need help on cam swap
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
need help on cam swap i have a 07 classic chevy 1500 with the 4.8l v8, looking to do a cam swap with the 224/232 crane cam, what supporting mods do i need? (ex:springs, push rods,... ect?) have i made the right choice on the cam?
thanks dayton.
thanks dayton.
TECH Fanatic
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,292
Likes: 436
From: St. Louis
What are your goals for the truck?
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2016
Posts: 4
Likes: 0
That is an absolutely gigantic cam for a 4.8. It will be absolutely gutless below 4000 rpm. You will need at least a 4000 stall converter, 4.10 gears, full intake and exhaust, quality tuning, larger injectors, and probably a good deal of weight reduction just to get started.
What are your goals for the truck?
What are your goals for the truck?
Trending Topics
TECH Fanatic
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,292
Likes: 436
From: St. Louis
then start by doing us all a favor and do some research on these forums. there is a plethora of good info on here to help point you in the right direction. You can't just put a camshaft that large in a completely stock 4.8 truck and expect it to work because it won't. it will be an undriveable disaster.
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
You will also need tools besides parts. The removal/installation of the harmonic damper is somewhat different on this motor. You should also get an adjustable pushrod for measuring.
Hot Rod Magazine did a test with a 5.3 and several off the shelf GM cams. I would read it first then move from there. There are also some good threads about using GM cams in a 4.8 if you Google it.
Link to Hot Rod Article----> Link
Hot Rod Magazine did a test with a 5.3 and several off the shelf GM cams. I would read it first then move from there. There are also some good threads about using GM cams in a 4.8 if you Google it.
Link to Hot Rod Article----> Link
TECH Fanatic
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,292
Likes: 436
From: St. Louis
TECH Junkie
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,614
Likes: 1,326
From: Iowa
"monster on the street"
What does that mean to you? do you want to start dragging corvettes from stoplight to stoplight? Do you want to out-tow a duramax? Are you just wanting to sound cool and do burnouts? What do you realistically want to achieve with this truck?
If you go with a cam that size, you will be needing springs, pushrods and probably lifters.
If you are dead stuck on that donkey d**k cam, I'd go with arp rod bolts and spin the thing to the moon...because that's the only area it will make power. 4k stall, really tall gears (4.10 probably), and LOTS more compression. I'd mill the head and run a thin gasket to get lots of compression. Go right on the edge of PTV clearance issues. Also, install it on a very early intake center just to try to salvage any amount of torque that you can.
Simply put this is a very poor cam choice for this engine, and I would change cam choice before i'd change the other things listed.
What does that mean to you? do you want to start dragging corvettes from stoplight to stoplight? Do you want to out-tow a duramax? Are you just wanting to sound cool and do burnouts? What do you realistically want to achieve with this truck?
If you go with a cam that size, you will be needing springs, pushrods and probably lifters.
If you are dead stuck on that donkey d**k cam, I'd go with arp rod bolts and spin the thing to the moon...because that's the only area it will make power. 4k stall, really tall gears (4.10 probably), and LOTS more compression. I'd mill the head and run a thin gasket to get lots of compression. Go right on the edge of PTV clearance issues. Also, install it on a very early intake center just to try to salvage any amount of torque that you can.
Simply put this is a very poor cam choice for this engine, and I would change cam choice before i'd change the other things listed.
Restricted User
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 7,192
Likes: 109
From: Ohio
"monster on the street"
What does that mean to you? do you want to start dragging corvettes from stoplight to stoplight? Do you want to out-tow a duramax? Are you just wanting to sound cool and do burnouts? What do you realistically want to achieve with this truck?
If you go with a cam that size, you will be needing springs, pushrods and probably lifters.
If you are dead stuck on that donkey d**k cam, I'd go with arp rod bolts and spin the thing to the moon...because that's the only area it will make power. 4k stall, really tall gears (4.10 probably), and LOTS more compression. I'd mill the head and run a thin gasket to get lots of compression. Go right on the edge of PTV clearance issues. Also, install it on a very early intake center just to try to salvage any amount of torque that you can.
Simply put this is a very poor cam choice for this engine, and I would change cam choice before i'd change the other things listed.
What does that mean to you? do you want to start dragging corvettes from stoplight to stoplight? Do you want to out-tow a duramax? Are you just wanting to sound cool and do burnouts? What do you realistically want to achieve with this truck?
If you go with a cam that size, you will be needing springs, pushrods and probably lifters.
If you are dead stuck on that donkey d**k cam, I'd go with arp rod bolts and spin the thing to the moon...because that's the only area it will make power. 4k stall, really tall gears (4.10 probably), and LOTS more compression. I'd mill the head and run a thin gasket to get lots of compression. Go right on the edge of PTV clearance issues. Also, install it on a very early intake center just to try to salvage any amount of torque that you can.
Simply put this is a very poor cam choice for this engine, and I would change cam choice before i'd change the other things listed.
