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Hello everyone, I'm sorry if this has been asked a million times I've been doing research for weeks and would just like to get more recent advice. I have a 99 camaro with 118k miles. Im going to start getting parts ready to do heads/cam. So far I know I will need....
Should I do rocker arms or will a trunion upgrade be good enough? I still haven't decided on which heads or cam yet. (Some days I just want to get ported 243s some days I plan on aftermarket heads lol)The car isn't my daily driver so looking to get as much out of it as I can. It's more of a strip/weekend car. I plan on starting the tear down soon to make sure it's in good shape. Any suggestions on manufacturers would be appreciated as well.
Thanks for any advice and again sorry if this has been beat to death.
Regarding rockers - stock are ok under .600 lift the stock rocker is less than ideal for .600+ lift cams. Stock rockers have a geometry issues over .600 lift because of the way they wipe the tip of the valve. This side load the valve and accelerates valve guide wear. I've ran a .581 lift XE-R cam for 120,000+ miles in my 99 TA. So under .600 I'm not too worried about stock rockers. Given that your current stock rockers do have some wear on them, they should be checked carefully before being reused. I would probably get a new set of stock rockers if your cam is under .600 lift. Your new 243 heads with have fresh valves - let the new rocker & new valve tip develop their own wear pattern together. Over .600 lift probably wise to consider roller rockers. Yella Terra ulta lights are sweet. I also think Jesel & T&D are sweet.
Remember to get gaskets, new set of head bolts, new crank bolt, new plugs, new plug wires while your in there. Great time for an under drive pulley. Get a slightly shorter serpentine belt (1 inch is a good start). Same for AC belt. Also a great time to replace the coolant. Oil filter and 6 quarts of oil too. New air filter.
I would also upgrade to at least an LS6 intake if you haven't already. Ported TB helps a little too. I'm sure I over looked a few things.
You might be ok or get by with the current injectors. The 26# injectors on your 99 can support around 450 wheel horsepower if the fuel system is in good condition, fresh fuel filter & good fuel pump. There isn't much safety margin. My 99 TA makes 418hp at wheels on same #26 injectors, others have made more hp with them.
Trunnion upgrade stock rockers would be your best bet. Run an LS6 intake. Ported stock TB and stock maf descreened.
PRC 2.5's cnc heads look like a good cathedral option. I had very similar 5.3 CNC heads back in the mid 2000's and did 120mph in the 1/4 naturally aspirated LS1 with a small 230 cam motion cam in a 3600 lb car.
Stock Rockers with Straub/Smith Brothers Bronze bushing trunnions. TSP-PRC Stage 2.5 Ported 243 heads would be ideal. LS7 or Morel Lifters, Manton 3/8" Pushrods, LS2 timing Chain with dampener, Melling 10295/10296 Oil Pump, LS6 intake or FAST 102 if you have the extra coin, ported throttle body. I couldn't tell you on injectors since stock may be fine.
For a Max Effort Cam, the TSP 228R .600 Lift 112 LSA or the TSP Torquer V2 .600 Lift 112 LSA with some BTR .660 Platinum Springs with Titanium Retainers.
Like said above stay under .600 lift since stock heads do not flow much over that unless you are pushing major HP and stock rocker arm geometry. Setup should be good up to 7k rpm.
Thank you everyone! I appreciate your replies. Would I be leaving a lot on the table if I went LS6 over the fast? I'll keep the cam under 600 and buy new rockers with the trunion upgrade.
No problem, the FAST only really outperforms other intakes over 6500 RPM. I would stick with the LS6 due to Cost vs Performance gains and money can be spend elsewhere.
LPE ie Lingenfelter can put a 90mm snout on your LS6 intake for $350. This will get you more power than the LS6 with the stock snout. You would still nee a 90mm TB. I have This on my 383 LS1 RS and it works very well. There are some graphs on LPE's page. This may not be the perfect set up however it does work very well on my set up. Just mentioning an additional option that can be budget friendly. The 90 TB can be used on other intakes if you upgrade later. Not sure what the resell for the 90mm snout LS6 would be but it should have a good bit more value than an LS6.
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