Hi guys. I have a 1999 6.0 iron block iron heads that is going into a 77 Camaro that will be used as a street machine. It has a stock bottom end and I plan on using the stock heads. I�m using a carburetor conversion kit from summit just for the sake of simplicity. And I want to run a fogger nitrous system too. I am having trouble finding the right cam. Cam specs confuse me Alittle bit but I understand the basics. I guess what I�m asking is what cam will give me the biggest hp increase without ruining drivability. This is a budget build so I don�t want something outrageously expensive.
Thanks in advance

 

You will want to have a lot of info handy, tire sizes, transmission / gearing, converter if automatic, engine details, etc. And then check in with Speedtigger.

 

Whose that

 

Speedtigger is a member here who works at Cam Motion, and knows cams very well.

 

Or, turn to Youtube and find Richard Holdener's videos on camming the 6.0.. He has done many videos on many different cam shafts in the 6.0. He likes one specific cam... Can't remember if it is a Crane, or Comp Cams.. But there is one cam he really likes in the 6.0 and he recommends it often. He has a dyno chart on it.. Maybe someone else will remember the part number.

 

OP,

When asking for cam recommendations the more info you provide the better off you'll be. Everything Haggar mentioned and then some. Info on what the exhaust system will consist of would be helpful.

Although you're going with a carb conversion it sounds like the combo will otherwise be stock. We offer a single plane (carb conversion) cam line-up within our Pro LS camshafts. With your "what cam will give me the biggest hp increase without ruining drivability" comment we wouldn't recommend that route. Instead, we'd look into our Pro LS Automotive cams. With the info we have this far we'd look at the stage 2 SUM-8707R1 or possibly the stage 3 SUM-8708R1.

Specs on the 8707R1 are .600/.600, 226/238, 113+3 with 6* of overlap. Specs on the 8708R1 are .600/.600, 232/242, 113+3 with 11* of overlap. With more info on this combo like what Haggard mentioned, we could provide a more fine-tuned recommendation.

The community is here to help. We just need more info to really dive in before we can say, here you go Camaro Cody, here's the cam that will provide you smiles for miles

 

Yes the engine is other wise stock. Exhaust will be long tube headers with an x pipe and super 10 mufflers. My tires are 29� tall, 3.73 rear end and my trans is a 4l60e with a 2100 stall converter

 

I know you didn�t ask, but you should consider more converter. A 3,000+ is still streetable and will help, especially with a cam.

 

OP,

Thanks for replying with additional info.

With this additional info, we'll drawback our cam recommendations. This is mainly due to the 2,100 RPM converter. Take a look at our Pro LS Truck stage 2 high-lift cam SUM-8720R1. Specs on it are .600/.600, 218/227, 112+2 with -1* of overlap. This will work well with your 2,100 RPM converter. It can have a noticeable lope with a low idle speed. You can expect great mid-range and top-end power with this cam. Pair it with some .600 lift beehives and it will be happy to 6,500+ RPM. We carry PAC 1218's through Trickflow as TFS-16918-16.

Example idle video of the 8720R1


A 2nd option we could see working here would be our Pro LS Auto stage 1 known as the Ghost cam. It's part number SUM-8715R1. Specs on it are .600/.575, 222/234, 115+3 with -2* of overlap. We prefer a 2,500+ RPM converter with this cam but it will work with your 2,100 RPM converter. This is our stealthy cam that has a wide powerband. With an idle speed of around 900, it will be pretty smooth and almost unnoticeable. With the idle speed turned down you can get a noticeable lope. The Ghost cam also works well with the previously mentioned TFS-16918-16 springs.

Example idle video of the Ghost cam

You Tube

Being on a budget there's a 3rd choice we'd look at. That would be our Pro LS Stage 3 Truck cam SUM-8713R1. Specs are .550/.550, 222/232, 112+5 with 3* of overlap. At .550 lift you can pair it with budget-friendly LS6 springs and it will keep the valvetrain happy to 6,700+ RPM. The specs look similar to the Ghost cam but we draw the IVC back to 38*. That's to move the powerband down since it's designed for a truck. This would work better with your 2,100 RPM converter. The 8713R1 will have more bark to it than the Ghost cam due to its 4* IVO. However, it'll make less power due to the .550 lift but you have the cost savings of the LS6 springs. You'll get out of the hole stronger with it but it will peak a bit earlier.

Example idle video of the 8713R1

You Tube

We have combos for our Pro LS cams to make the cam swap easier. Check out the combos for the 8720R1 here. See available combos for the Ghost cam here. Then for the 8713R1 check here.

As SCJW said with more converter like a 3,000 RPM stall you could go with more cam. You could easily go with the stage 2 8707R1 with a 3,000 RPM stall. We could even see that 8708R1 working since this is a carb application with 3.73 gears.

Let us know if we can be of any further assistance. We'll be happy to help!

 

I'll second that and push it even further by saying I wouldn't even be considering a cam OR nitrous with a 2100 stall..

I would be doing the stall first.

Also, cam recommendations are LARGELY affected by the stall being used.

The larger the stall, the less driveability you lose. The smaller the stall the more the driveability is going to be affected. That small stall is going to really limit your cam choices, and also make the car a lot slower than if it had closer to a 4k stall.