The fact that its on a 115 LSA means that it still has negative overlap, so the compression increase isn't as necessary. The main problem here is that its focused on 4000-7000 RPM power, so in a car it would be a great cam, in a truck, not a great cam. 90% of the people here don't seem to understand that the exact same setup in a car and in a truck need different cams.
All just my opinion... but I can't see 115 LSA on a factory headed 4.8 ever being optimal with max average power across the board being the goal. I'd say he should be looking in the 109 or less to squeak the absolute most out of it. With duration around 215 or less and moderate .575ish lift to take advantage of all the OEM intake, heads, etc...
Big Duration sells cams because of the bigger is better mentality. It's a proven fact. Then the cam designer has to do a bunch of BS to try and fix it. Widen the LSA beyond reasonable amounts or advance it a ton to get low end back...which throws off the valve events leading to a downward spiral **** show of a camshaft overall.
This one would sound mean, idle decent, and make vacuum. 216/222 @ 111.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/c...make/chevrolet
Big Duration sells cams because of the bigger is better mentality. It's a proven fact. Then the cam designer has to do a bunch of BS to try and fix it. Widen the LSA beyond reasonable amounts or advance it a ton to get low end back...which throws off the valve events leading to a downward spiral **** show of a camshaft overall.
This one would sound mean, idle decent, and make vacuum. 216/222 @ 111.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/c...make/chevrolet
Last edited by Forcefed86; Oct 26, 2016 at 01:30 PM.
Restricted User
Joined: Mar 2014
Posts: 7,192
Likes: 109
From: Ohio
115 in a 4.8 isn't that bad, as long as you're okay with no part throttle torque or measureable power below 4000 RPM. The 5.3 didn't even start to pick up around 3400-3600. With a stock TH350 trans, it would shift from 2-3 before it even started to make power.
A 215/215 109 LSA in a 4.8 would give good gains across the board, especially for a truck, with a good sounding idle, but you'll start to kill the rev-happy nature of the 4.8.
I've used this one twice in trucks, and it provided decent gains across the board, mostly in the mid range.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/h...make/chevrolet
A 215/215 109 LSA in a 4.8 would give good gains across the board, especially for a truck, with a good sounding idle, but you'll start to kill the rev-happy nature of the 4.8.
I've used this one twice in trucks, and it provided decent gains across the board, mostly in the mid range.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/h...make/chevrolet
When you have basically stock NA 4.8 I wouldn't be ok with no throttle response or power below 4k! Esp. with the factory intakes dying around 6600.
I'm pretty confident A 215/215 109 LSA would carry the power out at least as far as the OEM intake is good for.
On as side note the 220/220 @ 111 .525 lift cam worked great on my 4.8. Was snappy down low (with a 3200ish stall anyway) and pulled past 6800. I"m sure the cam in the video I posted above would be even better.
Good comparison where they had 3 test cams and varied the LSA only.
http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/eng...formance-test/
I'm pretty confident A 215/215 109 LSA would carry the power out at least as far as the OEM intake is good for.
On as side note the 220/220 @ 111 .525 lift cam worked great on my 4.8. Was snappy down low (with a 3200ish stall anyway) and pulled past 6800. I"m sure the cam in the video I posted above would be even better.
Good comparison where they had 3 test cams and varied the LSA only.
http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/eng...formance-test/
Last edited by Forcefed86; Oct 26, 2016 at 01:42 PM.
TECH Junkie
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 3,614
Likes: 1,326
From: Iowa
115 in a 4.8 isn't that bad, as long as you're okay with no part throttle torque or measureable power below 4000 RPM. The 5.3 didn't even start to pick up around 3400-3600. With a stock TH350 trans, it would shift from 2-3 before it even started to make power.
A 215/215 109 LSA in a 4.8 would give good gains across the board, especially for a truck, with a good sounding idle, but you'll start to kill the rev-happy nature of the 4.8.
I've used this one twice in trucks, and it provided decent gains across the board, mostly in the mid range.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/h...make/chevrolet
A 215/215 109 LSA in a 4.8 would give good gains across the board, especially for a truck, with a good sounding idle, but you'll start to kill the rev-happy nature of the 4.8.
I've used this one twice in trucks, and it provided decent gains across the board, mostly in the mid range.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/h...make/chevrolet
If changing nothing other than cam, I'd shoot for something like a 212/215 109+4 with around .550 lift. Should keep torque where you want it and carry decently up to the rpm i suspect you'll actually turn. The cams listed above would also do the trick really well
, this is just my .02 for a spec.Best of luck picking one out, let us know what you decide and how it ends up working for you!
TECH Fanatic
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 1,292
Likes: 436
From: St. Louis
I'm thinking I'd like to try a 210/215 on a 110 with a few degrees of advance ground in to make up for slack in this junkyard timing chain I'm not really all that motivated to replace.
Last edited by stockA4; Oct 27, 2016 at 08:11 AM. Reason: Typo