Counting the cost:
What I really need to do is stop being so careful I guess, and just go for one, but my scrooge side is stronger than my fun side it seems. LOL. Thanks as always for the good advice and patients.Scott
You can figure on roughly 6 hours for the cam install, so figure $70/hr for labor at most shops.
I bought a new cam ($400)...new titanium retainer and spring package ($180)...double row timing chain ($65)...and all the extras (coolant, oil, crank bolt, magnets, etc...$50)...so I had about $700 in my cam swap.
The spring/retainer package and the timing chain was from Scoggin Dickey (SDPC2000.com)---->
Just shop around for good deals. Also, order the cam swap package from Scoggin Dickey. It comes with all new gaskets and a new balancer bolt. It is THE BEST mod I have done so far! Everything is bone dry...no leaks anywhere.
You will like the converter...you will also like a lopey cam...you will also like the SOTP feel of gears....LOL...do 'em all!!!
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Everyone today seems to be forgeting the fact that a cam is going require a tune on the car to make it run right. LS1Edit will cost you $550 and time on the dyno will run min of $150-$200. If you just take the car to a shop and have them tune it figure it will be at least $500-$600 and goes up from there.
As far as parts, the MIN cost is valve springs (Comp 918s = $160). After that is gets into thing you "should" do (lifters, pushrods, timing chain, etc....) but won't blow your motor up if you don't.
Most places that I have seen install cams cost between $600-$1000. At that cost you can get A LOT of friends over for LOTS of pizza/beer/hot dogs/etc. and do it yourself (its really not hard to do a cam swap).
A cam is not a "cheap" mod and it should NEVER be tried to make it cheap because it will bite you in the A$$ as soon as you go to have fun.
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
I waited because my first cam (LPE GT2-3) ran perfect w/o one...but now I have the TR224. I am putting headers on the car soon, so I figured I will wait until everything I want to do is done and then I can have it tuned only one time.
Depending on miles, all you should need is a new cam, crank bolt, gaskets, valvesprings, and retainers. New lifters arent really necessary, and since you have an automatic, neither are pushrods (but for $100, it wouldnt hurt).
most people don't seem to ever have a problem with stock lifters but if I were doing my car again I would have used Comp Rs on the first go around.
No sense in taking them off to put the same old crappy ones back on eh? 
hell...might as well put a big block in.....no point in putting a crappy small block back in eh?
And on subject, I think I'm going to go w/ the TC. I only have about 1g to spend, and I don't want to go at something half ***. It seems like that's what I'd be doing if I did the cam swap on the cheep. Thanks for all your input. I'll be counting my pennies till next year so I can get that cam swap done right. ... Hell, I've got so many miles on my car now, I'll probably just do the cam come time to re-build my engine. Again, thanks.
but like i said before, the TC is the best bet.
STOCK
yeah....its stock.....
I think the TC is your best bet for now. You will pick up a good bit of performance now (its also something that you would probably need with a large cam anyways).
Midwest 3500: $480
GM Deep Pan/ Filters: $120
B&M 24000gvw cooler: $50
Autometer trans temp guage: $45
Fluid: $20
New front and real seals: $25
So that's $740.....you'll also want a trans-go shift kit...those are about $115.
In the end, you'll have between $800-$900 doing a converter. If I had it to do all over again, I would start with headers. Then I would do a converter, then a cam. Then get a tune...
And this assumes that you will not buy a Yank or Vig converter. Those are $700 right there...
My $.02....
I'm not an auto person so work with me here, but I thought the shift firmness and shift "speed" could be adjusted with LS1Edit. If so, whats the point of doing a shift kit in the 4L60?


PS, your car looks awsome.
