I am shopping for a cam and based on what is available from Comp Cams these are the two options I have come up with for a stock LS1 short block with a set of 243s swapped on, stock LS6 intake, and stock F-body exhaust manifolds (for now). The goal is to have something that pulls off idle to around 6500rpm, works with the stock converter (for now), and cruises around town and on the highway well.

Xtreme Energy XE-R Lobes:
Intake Lobe:
3723 - Dur 275 / Dur @ 0.050" - 226 / Lift 0.585 W / 1.7
Exhaust Lobe:
3727 - Dur 283 / Dur @ 0.050" - 234 / Lift 0.598 W / 1.7
Lobe Seperation Angle (LSA):
110
Intake Advance:
+3

Xtreme RPM High Lift Lobes:
Intake Lobe:
3716 - Dur 279 / Dur @ 0.050" - 226 / Lift 0.570 W / 1.7
Exhaust Lobe:
3706 - Dur 287 / Dur @ 0.050" - 234 / Lift 0.576 W / 1.7
Lobe Seperation Angle (LSA):
111
Intake Advance:
+2

I used this: http://www.compcams.com/catalog/COMP...11_417-493.pdf and this: http://www.compcams.com/Pages/413/ca...ion-angle.aspx as well as other popular grinds to come up with these potential options.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

A stall converter will be your single biggest improvement by far. Go with at
least a 3200 and even a 3600 would still be manageable.
With that being said I pair that 3723intake lobe with the 3716 exhaust lobe
and set it up with a 112 lobe separation and an intake centerline of 110.
A real good tune would greatly help and it may still wanna push the brakes
at a stoplight but until funds allow a stall it would pull strong to 6300 RPMs.

 

Way too much overlap for a stock stall.

227/230 .614"/.573" 113+3

Going to a 225/228 .612"/.571" 113+3 would not be a bad idea either for the stock stall.

 

My advise would be don't screw around with engine mods before headers and stall.

I made that mistake and will tell you I did it wrong, no need for you to repeat that mistake a lot of us have already made.

With careful cam selection you might make it drive OK but you wont see the performance improvement you should have unless the supporting mods are there.

 

I should have indicated that this isn't a ***** out build and must be wife friendly. Martin thanks for the advice!

 

Do a 3500 stall and a tune. I did that on my son and brothers cars and they run 12.80s in OK. Then if you want to go faster add a cam, with a duration in the mid to upper 220s and keep the lift under .600.

 

A "high stall" drives fine so long as you buy a quality unit in a reasonable stall, maybe 3200 if you are really worried about driveablity.

 

I agree with everyone else here any of the cams listed here are to much for a stock stall and will present drive ability issues with pushing hush rough the brakes. In fact in that sense a 3200-3600 stall will actually I'm prove drive ability for the wife. Even martins cams IMO would be a pain on the stock converter, will they run. Yes. Will it be optimal and comfortable? IMO no

 

Noted and have cars with 3000-3500 stalls in them now. It isn't off the table to add a stall, but since this is a LS-conversion on a G-body I am trying to work with what I have to start. As for headers, until someone releases a nice set of stainless long tubes for a G-body I am not spending a dime on exhaust.

Thanks for giving me some stuff to chew on.

Martin you have a PM.

 

I've had some customers use TBSS stall converters and they report a 2600-3000rpm stall speed with a cammed LS engine most of the time.

I'm not sure which model they're using, but it might be something to at least look into.

 

Right. I believe that is the converter from regular TrailBlazers (5.3L or Vortec 4200); and I was considering calling the local salvage yard or tranny shop to see what is available.

 

Ordered the cam this morning from Speed Inc and it looks like this:

226/230 .605"/.609" 113+3

Should work very well from off idle (ish) to 6500rpm. I will likely have to run a 3000 converter with it to offset the cam and the 3.08 gears. The LXL lobes I chose from Comp are softer lobes designed for LS7 applications with a 1.8 rocker, using the LS1 1.7s softens them up even more. This made the most sense since the LS7 cam is a good swap into any LS motor, and the added advantage is the powerband is moved lower to be more usuable by advancing it 3 degrees.

"The LXL series is based off the Comp Cams LSL profiles but are optimized with lower acceleration rates and softer closing ramps for less valve train noise and better stability with the high ratio LS rocker arms. Great choice for street/strip applications and engines that see a lot of highway driving with the occasional weekend at the autocross or drag strip. For cathedral style LS heads, Comp recommends using this lobe on the exhaust and an LSL lobe on the intake when using the stock 1.7 rocker ratio. For applications using 1.8 or higher ratios or LS7 style heads, Comp recommends using this series on both the intake and exhaust lobes for applications that demand a quiet valvetrain and proven power increases. These lobe designs provide excellent torque and valvetrain durability for road race, street/strip, and endurance applications. Please consult with the SDPC Professionals to make certain you have the correct valve spring and valvetrain components to match your custom cam selection."

I chose to do the LXL/LXL vs the LSL/LXL combo to save some wear on the springs as the LSL lobes would have been a touch taller at .612" or .614"; the springs chosen are good for .625" lift.

These are the comments from a noted cam spec guru (regarding the LSA supercharged engines): "LXL is a bit slower then LSL and has softer ramp. If using Comp I like the LSL/LXL or LXL/LXL combos on these cars depending on rocker ratio and how the heads flow. Both of those lobes are easier on the valve train then some of the other designs popular in the LSx world (XER, LSK etc..) even though they have a pretty good amount of lift even with a stock rocker. The LXL lobes offer a relatively quiet valve train with proper setup (compared to many other LS lobe designs)."

Hopefully this will get us in the 8lbs/hp range once the car is all said and done.

Fun times.

 

Did Speed Inc. specify that cam for you? Or is that just what I recommended ground on different lobes?

 

Looks like a great choice for what you want.