cam and head question
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cam and head question -my friend isnt a member but he has a 02 SS with bolt ons u know headers, cold air, pulleys, etc. he wants more power and has been thinking about a cam...
-he doesnt want to go really deep into the motor like pistons and rods and stuff.
-what would be the biggest / best brand performance cam he could run in it?
-is it worth while to upgrade other things when your doing a cam swap like timing chain, rockers, heads etc?
-is it worth the money to rebuild the stock heads with performance equipment or to buy aftermarket heads?
-he doesnt want to get too serious with it cause he drives it daily as of right now.
please help him out if you can im good with the older motors in cars and dont really know alot when it comes to the LS1's yet.
THANKS!
-he doesnt want to go really deep into the motor like pistons and rods and stuff.
-what would be the biggest / best brand performance cam he could run in it?
-is it worth while to upgrade other things when your doing a cam swap like timing chain, rockers, heads etc?
-is it worth the money to rebuild the stock heads with performance equipment or to buy aftermarket heads?
-he doesnt want to get too serious with it cause he drives it daily as of right now.
please help him out if you can im good with the older motors in cars and dont really know alot when it comes to the LS1's yet.
THANKS!
The biggest streetable cam you can go with would be around a 230/230 cam. I would highly recommend upgrading the push rods since they are the weakest link in an LS1 engine. Headers will of course allow the engine to get the most from the cam swap. A good dyno tune is a must this will run about $300-$500. The cam will cost about $400 and the Comp Cams Hi-Tech Pushrods, 5/16" diameter, 7.400" length (set of 16) $139. Headers will cost between $500-$1200 depending on brand.
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come guys he needs opinions badly he's called to different performance shops but know one picks the phone up.
what brands are good to go by in cams and heads?
is it best to order a bare head then build them from there or order a complete head??
what brands are good to go by in cams and heads?
is it best to order a bare head then build them from there or order a complete head??
Texas Speed offers cam packages for about 599.99. Comes with your choice of cam, a set of hardenend pushrods, Springs, and retainers. Somewhere in the mid 220s like stated before would be a nice step up. It's recommended that you go with an LS2 or aftermarket timing chain, as well as a ported LS6 oil pump.
If he's got the extra cash, heads will make a big difference. You can make plenty more power while still using a perfectly streetable cam. Something like the Patriot LS6 Stg. II heads with one of their cams in a package deal or a similar setup for another company will work great. With a decent cam a set of good flowing heads he can easily make 400 whp...More is possible but it all depends on which heads and cam he chooses.
The best thing you guys can do is PM or E-mail the guys from Patriot, TEA, Texas-Racing, etc. About 8 months ago I PM'ed one of the patriot guys asking a few general questions about what would work best for what I wanted to do, and he was more than helpful. Told me which heads would work best, which cam to use, and what I could expect to see HP-wise from it. Try looking around and sending a few companies some e-mails.
If he's got the extra cash, heads will make a big difference. You can make plenty more power while still using a perfectly streetable cam. Something like the Patriot LS6 Stg. II heads with one of their cams in a package deal or a similar setup for another company will work great. With a decent cam a set of good flowing heads he can easily make 400 whp...More is possible but it all depends on which heads and cam he chooses.
The best thing you guys can do is PM or E-mail the guys from Patriot, TEA, Texas-Racing, etc. About 8 months ago I PM'ed one of the patriot guys asking a few general questions about what would work best for what I wanted to do, and he was more than helpful. Told me which heads would work best, which cam to use, and what I could expect to see HP-wise from it. Try looking around and sending a few companies some e-mails.
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this is something like my case where I'm doing heads and a small cam but have no longtubes and I'm not gonna do longtubes either....stock headers with random tech high-flow cat-pipe and GMMG.......what set of heads and small cam would u go with for stock manifolds that WILL see a procharger in its near future?...this will really help me and Camaro67's friend out alot...thanx guys
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here's my experience-
I wanted a sleeper dd cheap cam, so i got an '02 LS6 cam. That cam picked up 10 hp with the LS6 intake(i think something was wrong). I wanted more power and lope, so i bought a 233/239 cam kit from texas speed $599. i did not upgrade the oil pump or timing chain. Then i bought some PRC CNC LS6 heads for $1k. I also bought some ebay headers for only $342 shipped to my door.
