LS6 Cam
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Joined: Apr 2004
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From: The other, other, other A-Town, NM
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Make some calls and look at some websites. You can get away with just switching out the cam, but new springs and retainers will give you some insurance and lighten up the valvetrain and you might as well do pushrods as well. You'll find that there are better cam options out there once you do some research. You don't have to go big to make big power either.
Make some calls and look at some websites. You can get away with just switching out the cam, but new springs and retainers will give you some insurance and lighten up the valvetrain and you might as well do pushrods as well. You'll find that there are better cam options out there once you do some research. You don't have to go big to make big power either.
Any cam over stock lift and you will need a new set of valvesprings. New hardened pushrods aren't a bad idea either.
Timing chain and oil pump if your car has over 50,000 on it.
Timing chain and oil pump if your car has over 50,000 on it.
Launching!
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 252
Likes: 0
From: PA
If I were you I'd go bigger, there is no sense opening up a perfectly good motor for minimal gains..go bigger. You don't have to go huge but that cam is simply not worth the effort.
You want springs, timing chain, push rods at the very least. Will not 100% necessary, you will have to remove them for teh cam anyway...
Dave
You want springs, timing chain, push rods at the very least. Will not 100% necessary, you will have to remove them for teh cam anyway...
Dave
TECH Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 14,620
Likes: 17
From: BFE
You have to change springs.
What you need:
-LS6 02>up cam
-LS6 02> up springs
-7.425 push rods (for exact proper geometry), you'll see replies (I use stock ones, but then your lifter preload will be lighter with possible valvetrain noise)
-1 cam swap gasket kit (front cover gasket, water pump gaskets, front cover seal, crank bolt)
-1 LS2 timing chain with 2/3 oil pick up tube O ring (spares if you bust one)
+ tools.
Install instructions on: http//www.ls1howto.com
What you need:
-LS6 02>up cam
-LS6 02> up springs
-7.425 push rods (for exact proper geometry), you'll see replies (I use stock ones, but then your lifter preload will be lighter with possible valvetrain noise)
-1 cam swap gasket kit (front cover gasket, water pump gaskets, front cover seal, crank bolt)
-1 LS2 timing chain with 2/3 oil pick up tube O ring (spares if you bust one)
+ tools.
Install instructions on: http//www.ls1howto.com
Im not really looking for very big power gains right now. All the LS1 guys that i run around with are throwing in really big cams. They really dont have much planning. I am going a different route then everybody else. My plan for my car is to be a handling car with some power. I like to use the arguement that they might be able to beat me in the quarter mile but i will lose them all around the curves. All these guys that I run around with have zero handling so i would like to get them on that. But i also plan on getting an ls6 intake and longtubes with that. How much power do you think i can get out of that.
Erich
Erich
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 561
Likes: 0
From: silver Spring MD
Originally Posted by The Great White Bat
Im not really looking for very big power gains right now. All the LS1 guys that i run around with are throwing in really big cams. They really dont have much planning. I am going a different route then everybody else. My plan for my car is to be a handling car with some power. I like to use the arguement that they might be able to beat me in the quarter mile but i will lose them all around the curves. All these guys that I run around with have zero handling so i would like to get them on that. But i also plan on getting an ls6 intake and longtubes with that. How much power do you think i can get out of that.
Erich
Erich
The cam will pull very hard after 3500 RPM - not a bad cam. Remember without the header but intake and cam, it should be like an LS6 - 400 at the crank. With the headers maybe 20 more.
Bill
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11 Second Club
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,524
Likes: 1
From: The South
Originally Posted by The Great White Bat
Im not really looking for very big power gains right now. All the LS1 guys that i run around with are throwing in really big cams. They really dont have much planning. I am going a different route then everybody else. My plan for my car is to be a handling car with some power. I like to use the arguement that they might be able to beat me in the quarter mile but i will lose them all around the curves. All these guys that I run around with have zero handling so i would like to get them on that. But i also plan on getting an ls6 intake and longtubes with that. How much power do you think i can get out of that.
Erich
Erich
Do you care to explain how they don't have planning, and you do? I'm curious based on what you have said so far.
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my recommendation is the gt2-3 as it is a hair bigger then the ls6 and idles and drives just as good. specs are 207/220 571/578 on a 118.5 lsa.you cant go wrong. i was gonna do the ls6 cam then i saw the gt2-3 and the gains are great and smooth.
TECH Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 561
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From: silver Spring MD
Hi Folks
This is just my two cents - with LS6 cam, you don't have to worry about changing valve springs every 30K miles or so. It is designed by GM to go the life of the car. That is not saying that the springs will not fail. The LS6 spring are only for .571 lift max. To tell the turth, my car is only a once awhile weekend warrior but I am not interesting in taking it a part - it is not a real fun car to work on and some case it is a real pain the a$$.
Bill
This is just my two cents - with LS6 cam, you don't have to worry about changing valve springs every 30K miles or so. It is designed by GM to go the life of the car. That is not saying that the springs will not fail. The LS6 spring are only for .571 lift max. To tell the turth, my car is only a once awhile weekend warrior but I am not interesting in taking it a part - it is not a real fun car to work on and some case it is a real pain the a$$.
Bill
Originally Posted by Bill's 02 Z-28 SS
Hi Folks
This is just my two cents - with LS6 cam, you don't have to worry about changing valve springs every 30K miles or so. It is designed by GM to go the life of the car. That is not saying that the springs will not fail. The LS6 spring are only for .571 lift max. To tell the turth, my car is only a once awhile weekend warrior but I am not interesting in taking it a part - it is not a real fun car to work on and some case it is a real pain the a$$.
Bill
This is just my two cents - with LS6 cam, you don't have to worry about changing valve springs every 30K miles or so. It is designed by GM to go the life of the car. That is not saying that the springs will not fail. The LS6 spring are only for .571 lift max. To tell the turth, my car is only a once awhile weekend warrior but I am not interesting in taking it a part - it is not a real fun car to work on and some case it is a real pain the a$$.
Bill
The GT2-3 is a pretty good cam as well, but I really don't think it is worth the extra money for the gains vs. the LS6 cam, well not in my experience. I"ve got a friend that has that cam with LPE heads..tuned and it doesn't trap any higher than mine with an LS6 cam, untuned.. his car loves the juice though with that LSA.
11 Second Club
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 5,524
Likes: 1
From: The South
Just keep in mind that it will probably be awhile before your weekend warrior gets 20k-25k miles on it and springs can easily be changed in an afternoon's work. To most people it is worth a couple hundred bucks and an afternoon's labor every 20-25k miles when you consider how much better a moer aggressive cam can perform.
If the LS6 cam is still what you want, go for it.
If the LS6 cam is still what you want, go for it.
Launching!
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
yep not having to change spring is a great reason to go with that cam. If you want something bigger check out SDPC they have some crane cams that promise just as long spring life as the LS6 cam and they can use LS6 springs-you can even have them adjust the numbers if you don't like how they spec out. The one I'm looking at is the 220/224 114 551/551 cam 308 bucks and 50 bucks for the springs, and 50 bucks for the gasket kit and your done
I have a LS6 cam, LS6 springs, retainers, clips and push rods for sale if you are intersted. Just switched them out. Car has almost 7000 mikes on it, with oil changes done every 6 months. This is out of my 2002 Z06... PM me if you are interested. Will be listing it soon on the parts for sale this week.
