I am re-purposing my 402 LS2 / 4l60e that has been in my Trans Am for the last 12 years. The new home for the 402 will be a 1968 Camaro that will ONLY be street driven, NO RACING.
I am looking for a cam with a near stock idle and good street manners.

I know street driven means different things to different people. In this case it will be a weekend car for my dad. The area is hilly, 20% local, 80% highway. It will be built for cruising and occasional spirited driving.

The current cam is a custom grind 248/251 - .649/.649 - 114+2.

Here is some additional info on the set up
- Trickflow GenX 225 cathedral port heads
- FAST 92mm intake with Nick William 92mm throttle body
- Vigilante 3600 stall
- 3.70 gears in ford 9 inch
- I do not have an exhaust setup for the car yet.

I am looking at the Stealthy Stroker from Cam Motion (233/240 - .621/.604 - 117+5) but I can't find anyone with real world experience. Has anyone here used this cam? Has anyone used a similar cam? What are your thoughts?

***I am open to suggestions for other cams, so PLEASE POST RECOMMENDATIONS.***

 

That will be perfect for what you are looking for. It will drive very well and with a full exhaust will sound close to stock.

 

I ground myself a very similar cam for my 402 with LS3 heads, 226/242 on 117+3.5. Idle has a faint hint of lope but zero annoying chop, engine idles glass smooth, and I just made over 500 whp through a manual. With an automatic it will drive very nice.

 

"Near stock idle" is a VERY subjective term. Near stock to some means not quite rattling your teeth out, while to others it's a slightly rolling idle.
Judging by the cam in there now, you're used to a LOT of lope. The Stealthy Stroker will still lope, just not as much as a Pro Stocker.

 

I read "hilly" in the OP, and this to me is a better cam to run.

 

Thanks Bspeck82, I appreciate the input. Do you have experience with this cam? If so, do you have any video clips?


LOL, You're right, I am used to a LOT of lope. I mean a slight rolling idle. It seems like one extreme to another because I am not keeping the engine, I'm giving the engine and trans to my father. The TA is going to get a bigger engine and a turbo.


Thanks for responding Darth_V8r and spanks13. That sounds like exactly what I am looking for. Do you guys think I should I add some intake duration since I am using cathedral port heads instead of LS3 heads? Any recommendations on lift or lobe profile?

spanks13- I would love to see a video clip if you have one. If you don't have one, don't worry about it.

 

Darth has spec'ed more cathedral port cams so I'd follow his lead but I know you're supposed to throw some more duration at them. The stealthy stroker cam OTS probably would be good I'd think. It is a little more overlap than mine, 2.5* vs 0* at .050.

I don't think Cammotion charges anything extra for them to custom grind you what you need either so you might just want to give them a call. You'd just have to wait for the cam to be ready.

 

You wont notice any difference between those two cams. I dont have an idle clip, I dont personally run that cam but I know enough to know how it will run. It is a very mild cam. Should have a slight rumble at idle. Grounding a custom cam is a waste of time, the shelf cam will work just fine. As for the intake, you wont be peaking past 6200 let alone 6500 so a plastic OE style intake like an ls6, fast 92 or 102 will be your best choice. Keeps that torque curve nice and broad.

 

Spanks13, thanks again. I did suspect cathedral heads would need a little more duration since they don't flow as well.

Bspecks82, I'm using a FAST 92.

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For a cathedral head application you need to add about 5 degrees extra intake duration.
i would do something like a 238/242 114lsa +2
This will give you a good idle and with the air speed of those heads you certainly won't have any reversion issues on a 402.
12 degrees of overlap with that setup is a good compromise IMO.

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Agreed, you won't notice much at idle between the two. I would primarily err on the side of something smaller for the power to come in sooner. Hilly with a cam can mean a lot of downshifting or hunting between gears if you're not careful. That 3.70 rear gear will help that somewhat. Also agree, the fast 92 intake OP is already running is adequate for what he is doing with it.

I did not see your compression ratio, but generally most street builds end up in the 11.5 range. Assuming this is true, consider the following for good midrange, tunability, and economy:

230/234-115+4 .637/.620 lift. That'll be a torquey **** in a 408, but will still have an idle note to it. If you're dead set on not having the idle noticeable, then 228/232-116+4 will have similar performance characteristics, a bit less peak torque, and overall tamer behavior.

If you only have access to 91 octane, or if your compression ratio is markedly different, that will change things a bit.

 

Very true Darth, OP what is your compression ratio and what fuel are you running?

 

Pseudonym - I am your dad LOL. I have almost your exact setup: LS2 / 403, SRP 11.5:1, Callies crank & rods, TSP cathedral heads, FAST 92 & NW 92, and 8.8 w/ 4.11 gears. My trans is an M6, basically the only difference. The car is a fair weather weekend driver that I road race occasionally. I have a CamMotion LLSR installed: 233/241 - .654/.638 - 117+4. The idle has a little lope but the car has good power and is a blast to drive.

 

Hiltsy how’d it dyno with that LLSR? I bet it runs great! After it’s warmed up effective duration is very similar to my cam. I bet it picks up a good 10-15hp everywhere running the LLSR.

 

Hey guys! I wasn't expecting so many replies. Thanks for the responses. I'm on my phone, so sorry if I miss anything.

CR is 11.3, and there is 93 octane available nearby.

​​​​​​Good driving characteristics are top priority. Idle should be close to undetectable, but it doesn't need to be completely undetectable. He basically wants a strong cruiser.

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Is that 233/241 as ground? Or is it after lash? If it's as ground, then the cam is about like a 228/236 hydraulic equivalent.
With 11.3 CR, you don't want to push the cam too big or make the IVC close too late. That'll hurt your midrange. Better to err on the smaller side. I think the 228/232-116+4 suggestion below is going to meet your friend's goals the best.

 

Sadly I have not had it dynoed. I'm running on my own "street tune" which is fairly conservative.

 

Those are the ground numbers. I've read you pull 4 or 5 degrees to get the hydraulic equivalent.