TOTAL: ~$1941
this setup should make over 400rwhp and be daily driveable with my converter.
I wanted a sleeper dd cheap cam, so i got an '02 LS6 cam. That cam picked up 10 hp with the LS6 intake(i think something was wrong). I wanted more power and lope, so i bought a 233/239 cam kit from texas speed $599. i did not upgrade the oil pump or timing chain. Then i bought some PRC CNC LS6 heads for $1k. I also bought some ebay headers for only $342 shipped to my door.
TOTAL: ~$1941
this setup should make over 400rwhp and be daily driveable with my converter.
-what would be the biggest / best brand performance cam he could run in it?
`The biggest he could go without notching the pistons is probably the ms4 or a custom grind. daily driveability is subjective. i'd say that anybody can put up with the 224/224 cam, and people are going 11s with that cam.
is it worth while to upgrade other things when your doing a cam swap like timing chain, rockers, heads etc?
`heads- yes, but everything is optional.
-is it worth the money to rebuild the stock heads with performance equipment or to buy aftermarket heads?
`you can buy stock ported heads for less that 1k that do not have a core charge then sell your stock heads.
`The biggest he could go without notching the pistons is probably the ms4 or a custom grind. daily driveability is subjective. i'd say that anybody can put up with the 224/224 cam, and people are going 11s with that cam.
is it worth while to upgrade other things when your doing a cam swap like timing chain, rockers, heads etc?
`heads- yes, but everything is optional.
-is it worth the money to rebuild the stock heads with performance equipment or to buy aftermarket heads?
`you can buy stock ported heads for less that 1k that do not have a core charge then sell your stock heads.
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ive been talking to a guy from Speed Inc. he's been saying a trick flow head package, SI5 Cam, hardened pushrods, SLP double roller timing chain, SLP ported oil pump would be what he would do if it were his car. would there be anything else that needed or would be a really good idea to change out like the harmonic balancer or anything?
and thanks chris93266
and thanks chris93266
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I went from a 224 cam and 2800 stall to a T-rex and 4400 stall and I love it. And the car is my DD. there are a **** load of cam and head combos out there you just have to find out what will work best for you
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From: Texas is home; Sasebo Japan for now :(
Originally Posted by Transgression
this is something like my case where I'm doing heads and a small cam but have no longtubes and I'm not gonna do longtubes either....stock headers with random tech high-flow cat-pipe and GMMG.......what set of heads and small cam would u go with for stock manifolds that WILL see a procharger in its near future?...this will really help me and Camaro67's friend out alot...thanx guys
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yeah if i were u id get some headers it will sound better and not to mention help it breathe alot better. if you are the type who doesnt want it really loud then get a quiet cat-back like magnaflow or something. u dont have to get the Kooks or the QTP's a standard set of Pacesetters would work fine.
Originally Posted by Transgression
this is something like my case where I'm doing heads and a small cam but have no longtubes and I'm not gonna do longtubes either....stock headers with random tech high-flow cat-pipe and GMMG.......what set of heads and small cam would u go with for stock manifolds that WILL see a procharger in its near future?...this will really help me and Camaro67's friend out alot...thanx guys
Originally Posted by CaMaRo67RS355
ive been talking to a guy from Speed Inc. he's been saying a trick flow head package, SI5 Cam, hardened pushrods, SLP double roller timing chain, SLP ported oil pump would be what he would do if it were his car. would there be anything else that needed or would be a really good idea to change out like the harmonic balancer or anything?
and thanks chris93266
and thanks chris93266
you're welcome
that pretty much covers everything. the needle bearings in rockers sometimes fail with high rpm/ strong springs. your friend can use the stockers then upgrade later at his own discretion. i'm going to wait a couple months to send my stockers off to harland sharp. i hear it's like $250.