last summer i purchased the Vindicator by Vengeance (240/244 .608/.596 on 112 LSA) for my ls1. My plan then is the same as my plan now; to be cam only, at least for some time. the cam is advertised to be great as a cam only application and people have proven so with dyno sheets and the whole works.

(you may be asking why im pondering this after i bought the cam but every day i read more and more, and as the year passed by i find myself ahead of where i was then in knowledge, but at the same point as to whether or not i should install a cam of this magnitude).

Before i go on, ill list a few mods...hooker headers, y pipe, slp loudmouthII, auborn posi and AAM 373 gear, shft kit, k&n CAI, SLP MAF..

i bought the cam in a package which included pushrods and valvesprings. i just want to know everything everyone knows about running this cam as a cam only operation. drivability is not a big deal. i wouldnt have bought this cam if it was. im more thinking in respect to the cam being too overwhelming in general...will i regret it? im no wiz so by all means everyone please throw in your 2 cents if you get em. thanks guys.

Mike

 

Great cam for a street 402/403 cid

Too large for 346 (unless light race car with plenty supporting mods)

IMO of course.

 

Get a set of AFR 205's or TFS 205's, or even a stock casting 243 or a vendors 243 casting such as patriot, PRC, and TEA that has been milled for higher compression and cnc'd. Also a LS6 manifold is going to be prerequisite, and a Fast 90/90 specially a ported one will work very nicely to carry that power. You could see upwards of 435 with the LS6 manifold and upwards of 450 with the Fast! I'm guessing since you have a shift kit your running an A4 so your gonna need a good stall with the specs on that cam. I'd say a yank ss4000 or a vig 4k or even a ptc 4400 would get that combo moving since you already have 3.73s. And your definately gonna wanna look get a tranny cooler and if you even think about launching that thing you'll need a good torque arm, LCA's, and a set of sticky drag radials like a NITTO 555r DR in a 305 or a 315 for good traction on the street and at the strip. A good set of MT drag radials like a set of 275/50's would get you in the low 11's for sure that is if that 10 bolt can hold up. With a 12 bolt you'd be in the high 10's I'd think with the AFR's or TFS. Hell if you can't get to the 10's then hit it with a 100 shot!


Also if your looking for a good performing streetable cam the el torro grind is very popular (230/230 604/591 on a 111+2) correct me if im wrong on those specs on the el torro, so is the TQV3 from TSP. Also a nice 228/232 or 224/228 cam in the mid 580's intake lift and mid 580's on the exhaust side on a 112 would well with those heads I mentioned too. The torquer 3 is 231/234 643/598 on a 112 I think someone correct me if I am wrong.

 

I have this cam, but with TFS 215 heads.

I like the cam alot; it makes great power and sounds fantastic. That being said, I would hate to daily drive it. Perhaps it's because it's the first H/C car I've ever driven, but it's definitely not too friendly to drive in traffic every day. Perhaps this could be partly because of the fact that I'm still running open loop.

Anyways, I might consider something marginally smaller for a DD. Again, I love the cam, but IMO it's too much for a DD.

Just for fun:

http://s727.photobucket.com/albums/w...nt=SVTBAIT.flv

 

Ok, so you have some of your supporting mods, and you want to run cam only. You haven't covered your application of the cam (how you use your car). You say drivability isn't a concern, so what are your reservations? Have you ever riden in a cammed car? Anything that large?

The bottom line, your mod list looks rather basic. The converter recommendation above is at least in the ballpark, so is that something you're ready to deal with? A lot of what is left comes down to how you'll use your car after installing the cam. If this is a daily driven street car that might make it to the track one or two times a year, you probably have too much cam. If you have a weekend warrior that gets driven to work once a month or so, and you never spend any time driving in the city or stop & go traffic, you'll probably be ok with it.

The supporting mods are what make the cam livable. If you don't plan to drag race your car, you probably don't need a suspension setup that is harsh or a converter that pushes your mileage below the low teens. You can probably get 90% of the thills out of a high 220's to low 230's cam without 75% of the headaches.

