Hi guys, I just bought a trans am late last year, been looking to cam out the LS1 i have in my 2002 trans am. Looking to give my engine a sound that just sounds monstrous, while at the same time not destroying my engine with overly engine wearing parts. Also i take her to the track just about every Friday and do about 4 passes each time.

So far the parts i have bought are:
Stage 3 cnc heads
650 lift springs
7.4 hardened push rods
45lb injectors

From the talking I've done around people are suggesting a 224/228 cam shaft like this one . I just have no idea what type of sound i am going to get with that cam. (I literally know very basics of cars ,but ever since i bought this trans am i have wanted to get into learning this stuff, I've grown fond of it.)

Along with that cam, I'm being told that i will also need a torque convertor, and a friend is trying to convince me to get a 3500 stall. Also going to need a tuner once i do put these parts in, so what is a good tuner for this set up along with what i will do in the future.

All advice will be greatly appreciated for I am new in the game and wanting to learn all I can.
*edit* i also bought the car with borla exhaust from the rear axle back which i must say already gives the engine a nice sound

 

Sound is very easily achieved and can be had with tuning or creating overlap in the cam to give it that lopey sound everyone likes. Cams are just compromises and a means to reach a goal, so in order of importance i would make like a 3 or 4 want list of what you want out of a cam and then we could give you a better indicator of where would be a good direction or size of cam to start with.

 

What heads are those? Specs, Chamber size and valve sizes? You need to try to match your heads with the cam. They're plenty of cam specs out there, it depends if you like low end torque mid-range or high RPM's, Also being in Texas you can probably go to TSP or so to Dynotune your car. Martin @ Tick is a very knowledgeable person when it comes to Camshafts and they have the new technology out there, all you have to tell him is your goals and your set up. Good luck on your goals.

 

stock chamber size, not to sure on valve size atm, try and figure that out

what im looking for in a cam is to get a good bit of power out of it, but i also love the sound of a big lobe and when sitting still i want to have a lil bit of a rock in my car.

 

what he^ said. Martin @ Tick may pop in here to help you out, he will set a cam to match the heads and get you all the things you want (sound/power)

 

Martin@Tick performance. He'll spend a good 15 min or so helping you out. Personally I think that 224/228 is just alittle to small. You'll want it on a 111lsa for that idle thump. Yes, you will definitely NEED a torque converter...3500 or better...no way around it. You can search for "best DD cam" meanwhile. That's what I did to get an idea, but it still came down to calling Martin.

 

Thank you for the compliments guys, I appreciate it a lot. Always good to have happy customers!

With what you've laid out for your requirements and wants, I know I have a cam that will fit the bill.

With the stock chamber size, you're options are really limitless when it comes to size. Now, the size of the valves you're using will also play a part in the P to V available along with the gasket thickness you end up using.

How many miles a year do you drive the car? How often? What can you tolerate as far as drivability?

 

Just got word back from who i bought the heads from, stock size valves and chamber. Also I'm planing on getting at a minimum a 3500 torque convertor, some local friends suggesting a 3600.
I don't do much driving out side of going to work and go see the ladies, but i do like to run my car at the track quite often. As far as drivability goes, i understand that a good cam, and not some cheap wimpy cam, is going to add more strain on the engine. Which how much power does a good cam actually add to the power of my engine? But as long as I'm not spending all my fun money to keep the car up and running all the time, and can continue to put more into her, ill be happy.

 

How often do you drive the car? That will determine a lot about how big you'd want to go with the camshaft and be able to enjoy driving the car still. How much power a camshaft adds to your engine will be determined by the size of the cam and the tuner who is tuning the car.

 

its my daily driving car, i drive around an army post to go to work, drive to get food, just about everything i drive my ta

 

FT BLISS?? Who's gonna tune your car after you get the cam installed???

 

not to sure atm, trying to hear word from people if western tech students do an ok, or if there is sum1 whos around and really good at it.

 

Here is my ws6 with the tsp 228r on 112. It sounds pretty mean in person.

 

Do you have a certain horsepower goal you want to meet? If you drive it that much I would suggest going no larger than our Stage 2 "SNS" TorqueMAX cam. We carry two versions one is 227/235 .61x/.62x 110+3 and the other is 231/235 .61x/.62x 111+2. They will both drive the same as they have identical overlap numbers, but the 231/235 will make slightly higher peak numbers with slightly less average and under the curve numbers versus the 227/235.

The 227/235 110+3 is a very popular camshaft right now for us and has been pumping out some great results. It would be my choice for your vehicle.

 

ahhh yes that sounds perfect martin@tick , and that works with the parts i have already bought? and using a 3500 torque convertor?

 

send Martin a valve spring so he can test it to make sure they are good .how many miles on the your stock rocker arms ?consider a ls2 timing chain.

 

Yes it would work great. You could run a .040 gasket with that cam if you wanted to also. It would make it a lot more responsive also along with more power across the board.
I can check the springs if needed also. I like the ls2 chain and a standard volume ls6 oil pump. We also sell a gasket and bolt kit.

Here is the torque max stage 2 idling with cut out open:

Now a different car with high flow cats and magnaflow exhaust:

 

everytime i see these videos i get jealous. cant wait for my tax money

 

Tell Uncle Sam to hurry then!

 

my returns hit feb 13th so when you see an order for that cam, its me;P
still looking at torque convertors, besides the stall on them, what other specs do i need to worry about?