Elthirty3

iTrader: (1)

I’m about to ask a question I should have asked before doing what I did.

I upgraded my L33 with a BTR stage 2 cam:
227/238 .620/.605 113.5+2.5

I took the recommendation of the shop and my tuner says it’s too big a cam for the 5.3.

I also had trunnion bearing upgrade so I’m wondering if i should just run this, or go to a smaller cam?

pdxmotorhead

My L33 is on the way and I'm considering a cam upgrade before install..

G Atsma

Depends on what you want to do with it, which vehicle it's in, etc. Heads ported or not? Which intake manifold? On an otherwise totally stock engine, that IS a lot of cam

Elthirty3

iTrader: (1)

It’s all stock , stock 799 heads, but with LS1 intake, dbc throttle body, stock ls1 injectors, going in a 66 Nova , 4l70e with a 3-3200 converter.

Its just a street cruiser, nothing more. just wondering if it’ll be driveable.

G Atsma

It IS going to lope, but the higher stall converter will help smooth it out, depending on how the lockup is tuned.
The LS1 intake is only OK, but feeding a 5.3 rather than the 5.7 it came on might help some there.
If it were me, I would put a High Lift Hot Cam in it for a bit more low end, but that's just me.

Elthirty3

iTrader: (1)

Are you referring to the GM Ls Hot Cam?
https://www.gmperformancemotor.com/parts/88958753.html

Bob570

Almost, but not quite. He's talking about the WS6 Store High Lift Hot Cam. Duration is almost exactly the same, but it has much more lift.

http://www.ws6project.com/user_stor/...oducts_id=8746

Ls7colorado

iTrader: (3)

With the 4l60 and the 3000 stall it will be fine, in fact I think you will love that cam. If you haven't already bought the stall though I would go a little higher on stall speed.
Its certainly a large cam but not TO BIG that you will not be able to have it tuned to drive good.
The intake would be the main thing I would wanna change.

68Formula

What's the rear gear? And what's the max rpm you intend to shift? On the plus side, the car is pretty light and you have at least a decent stall (although 3600+ would be better for that cam). But it'll need gears too (3.73 or 4.11s), and unless you plan on shifting at 7k, you'll not really take the advantage where that cam makes peak power in a 5.3L.

Also, keep in mind, if your tuner is telling you it's too big, then he may struggle to get it driveable. WS6's version of the Hot Cam mentioned above would probably be a much better choice for what you're doing.

Kfxguy

iTrader: (1)

I had that same cam, BTR stage 2 in my 5.7. I didnt like the street manners, So I took it out and put a summit stage 1 ghost cam in. 222/233. Its what I was after in the beginning. I can imagine the btr stage 2 being even more rowdy in a 5.3. Definitely wouldnt be my choice.

Honestly it didnt lope very hard. Its just like it was lacking low speed tq, so the idle was weak. I had another very experienced tuner try and tune it for me. I left the car with him for a week. He said it has a weak idle and maybe I had some leaking valves in the heads. I didnt think I did but I was planning on changing to 243 heads anyways....that made zero difference. My problem is, the idle rpm it seemed to like and sound the best, it was just too weak to not die in parking lot maneuvers or throttle blips while not moving.

honestly, knowing what I do know, and how much my tuning skills has progressed, I could get it to work, but the stage 1 ghost cam seemed to make just as much power and drives much better....so I see no point. my .02

Elthirty3

iTrader: (1)

I don’t have enough gear- 3.55s, sounds like I’d might be better off with a smaller cam as it’s just a cruiser to enjoy and have some fun once in awhile.

Well, lesson learned here, should have done my own research before. Thanks for all the great info.

babydeuce

iTrader: (24)

So just as a reference point. My LM7 is running a 266/268 (advertised duration)(214/216 @.050) .595/.596 112+4. I have MMS 205 heads (55 cc), ported Fast 92 intake, and 1.75 primary headers. I run a 3200 stall and the street manners are rather good in my semi tuned current state(still working my VE table). This thing loves to live above 4000, and shifts at 7200. I am also in a Chevy II, so my weight is very similar to the OP. I currently have 3.08 rear gear, so that does hamper things a bit.

Ls7colorado

iTrader: (3)

Geez guys y’all got him thinking he can’t even run this cam lol

Sure there are better ones for just “cruising” but this is definitely drivable.

G Atsma

I won't say he CAN'T, just that a smaller cam would do MUCH better for him.
And "drivable" is VERY subjective. While some might think a cam that bucks and lopes like a dog shi--ing peach seeds "drives like stock", others would prefer a more "civilized" experience.

Ls7colorado

iTrader: (3)

Exactly, there should be nothing “civilized” about a 66 nova

edit: and that’s “objective”

lol

00pooterSS

iTrader: (40)

That's a lot of cam for a 5.3, but with a light car and a big converter you can get away with that.

It's gonna be rowdy, which I personally think fits that car.

I would do a 4000 stall, and some 4:xx gears, sticky tires, and maybe a 150 shot on top of it



G brought up a good point, heads.. You're gonna want more compression. I would pull them and shave them 20-30 thousandths and run a .040 or .045 gasket (ws6 store sells .045 headgaskets for like $70 a set) and get a better intake manifold and you can make that cam work out. You can always leave the cam and do other upgrades as you go.
Typically I would say that's too much cam, but you have the right car for "too much" cam. I'd say you're at the upper borderline of what I would put in it, but with the right setup it'll work.

Bspeck82

Tuner is correct. For the combo and what you doni would not run that cam. Id go with the BTR stage 1 instead.

Ls7colorado

iTrader: (3)

Stop watching the mainstream media guys, there are still plenty of die hard American's left!

SoCalDave

Since it's going in a '66 Nova you'll love it and hate it. Maybe it's a little big but it should be fun! Let us know how it runs once it's all together.

Summitracing

That cam is on the large side for a 5.3 and wouldn't be our 1st choice. Agree with others with a stall converter and some gears would help tame it. It will have a rowdy idle in a 5.3. Being in a lighter Nova vs. a heavy truck will help.

If a customer contacted us with this combo we would recommend the Ghost cam that Kfxguy mentioned. Specs on it are .600/.575, 222/233, 115+3 with -3* of overlap. It's a stealthy/smooth idling cam that packs a punch. It will have excellent street manners and be easy to tune. With the common PAC .600 lift beehive spring pack, it will be happy to run out to 7,000 rpm. We carry those through Trickflow TFS-16918-16. Your converter would be plenty sufficient for the Ghost cam.

If you wanted something that had some bark to it but didn't require a high stall converter look at our stage 3 truck cam SUM-8713. Specs on it are .545/.545, 222/231, 112+5 with 3* of overlap. It will have a lopey idle with its 4* IVO. With its 38* IVC will have a great mid-range and good top-end out to 6,700+ rpm. Being a lower lift cam it will pair well with the budget-friendly LS6 springs. We have our own version of LS6 springs as part number SUM-174002.