I will predict that more people will read this threadand will tell you why that thought process is wrong. Many of them will tell you how great their Vindicator, TREX, MS4, Texas Giant or other large x huge cam has been to daily drive. It is certainly subjective and has a lot (but not everything) to do with the tune. I recall a thread not too long ago where a guy with 4.56 gears said something to the effect of "I noticed no loss of low end torque with can XYZ".

Perhaps after you fill in a few blanks, the answer will become clearer.

 

I belive this cam is great for a max effort street car. This cam is one Im looking at for my next LS1 build

 

Some guys on here cant tolerate anything and others can tolerate anything when it comes to streetability. Seems to me older members cant tolerate as much as the younger guys around here.

To give you an idea, Ive had a 4000 with a 228/232 and 373s, I had no problem DD it.
Ive driven a T-rex car (similar to a vindicator) and it was real obvious there was no bottom end at all. That being said this time around I have a 4400 stall and will be using an ms3 (239/242 I think) and am confident it wont bother me.

 

Since you allreadt bought it put it in. A buddy of mine had it in his trans am and ran great. Its good cam only and if you decide down the road to throw some heads itll be easy to pick the heads. Go fo it

 

check out 98bluesscamaro...he has a cam only setup with stock ls6 heads...it works really nice and he is by no means light 3450lbs...runs 11.29 at 122...has hit 124mph before with drag radials and 60* weather...has 126+ in it with 40* air at an almost stock weight...

rob where are you at...i thought you can sense the vindicator threads...

 

LOL here i come to save the day

Yes Vindicator is not a small cam but with a good tune like the tune on my car it will make good power and drive easy like mine just ask chrs1313

I think we talked before. i would love to see how this cam will do with 241 heads like you have should be close to my numbers. I picked this cam cuz i was looking for something big but not to big on lift but close. Plus i saw this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ETlr2jfwxY


I forgot the guys screen name he is on here and he was cam only with 241's Ls6 intake headers and some bolt on's with a m6 and he clicked off a 11.70 @120 with STREET TIRES AND FULL WEIGHT IN A T/A. That is moving. but he sold the car and i put my ls6 long block in with this cam and i am loving it. i have not maxed out my setup yet and should be in the tens soon in bad air. But its up to you and also if you want like last time i told you if you want to go for a ride hit me up i am thinking of going to GLD here soon and i know you live up that way. So next time i go to the track you can really see this cam shine.


Oh and here is a a clip of my 11.29 @122
http://s205.photobucket.com/albums/b...t=CLIP0034.flv

 

I also have a vindicator and love it, I have had all the big name cams and this is my favorite by far. This is me and my first time to the track with some bald *** tires..
1.84 60ft
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxaOBTWo_gI

 

search for 347Fairless. I believe he had the TA cam only

 

His was the highest cam only i've seen with that cam, a LS6 intake and 4.10 gears no less it made 445RWHP. It ran 11.7XX@12X and it was almost a full wieght car also.

 

thanks for all the advise and input guys. ive been skeptical about it but ive also loved the idea. i only drive her over the summer on extremely nice days. ive always been a fan of bigger cams, louder exhaust etc... my exhaust setup may have to be altered a little bit due to the fact that im running straight pipes; id imagine throwing in a cam while running a completely non restrictive exhaust is going to get more rediculous than it already is! im going back to school next sunday so unfortunately the cam wont be going in until next summer. id still like to hear what everyone has to say about this cam becuase i havent found as much analysis of the cam as id hoped. it seems like now adays people are more influenced about what people tell them they should do rather than what they want to do. riding with a big *** cam and a loud *** exhaust has been in my agenda for a very long time! haha shes by no means my dd, shes only got 1500 miles on her since i graduated high school and that was in 07.

those videos are sweet by the way! hope the cars stay healthy.

thanks again guys. chime in whenever something comes to mind!

 

Those are nice times for that cam.

 

what else is done this this car?

 

Wow is it just me or is this a M6 only cam lol all of use running the cam are m6

 

What Rear End Do you have in your car? This thread has sparked some interest.

 

mid west fab nine with a 3.89 gear (steping up to a 4.56)

 

Anybody have this cam in an auto? I'd like to see what they're running...