594 lift with 1.8 rockers, think it is the same as the ls9, I could use it but i would have to change the timming gear and front cover to relocate the cam sensor to the front. I just went 02 z06, with 1.8 ultalites, 216/220 582 lift.
I sold the cam for 125 shipped.
I sold the cam for 125 shipped.
You also need to figure in the cost of the front cover, cam sensor, and wire harness extension into your $98 estimate. Personally I think that cam is too large for a 5.3 and you would have better results with something custom tailored to your specific setup.
My plans have taken me other directions as of now, but the LS9 cam would not have been too big. I cam to that choice after a talk with a GM powertrain engineer that was a lead engineer on the large displacement small blocks, so i think that he knows what he is talking about.
