cam for stock converter?
cam for stock converter? i know i know..buy a new converter!... i want to make a cam change ,i have the bolt ons( lid, tsp rumbler, cut out). i just dont want to change the converter yet. and im not sure on the stock stall speed of my 1998 Z28. anyone do an upgraded cam on their stock converter?. i was thinking the TR224..but im afraid the duration is a bitmuch for the stock pieces. any advice would be good. and yes ill have it tuned after of course..but til next year the tranny stays the way it is. it also has 2.73s in it factory. theyre goin over winter for 3.42s. and will the stock push rods work? id like to just stuff in a new stick and springs and rumble along.
personally i would get all the boltons for your car first including a stall. that way when you put your cam in, your car will be ready for it. if you are only running 13.7's now you will probably only run 13.4 -13.5 with a cam and stock stall
trust me get the convertor 1st
i got a fuddle 3400 2.1 n it was a night n day difference, fixin to do my 3.73 next
then comes cam/heads
that seems to be the more popular way to do it on a budget, i got alot of advice from people here n my local car club
i got a fuddle 3400 2.1 n it was a night n day difference, fixin to do my 3.73 next
then comes cam/heads
that seems to be the more popular way to do it on a budget, i got alot of advice from people here n my local car club
do you want the cam so it makes your car sound cool???
I was looking for a cam that would enhance the low end and compliment the stock converter. So I chose a CompCams 206/212 112lsa. Because at the time, I liked to infrequently mess around at the dragstrip, I installed the cam 2 degrees retarded, so as not to lose to much topend.
This cam installed 2 degrees retarded with stock 1.7 rocker ratio is very torquey right off idle. Actually would be a very good truck cam. My stock converter'd 60 ft times improved from mid to high 1.9s with the stock cam to high 1.8s to mid 1.9s with the 206 cam. I also knocked off .3 sec & gained 2.5 mph in the 1/8 mile. So, I have some numbers to back up my seat of the pants feel.
I later added 1.85 rockers to further improve 1/4 mi ET & trap speed. Then I eventually threw on a 3500 stall and ran the times in my sig. I feel like I got some respectable time slips from the mods that I made along the way. I regret not being able to have installed the set of headers I bought a couple of months before the local track closed - for good. Not having a track to run at sure put a damper on my driving interest.
I have since reinstalled the stock converter and run it with the 206 cam. Very good match, crisp response, can break tires loose with slight jab of the throttle, & makes driving in traffic more tolerable.
This cam installed 2 degrees retarded with stock 1.7 rocker ratio is very torquey right off idle. Actually would be a very good truck cam. My stock converter'd 60 ft times improved from mid to high 1.9s with the stock cam to high 1.8s to mid 1.9s with the 206 cam. I also knocked off .3 sec & gained 2.5 mph in the 1/8 mile. So, I have some numbers to back up my seat of the pants feel.
I later added 1.85 rockers to further improve 1/4 mi ET & trap speed. Then I eventually threw on a 3500 stall and ran the times in my sig. I feel like I got some respectable time slips from the mods that I made along the way. I regret not being able to have installed the set of headers I bought a couple of months before the local track closed - for good. Not having a track to run at sure put a damper on my driving interest.
I have since reinstalled the stock converter and run it with the 206 cam. Very good match, crisp response, can break tires loose with slight jab of the throttle, & makes driving in traffic more tolerable.
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I was looking for a cam that would enhance the low end and compliment the stock converter. So I chose a CompCams 206/212 112lsa. Because at the time, I liked to infrequently mess around at the dragstrip
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Don't go any smaller than a TR220/114 LSA. I've installed that one in a couple of stock converter stock exhaust f-bodies and it is a nice gain. I've also installed a couple of TR224/114 LSA cams in stock converter cars. The 224 needs a slightly higher idle speed and will try to pull through the converter a little more when stopped. I've also run a comp 212/218 114 LSA and a Comp 216/220 114 LSA many years ago in a 98Z with stock converter and exhaust. Both were really torquey cams. In my experience, the 216/220 and bigger cams cause enough misfires to screw with the converter locking up and all the cams I've listed here want a higher than stock idle speed so some tweaks the tune are necessary. And of course there is always the LS6 cam that will give you gains from 4K rpms and up and idle like stock.
