I am in the process of collecting parts for the LQ4 for my Chevelle. My original goal was to get around 425-450hp at the flywheel, or around 350hp, give or take a little, at the wheels. I talked with a few guys on here about their setups and what kind of power they were making. I also spoke with Geoff at EPS about a few of his cams. I know my HP goals wouldn't be any problem with some of the milder aftermarket cams out there. I am looking at putting on a set of 243 or 799 heads. I ended up spending more than I intended on my transmission, so now I am trying to go a little cheaper on my cam setup.

I was wondering if it would be a possibility to reach my goals using an LS6 cam and a good tune? I mean, the 03-04 Vette was rated at 405hp and I will have the same heads, a few more cubic inches, and long tubes. I know I can get there very easily using an aftermarket cam, but if I can get by with a factory (cheaper) cam and get the same HP I would like to.

 

That combo would make well over 350 to the wheels. See if you can find a GM Ls1 Hot Cam and you can still use the Ls6 springs and get even more power out of it.

 

I figured I could, but wanted some more opinions before I opted for a tamer cam. I did a lot of searching on here, but most threads ended up saying to go with something else that would produce more power. Honestly, 350 or so to the wheels is plenty for what I am doing. If I can get more than my original goal with a z06 or Hot Cam, great. I just don't want to throw money into a cam that will net me more power if I can get to where I want with something cheaper and apply the savings elsewhere in the build.

 

Yep most folks on here think bigger is better. So many people get caught up in chasing the big number that they forget about under the curve power and drive ability. What year is the Chevelle you are working on auto or manual trans?

 

It's a 66 Malibu, 200-4r trans, 2800 stall, 3.55 rear gears. It's going to be a cruiser first of all, but I do want decent power to play with.

 

In my 67 Chevelle, I have an LQ4 with 243 heads swapped on and a comp 269HR cam. Fairly mild cam - less lift than the LS6 cam. Ran a 750 carb on eddy manifold. 700r4 trans/3.36 rear. Was enough to move car to 12.69 at 109 on BFG street tires. Not drag radials !. Car drove great and could cruise along with converter locked at 1500rpm easy.
Never dynoed it, But online calculators put the HP at around 375 for the cars weight and ET/MPH.

 

I am wanting a solid mid to low 12 second car on drag radials, so it looks like the combo I am looking at should work then.

 

Keep watching the classifieds here. There's always good used cams here that are priced very reasonably.