I have been talking to quite a bit of people regarding my current project trying to decide on stall speed and camshaft selection. .There seems to be large amount of people that can render assistance on all out performance and drag racing, but can anyone point me in the right direction for a cam and stall combo that would work better in corners..be it Auto cross or mountain driving?

My biggest concern is too much stall, causing a big loss of traction exiting a corner.

Setup is a LQ4/4l80e in a 70 Nova. 243 heads, stock intake/FI. 1 7/8" Hookers with 3" x pipe into 40's.

Thanks guys.

 

There is a reason autos aren't used in road racing. Auto transmissions would get super hot trying to do this for extended periods....even with extra cooling. You could possibly consider a triple disc converter so it could be locked to keep heat down but even then gear ratios wouldn't be great.....

 

Autocross as in cones in a parking lot? Very short run times?
I might try both stock and see how you do, then use that experience to guide you.

 

Ok, Maybe specifying auto cross was a bad way to go. We do have local events that I would like to go to, however, I live in the valley with awesome mountain passes very close by. I am a pretty "spirited" driver and am looking for something that will actually leave a corner with some power.

It should be mentioned that I have contacted a couple of sponsors for cam ideas and have gotten about the same response from both. mid to high 220's on duration, and .615-.575 liftas well as about a 3200 to 3500 stall. I am very fresh to v8s and automatics in general. So I am asking the masses that drive these daily for their input.

 

You definitely want a converter that couples lower in the rpm band so you dont get snappy jerky type power application leaving a corner. A tight 3200 like the yank SS line may be just the ticket.

 

Again if fresh to such a setup maybe try stock. Headers and a tune and you will have 1970 big block power. Probably more.

 

Autox is a tough sport.Go run a few and see what your car needs.If you really want a cam you wont need much of 1.The car needs to have torque out of tight corners.I would say a mild cam and dont change the converter.Autox can be demoralizing.You will get beat by some foreign pos with 80hp.

 

Thanks for the input guys. I just want to make sure that I don't end up with an over cammed, over stalled combo that is horrible on drives through the mountains and coming out of tight corner sections. I'll talk over details with a few more vendors this week, post up the findings/suggestions.

 

I autox my pig at a large truck driving school site so we see longer run times than many places. Even then you aren't going to be beating on the car for much more than a minute tops. With an appropriate cooler there will be no issue. Just stick the car in CAM T class and have a blast with it. The driver matters more than the car.

My previous combo was: ls1, 799 heads, 230/238 EPS cam, Yank 3600, and full bolt ons with a 12bolt 3.42 gear. It was far more capable at autox than most people would believe even on stock Chevelle brakes and 15x7 front wheels. I haven't raced it yet with the 17x9.5" on all 4 corners and the ls1 front/rear discs.


I would consider a Cam Motion Titan II 221/226 or a Titan III 224/228 and a Yank 3200. I have no complaints about my 3600 so if it were mine I would pick that over the 3200 because I drag race a lot as well. Just depends how aggressive you really want it.

With the 4l80e I would want to have at least a 3.42 gear, preferably a 3.73 if you don't already.

You want to have a combo that has a lot of power everywhere and the converter will actually help because you are going to shift to 2nd gear and then stay there for the rest of the run. The converter will help you make more torque to pull out of a corner at the bottom of second gear. If you can't get the rpms up or the engine doesn't make a **** ton of torque down low you will be inclined to downshift to 1st which will make you slower overall.

 

I have no doubt a modest cam and stall can work, the reason I am suggesting try stock first is the OP said he is new to this stuff. If all he has ever played with is 200rwhp stock LQ4 with boltons is going to be a huge upgrade. Start getting into a cam and stall and it could be a handful for a novice.

 

I agree there. Depends on if the car is together or not. IMO the cam and supporting mods for it along with the converter are easier to do during assembly of the car than later.

No doubt a stock setup will have more than enough grunt to overpower the tires as is. I'm just a HP junky and can't help myself

My ls1 setup was a handful, the ls2 setup is going to be kinda difficult to get around the course on street rubber haha

 

When I type giberish it is because I am on a phone with a shitty otter box auto correcting and blocking access to the space bar.

Far as while it is apart, it is a valid argument, but so is growing the car and your skill together. To me modding a car is a journey, not strictly an end goal.

 

I am a big fan of a tight stall and gearing to suit. You don't auto-x a manual trans slipping the clutch, so why choose a loose converter? You will want to find a means to linear power delivery why transitioning in and out of corners.

My wife's '02 Camaro with a stock LS1/4L60E and 4.10s is much more predictable than my Turbo Buick with a big turbo 3.8L/TH400 w/3300 stall and 3.08s which is a snap oversteer machine when the power hits hard.

Most of those Optima Challenge guys are doing it wrong. Stay conservative on power, do suspension and tires, and learn your car.

And have fun... you are only racing yourself.

 

I appreciate the input guys. I am no stranger to horsepower in general. I currently drive a 58 beetle (1850 lbs) with a 180hp 2 liter. It gets me in plenty of trouble. The sale of this car will be funding the Nova. After calling around at lunch yesterday and talking with the cam and converter guys again, I'm pretty sure I'll be going with about a 3200, and the cam will be roughly a 229/235. Should be just loose enough to not drag the engine down, but tight enough for me to enjoy driving it daily.

I've gone cruising in a car with a loose 3600, and it's just not for me. Thunderstruck, I think similar to you. I believe in slowly stepping up to power, but it make more sense for me to just build what I want now, and get used to that power.

Mike, Other than a cam, 243's and some compression, I will be relying strongly on suspension. Upgrades to that will be soon to follow.

 

I'm going to be doing a basic HPDE course in a few weeks with a heads/cam auto car with a 2600 stall and 3.46 rear end as far as powertrain upgrades and will let you know how the car does with the stall and temps.

Can't imagine it will be too bad as the stall is relatively small and pretty tight and it goes through a big *** cooler.

 

With a tight 3200, I would start to be wary of the larger cam size unless you get the compression up a good bit. This will also depend on the full specs of the cam so it can be made to work...just thought it was worth mentioning.

My 230/238 in a ls1 with the tight 3600 wasn't perfect. It often felt the car would have preferred a 4000 converter. (with the 11.25:1 ls2 it's perfect)


Also be aware a 3200 or 3600 converter will vary from manufacturer and line of converters within that manufacturer. For instance a cheap TCI 3600 will drive sloppier than a Yank SS 3600. A Vigilante 3200 will be similar to a Yank 3600. You may be aware of this already, but again it's worth mentioning.