thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

Long story short a buddy bought an 05 Vette from a dealer and about 100 miles later there was a noticeable squeak (like a belt) but noise didn't go away when the belt was removed.

Pulled the cam and lifters and it was in pretty bad shape (stock parts).

He put in Morel drop in LS lifter and a LS9 cam he bought cheap from a big name vendor.

Car was running about a week and then it's started making a chirping sound again.

Has anyone heard of issues with this cam or these lifters or does it sound like the block itself might have some kind of issue? Lifters slid right in the bores, but maybe an oiling issue?

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

Shot in the dark but easy to check..pull the oil cap off? I remember we had a few vehicles that were making a squeak of sorts due to air pulling past the oil cap from PCV vacuum.

Cam Motion swears by(and I agree) the Morel drop-ins..even the cheapest of them. LS9 cam isn't a "big" cam by any stretch. Closest thing I've had my hands on is a LS7 stock cam but again nothing special.

How did the cam bearings look? Has the owner of the car put an actual oil pressure gauge on it?

thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

I sent him a link to the thread, but I will make sure he checks those things.

I was suspicious of the price of the cam since GM still charges more for the ls6 and hotcams. I didn't understand why the ls9 cam would be so cheap? Made me wonder if it's GM spec but ground by a budget manufacturer.

Darth_V8r

iTrader: (4)

If the cam grind is garbage, possibly he could salvage the situation by having Kip polish the cam?

thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

Yes, that's a possibility. Issue is the pain in the *** of pulling the cam in a Vette lol...have to drop the subframe/ steering rack to get the pulley off. He bought a 2 piece timing cover but it was garbage and didn't line up so he put the stock one back on.

thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

Nevermind, he found the problem. It was the a/c belt...jumped a rib. Paranoia at work.

mOtOrHeAd MiKe

iTrader: (8)

Heh.

I wouldn't question the quality of the LS9 cam (gladly installed it in our TBSS's LS2) it is beautifully machined, especially compared to the standard cores that Comp uses.

thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

The low price compared to the LS6 cam is what concerned me. I don't understand why GM would have a different price and it made me question whether it was a true GM product versus a budget piece cut to GM spec.

mOtOrHeAd MiKe

iTrader: (8)

I think it is a supply and demand issue. The LS9 cam is pretty popular overall. And I can verify that the stock cam that came out of our 120K mile LS2 looked just as nice.

dailydriver

I've heard some builders claim that Johnson lifters are even above the (great) Morels, at least as far as; strength, durability and longevity are concerned?

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

Awesome @ A/C belt. Usually the simplest explanation. Luckily in this case simplest was also cheapest.

Johnsons are supposed to be super quality but they also demand super price. If you want to really get spendy though Morel has some super unobtanium models too. I didn't mean to elevate the Morels above any others necessarily but was just pointing out that what the owner had in the problem engine is known good stuff. I am running Morels but in more pedestrian builds run the Delco LS7 lifters that can be had for $80 a set.

dailydriver

^^^I was NOT calling you out, or even questioning the quality of the Morels, just asking for confirmation on what I had heard about the Johnson drop-in lifters.

WHERE are the LS7s $80.00/set (IF you can say on here/or are a sponsor)????

BREWS02WS6

iTrader: (6)

Just look on a few vendor sites. First one I looked at has them on sale for $99.

dailydriver

Yes, that's The WS6 store, which I thought was the rock bottom price for these until the $80.00 mentioned above.

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

They fluctuate. Usually the good deals are on the Delphi-branded LS7 lifters and the Chevy Performance branded are a little more with nicer packaging. From what I understand, same exact thing...GM lifters. Maybe can't be had for quite $80 right now but I know I have a new set I paid that for. I don't need it. Sounds like maybe you need some. Shoot me a PM and cover shipping and they are yours..I bought this last set the day before I decided to go solid in this engine.

BREWS02WS6

iTrader: (6)

I will vouch for Mercier if you need it. I needed a stock rocker arm one night and he got one out to me quick and cheap. I'd jump on this offer if I needed the lifters.

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

Food for thought: LS6 cam has the built-in trigger for the rear cam sensor on gen III engines(gen IV uses front cam sensor and trigger is on the timing gear). This makes the cam more desirable and cheaper direct swap for gen III owners and also in theory might require different tooling than what is used for the newer cams(like LS9) without this feature. So maybe the mfg(GM or third party) had to keep some equipment around just for gen III cams or perhaps the LS6 GM is now selling is cut by a different third party that still has the same tooling. Or heck; maybe the cost difference is at the mfg of the actual cam cores before they are final ground at what we consider the mfg. LS9 is more analogous to the current production cams than the LS6 even though they both technically fit the same blocks. I say that makes it cheaper to produce and keep around.

Digression but related: Lingenfelter states on their site they basically designed the LS9 cam. Not doubting just putting it out there; free useless fact of the day.

dailydriver

^^^Is the LS6 cam the 'easiest' on the rest of the valve train out of all the available ones out there for the early, Gen 3 LS1s (I don't think that GM, nor Chevy Performance even offer the STOCK/FACTORY grind LS1 cams anymore, correct?)??

I am going for longevity/durability (want another 150K+ miles out of this partial rebuild), and do not need the ****-loads of power like everyone else on here does.

Mercier

iTrader: (15)

No; it's not THE EASIEST but while it is a desirable factory cam that makes nice power, it's a baby of a baby cam compared to most things aftermarket. LS1 is a good bit smaller("easier") than the LS6 cam but keep in mind LS2/3/6 valve springs are like $60 a set brand new and I think will go hundreds of thousands of miles with a LS6 cam. The cam and valvetrain will not be worn out by this cam or any other factory GM cam. The rings, cylinders, bearings will wear out first IMO.

Nope; no NEW LS1 cams that I know of. I happen to have one that truly looks brand new if you want to make a deal on it and just have to have such a thing. Wasn't planning on selling it but I've got the new heads itch and everything is on the block. Was planning on putting it in a 4.8 I picked up for no good reason and I think for that small displacement it will make a fine upgrade. I personally consider that small a cam a waste in a LS1. But I am not judging you. It will run good and long.

I also have a LS2 cam which is similar to the LS6 but a tiny bit smaller. More aggressive than LS1 though.

Chris

thunderstruck507

iTrader: (18)

While not quite as cheap as the GM cams the Cam Motion "drop in" series for each engine size are great cams made on good cores which are made to give a bump in power but still use the budget springs and last forever without wearing out the rest of the top end.