jthunderz28

I was just curious to what everyone changed out parts wise and how much they had spent when they went through their first cam swap over the stock one.

It seems like a lot of people on here talk about cam swaps like its as simple as changing spark plugs. lol. The cost seems insanely high if you're paying a shop to do labor on top of cost for parts.

My car is stock aside from bolt ons and has 92k miles on it.
My budget was 2k total for labor and parts.

I'm torn on doing this because I was quoted by a few companies to spend at least $1200 on parts and then labor/tune was $1500-$2000.

So roughly to do just a simple cam swap with upgrading valvtrain, oil pump,lifters etc etc and for labor/parts/tune is $3,000????????????

Does everyone on here have access to shop tools/friends who are mechanics and save on labor or something? lol, because people talk about cams so casually but I had no idea the process was so complex/expensive, at least that's the perception.

Thoughts?

SWEET98SS

iTrader: (8)

I had New Era do my swap. I ordered the cam, springs, pushrods,timing chain, underdrive pulley and an slp oil pump. Parts were $1400, total install with the tune was $2200. I am very satisfied with it, worth every penny.

King Nothing

iTrader: (9)

if you do it yourself your lookin at around 2100 or so for everything to be ready to go, fluids upgrade parts and all, now if you take it to a shop and have them get that stuff for you i can see it costing over $3K. the main thing is do you not know anybody in your area who has a LSX car and has worked on these before? if not it's time to make friends lol

wait a second i know who you are lol my memory sucks sometimes, do you have the parts now or are you just waitin for them? when i did mine i did the cam, lifters, lifter trays, U/D pulley, freshened up 241 heads with valve job and lock, seals and retainers from the cam kit, oil and filter, coolant, headbolts and gaskets for it all. plus i had to buy a new oil pcv line because mine was rotted out. where are you located at? i remember you told me on the cruise but i forgot, i think you said sac area. shoot me a pm and if you want to try it i'd be down to help, plus there are other nor-cal guys who'd be down to help also

jthunderz28

Lol, making friends is not the issue, I know of a few guys in Sac who are part of NorCal as well. I just worry about folks making a costly mistake and then it ends up costing me an arm and a leg to have a shop repair what they F'ed up on,lol. Lets just say it's happened before, and I'm always a little hesitant.

kdavis

iTrader: (14)

Cam - 300
Springs - 130
Pushrods - 110
Oil pump - 130
Timing set - 70
Timing cover gasket - 30?
Tune - 500
Valve seals - 40?
spark plugs - 17
Oil change - 60

Lifters - 120
Head bolts - 150
Head gaskets - ?

King Nothing

iTrader: (9)

ok i gotta now what happened lol you let people you trust to HELP on your car, when they start doin everything is when you get screwed lol

King Nothing

iTrader: (9)

or you can do a top end gasket kit that is 211.80

ebk06

iTrader: (5)

$1300 for springs, cam, gaskets, ported oil pump, double roller timing chain
$450 for install tools needed
$500 for a dyno tune (havent gotten it yet)
$50 for fluids

01ssreda4

iTrader: (96)

First time:

New (classifieds) TR224: $250
Comp Pushrods: $110
PAC 1218s valve springs: $150
Melling M295 oil pump: $110
LS2 Timing set: $60
Tims tool: $32
Hawks tool: $50
Kent Moore Flywheel tool: $65
Misc gaskets: $80
------------------------
About $900 and I got to keep all the tools
Tune was $300

Second time:

Cam Motion cam :$430
Upgraded to 10295 oil pump: $140
New pushrods: $120
Lunati Gold dual springs: $220
Same tools: $0
Retune: $0
-----------------
Sell my old stuff: -$500
-----------------------
Almost free upgrade.

Paul 75 L82

iTrader: (1)

I think I'm about $1400 (parts only) before tune. Hopefully I will get it started tomorrow. I've been 3 week ends doing it myself.

jthunderz28

Thats awesome man. I wish I had a garage/tools/and the mechanical know how to do this on my own. It's also my daily driver so it would be tough to just have it sit torn apart for a couple of weekends.

garygnu

ls1howto.com TSP cam kit and cam change kit.

Omega Doom

iTrader: (2)

I got mine done for $800 including the cost of the cam! oh and another $120 for the fuel pump so around $920

mike c.

iTrader: (1)

I did all my cam swaps(heads,springs,motor swap,ect) but one in a back yard garage. I believe most shops will charge several hundred bucks for a cam swap. You may want to learn to do things on your own if you don't have alot of cash,or learn to live with just a bolt on performance car.

janaka

iTrader: (7)

I'm by no means a mechanic but I muddled my way through a cam swap at home myself (well my wife had to get the last oil pump bolt bc her hands were smaller, lol). LS1howto.com is the reason I was able to do it, great instructions.

I did cam, springs, timing chain, gaskets and PR's. Was under $1000 if I remember correctly. Watching carefully on here can get you deals either used with low miles or vendors (TSP specifically for me) who help you out.
When picking your cam (if you haven't already) go with the larger of the last two you are considering. I'm kicking myself now for the 224 cam. I should be 228 or 232 IMO, live and learn.

soundengineer

iTrader: (16)

The First cam swap I ever did in an ls1, I spent about $1500 total in cam stuff and extras to go with the cam.

My current setup I'm getting ready to change my cam to something that I am calling the "**** of Thor" cam....
I'm about $25000 invested in this current car now, and the things I'm changing to go along with this cam will put me at about 8K for this cam swap...LOL(cam stuff, custom Trans/custom stall/new rearend gears)

soundengineer

iTrader: (16)

I would tell you what I tell everybody... ALWAYS get bigger than you think you want...because you will always want bigger than you get...

I dont know a single person who went with what they thought they wanted and then they were content... every one of them wanted bigger..LOL

projectX

iTrader: (51)

Agreed. (Along with everything else in life) lmao

soundengineer

iTrader: (16)

thats why you tell then you are hung like a 4yr old, then when its bigger than that its a bonus instead of a dissappointment..LOL...unless of course you happen to be really unlucky...........

disc0monkey

iTrader: (10)

600 cam package