Share your experience with L83 cam swaps
Thread Starter
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 6
Likes: 1
From: Washington
Share your experience with L83 cam swaps I’m pretty infrequent on here, usually just lurking my way through old Gen 3 posts but I finally have a need for the Gen V page. My 2016 L83 Silverado DOD system just ate the cam after 7 years and 110k miles. While I’m doing the delete, I was initially planning on just using the L8T cam and moving on… but the teenager in me just couldn’t avoid researching performance cam swaps. Bottom line, the search function isn’t showing many results on the Gen V page.
So, getting to the point: If you have done a BTR Truck Cam Stage 1 or 2 swap on your L83, I’d appreciate you sharing your experience. I want to know how much your gas mileage changed? What’s the drivability like? Noticeable changes in power and torque? Did you experience any mechanical failures afterwards (slightly worried about my stock 6L80)? Who did your tune? What other mods do you have that might have affected your results? I’m a sucker for charts and plotted data, so if you got any of those I’d love to see them.
So, getting to the point: If you have done a BTR Truck Cam Stage 1 or 2 swap on your L83, I’d appreciate you sharing your experience. I want to know how much your gas mileage changed? What’s the drivability like? Noticeable changes in power and torque? Did you experience any mechanical failures afterwards (slightly worried about my stock 6L80)? Who did your tune? What other mods do you have that might have affected your results? I’m a sucker for charts and plotted data, so if you got any of those I’d love to see them.
TECH Resident
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 859
Likes: 402
From: Texas
The timing cover and oil pan are doweled and don't use gaskets, just silicone, so there will be a lot of cleanup.
The oil pump is supposed to require a special GM tool for reinstallation; it is two metal tabs that butt against the oil pump. They say that you can get low oil pressure if you install the pump wrong. (Anyone have any experience with this?)
The dowel pin for the cam sprocket is super short, and hard to line up, especially if you're doing this in the truck.
Last of all, beware that if the cam/ lifter failed, it usually sheds sharp metal flakes on the pistons below, scratching the cylinder bores. It might be best to pull the whole engine out, and disassemble it on a stand.
The oil pump is supposed to require a special GM tool for reinstallation; it is two metal tabs that butt against the oil pump. They say that you can get low oil pressure if you install the pump wrong. (Anyone have any experience with this?)
The dowel pin for the cam sprocket is super short, and hard to line up, especially if you're doing this in the truck.
Last of all, beware that if the cam/ lifter failed, it usually sheds sharp metal flakes on the pistons below, scratching the cylinder bores. It might be best to pull the whole engine out, and disassemble it on a stand.
