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cam for stock converter

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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 09:50 AM
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Default cam for stock converter

i know everyone is going to say, "anything bigger than stock is too much for the stock converter" well i dont want to hear any of that. I know a converter will pick me up half a second easily. What i want to know is if this cam will work and should i see gains with it. I want to try an unorthodox way of doing this.

cam is:

219/226 .609/.607 115+4 comp LSL/LXL

ive got an 01 bolt on z28 with 4.10's and 243's (PAC 1518's) with .40 gasket

im hoping the 4.10's compensate for the probable loss of off idle power. The car is a street strip car but i dont want any lope so i need the cam to be "sleeper"

thanks
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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 10:02 AM
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Originally Posted by spicebird98
I want to try an unorthodox way of doing this.
It's not unorthodox - it's the wrong way, plain and simple. You're not the first to insist on doing things the wrong way and regretting it later. Gains will be minimal at best, and you're going to having tuning and drivability issues until you put a good converter in it. Complete waste of money and time IMO.
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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 10:29 AM
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I think that cam has a decent chance of driving alright with the stock converter. It will definitely need some tuning to do so. It should make alright power as long as you have the other bolt ons. There are plenty of people running around with smallish cams on stock converters, you just can't expect it to be as fast as a stalled car at the track.
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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 11:16 AM
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I run a 224/230 .58x 114 cam on the stock converter...no problems
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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 11:20 AM
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Obviously I would benefit from a higher stall at the track but for street driving it is fine...I have 3.73 so it's a similar situation in that regard...don't let people bash the way you wanna do things bc at the end of the day it's ur car to build as you wish...a converter is my next step when I get the cash, but it's not a necessity that's for sure...I cut about 8-9 tenths off my 1/4 with the cam I listed and some cleaned up 243s
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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 11:28 AM
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ALWAYS buy the converter first! Go with as much converter as you feel comfortable with and then buy a cam that compliments it. If you want the most performance for your money the converter should be first then when the fun wears off of roasting tires start looking for a cam. Circle D 3k is like $400, and it wlll cost less to install even at a shop. Getting a cam that might work without a converter (for now) will only cost you more money down the road...
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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 11:46 AM
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I'd run a higher stall. Once you switch over, you'll realize what you've been missing out on. Plus it's such a mild cam, that you can run a 2200-3000 stall.
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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 01:08 PM
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With something that small you might be "ok". Fairly pointless but ok.

I had a 230/224 reverse split cam on the stock stall for a year. I hated driving the car and it wasn't really much faster than it would have been stock cam. But clearly your mind is made up so have at it.
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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 01:21 PM
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Originally Posted by thunderstruck507
With something that small you might be "ok". Fairly pointless but ok.

I had a 230/224 reverse split cam on the stock stall for a year. I hated driving the car and it wasn't really much faster than it would have been stock cam. But clearly your mind is made up so have at it.
My mind isnt 100% made up, and i understand all of what everyone is saying, i havent seen anyone with a stock converter with a cam on anything much different than stock gearing or atleast not as high (numerically) as the 4.10's im putting in, which should make up for the "slow as dog" feeling off idle compared to 2.73-3.23's.
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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 01:32 PM
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IMO, I think to many people get stuck in the frame of mind that a higher stall performance TC is only for a 1/8 or 1/4 mile track car. Nobody's saying you have to go with a 4k stall, but done right a higher stall TC will improve the driveability and performance of your car on the street. With the 4.11 gears you could go with a smaller stall than if you had tall gears, but a higher stall will still be of benefit to you.
With the stock TC a 212/218-114lsa would be a better choice.
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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 01:43 PM
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The problem with putting that big cam in with stock stall is the cam is designed to make power at high rpm.. Especially with the higher lsa ur wanting. Your first gear will be weak because your stock stall and than when you shift to second the rpms will drop so much with stock stall the car will take forever to get in the powerband
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Old Jun 20, 2012 | 04:46 PM
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Originally Posted by spicebird98
My mind isnt 100% made up, and i understand all of what everyone is saying, i havent seen anyone with a stock converter with a cam on anything much different than stock gearing or atleast not as high (numerically) as the 4.10's im putting in, which should make up for the "slow as dog" feeling off idle compared to 2.73-3.23's.
The problem wasn't the "slow as dog" part at all.

It was the pulling at the brakes, having to shift to neutral at every light to keep from burning up brake pads in a matter of 2 oil changes, and the falling out of the power band between gears. With that being said, it was painfully slow from a stop too and wouldn't even spin the tires on good pavement.

The 4.10s might help that a little but then first gear will be so short it's almost useless. Not something I would personally want in my car, but everyone is different.
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