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Camming a Small Bore LSx

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Old Dec 4, 2010 | 12:26 AM
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Default Camming a Small Bore LSx

I'm playing with the idea of a cam swap on a 5.3l. I've heard of guys that have had good luck with LS6-type cams and I've seen a lot of the smaller TR cams (220 range) used in trucks. I'm not in the market for a cam that's going to make a lot of torque down low. If anything I would like to move the powerband over a little bit. My question is, is there a certain characteristic or set of characteristics to look for in the grind with the small cube motors?

For a little background it's a 5.3l LS4, 243s, LS1 intake, and 1 7/8" Shorties. Just testing the waters here so any opinions are more than appreciated.
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Old Dec 5, 2010 | 12:17 AM
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I know someone has some knowledge/experience about small bore motors.
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Old Dec 5, 2010 | 02:01 AM
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How did you get the LS1 intake to work? The stock intake manifold's I here are the worst pieces of garbage made. I am sure a sub 22x 22x cam would be perfect for something mild and still aggressive enough to put it down. I only run a 224r cam and LS6 heads with my set up and the car still moves out hard.
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Old Dec 5, 2010 | 02:16 AM
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How did you get the LS4 to bolt to your transmission don't they use a different bolt pattern to accommodate the 4T65E FWD tranny?
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Old Dec 5, 2010 | 09:03 AM
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Exactly the same principle on any sized engine. Though usually valve events reduce in line with the square root of the displacement delta when comparing cubes.
Also yeah, you want an LS6 intake for a start! Then a small cam in the low 22x range IMO.
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Old Dec 5, 2010 | 11:41 AM
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I don't understand all the small cam (220 and even sub 220) recommendations... True enough, a lot of the quicker 5.3 trucks are running smallish cams but we need way more info before throwing numbers at you... Weight, final gearing, tire, trans, etc... No reason a high 220s and even 230s cam wouldn't work well in a properly thought out 5.3 setup.
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Old Dec 5, 2010 | 01:13 PM
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Originally Posted by CamaroZ28_LS1
How did you get the LS1 intake to work?
You have to modify the VLOM and a few other things but it does work. The LS4 intake is a complete POS.

Originally Posted by TrippyJoey
How did you get the LS4 to
bolt to your transmission don't they use a different bolt pattern to accommodate the 4T65E FWD tranny?
LS4 is the stock engine in my car...

Originally Posted by silver-mod-o
I don't understand all the small cam (220 and even sub 220) recommendations... True enough, a lot of the quicker 5.3 trucks are running smallish cams but we need way more info before throwing numbers at you... Weight, final gearing, tire, trans, etc... No reason a high 220s and even 230s cam wouldn't work well in a properly thought out 5.3 setup.
I plan on going to a ls6 intake when I do the cam swap, as well as changing the FDR in the trans to a 3.29 or 3.69 (traction is a concern being FWD). Car is full weight ~3500-3600 lbs. Tires are ~26", trans is going to be upgraded stock 4t65e-hd, heads will be milled appropriately milled, not sure what else there is to look at. My plan was to match a converter to the cam rather than the other way around.
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Old Dec 5, 2010 | 02:28 PM
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Originally Posted by AlabamaGuy
LS4 is the stock engine in my car.
Lol my bad I was to sleepy to notice that last night.
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Old Dec 5, 2010 | 04:38 PM
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You could run a 230x cam in your car if you wanted to. I thought you wanted a mild set up. So that's why I recommended a mildish cam. 224r cam is a good lift and good drivability cam. you can get the LSA changed to around 111 if you want the nasty lobe.
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Old Dec 5, 2010 | 05:09 PM
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I'm fine with a more aggressive cam, I want a nice sound but that's not why I would go through the trouble of the swap. Whatever's going to perform the best will be what's used.
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Old Dec 5, 2010 | 06:21 PM
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I think a low 230s and about a 3600 converter would be the ticket
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