Ill answer your question yes you can......ive seen 2 cars on here this month that had an ms4 on the stock stall.........a good tuner can get any cam to idle with the stock verter.....a tr224 will work fine but i would look at somthing in the 218 220 range....
if I was advising a next mod it would be get rid of the 273s for some 373s then a converter then a cam....but thats my opinion
if I was advising a next mod it would be get rid of the 273s for some 373s then a converter then a cam....but thats my opinion
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 542
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From: Memphis, TN
No joke man, for all the trouble of a cam install you might as well just say screw it for now and slap you in a good verter and gears. You will be much better off, and you will see far better gains. Then when you are itching for more, you can do a cam and do it right, with the cam you really want and not just settle for a smaller cam "to get by with the stock converter". You will also want headers for sure.
Here are my thoughts: You get the converter--awesome, put the converter in same time you are doing the gears. Then you are gonna FEEL a lot of gain just from those 2 mods, trust me. You will just need a minor tune to correct gear ratio. Then when you get the itch for more, you have headers and a cam waiting to be bought and installed and then tuned professionally. I've been there done that. It'll keep a smile on your face.
Here are my thoughts: You get the converter--awesome, put the converter in same time you are doing the gears. Then you are gonna FEEL a lot of gain just from those 2 mods, trust me. You will just need a minor tune to correct gear ratio. Then when you get the itch for more, you have headers and a cam waiting to be bought and installed and then tuned professionally. I've been there done that. It'll keep a smile on your face.
Last edited by RoDan; Aug 25, 2007 at 02:32 AM.
I would suggest this:
99-TR214/220-115-2 Thunder Racing Custom Camshaft
"Old Man Cam" - 214/220 .600/.523 115 LSA This is the perfect cam for someone looking for a stock range power band and stock sounding idle. Significant horsepower gains throughout the RPM range. No computer tuning required. Due to the fast ramp rate of this camshaft, the use of 1.8 rockers is not recommended.
or This:
Thunder Racing Custom Camshaft
"CheaTR" - 214/230 .601/.575 117 LSA. Off Idle-6800 RPM Power Band. Broad power range. Works well with stock exhaust manifolds and catalytic converters. Stock like idle. Minor tuning required on automatic transmission cars. Responds very well to nitrous. Due to the fast ramp rate of this camshaft, the use of 1.8 rockers is not recommended. Double valve springs and titanium retainers required for this cam.
Both from Thunder Racing, you must change the springs which you are willing to do.
99-TR214/220-115-2 Thunder Racing Custom Camshaft
"Old Man Cam" - 214/220 .600/.523 115 LSA This is the perfect cam for someone looking for a stock range power band and stock sounding idle. Significant horsepower gains throughout the RPM range. No computer tuning required. Due to the fast ramp rate of this camshaft, the use of 1.8 rockers is not recommended.
or This:
Thunder Racing Custom Camshaft
"CheaTR" - 214/230 .601/.575 117 LSA. Off Idle-6800 RPM Power Band. Broad power range. Works well with stock exhaust manifolds and catalytic converters. Stock like idle. Minor tuning required on automatic transmission cars. Responds very well to nitrous. Due to the fast ramp rate of this camshaft, the use of 1.8 rockers is not recommended. Double valve springs and titanium retainers required for this cam.
Both from Thunder Racing, you must change the springs which you are willing to do.
Originally Posted by SMALLBLOCKHERO
your god sent brother!..this is exactly what i was hoping to hear and just what i was looking for in this thread. what did you have to change in your valve train set up? pushrod length, springs? unfortunately i have the factory 2.73s for now but i will have the 3.42s in by next summer. your description of how it runs and drives in traffic is just what i wanted. by the way...i thought the big island still has a 1/4 mile strip.
I had 2.73s originally too. 3.42s will nicely wakeup the car. I live on Oahu so I can't easily get to the others islands to race.
The 206 cam is a low-end cam. Most of the gains will be in the lowend with some in the midrange and a little up top. If I were to pick a new cam with not too aggresive lobes using my experience with the 206, I would get a 210ish cam, 112 lsa. I wouldn't mind having the cam "come on" a few hundred rpms higher like at 1100 rpm instead of right off idle to gain a meatier midrange. I guess an aggressive lobed 215 would equal the milder lobed 210. So, what some of the other guys are suggesting above falls in line with my experience. If you are inclined to stay mild lobed, some of the 210 Crane cams might be something to look at.
My suggestions are based on you not being a cam newbie and that you know exactly what you want from a cam. For the newbies out there, if you go small cammed now you will always wonder what a bigger cam will do. Thus, you will be buying another cam later just to find out. I can almost guarantee that, LOL.
