Lt4 hot cam
Teching In
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
I did the hotcam swap this winter and all I have is good things to say about the cam! The idle sounds good almost no change in low end torque gained horsepower everywhere and the drive ability is great. I didn't use the kit ,but instead went with 1.6 crane gold S/A rockers ,The Alex Parts valve springs that were in a thread around here not to long ago ,and so far so good I would definately recommend this cam
,and if your doing this by yourself it was my first one to and I just turned 19 just follow the guides and you should be good. Good luck!
,and if your doing this by yourself it was my first one to and I just turned 19 just follow the guides and you should be good. Good luck! You'd be foolish not to at least replace the water pump an opti IMO....I say this with over a decade of LT experience. My car eats these for breakfast over the past 14 years and 100K (3 water pumps, 3 optis) otherwise you'll more than likely be replacing one or the other within a year tearing it apart AGAIN. Maybe the rest of you have better luck...but for my LT1, Murphy's law ALWAYS applies: "Anything that can go wrong WILL go wrong" (especially the ******* opti 
)
)Every car is different and not every lt1 eats waterpumps and opti's. 36,000 miles since i swapped and im still fine. My opti suddenly went out maybe 20,000 miles after but it was a freak thing. Still fine to this day. 3 years or so. Plus its not even hard to change. idk. whatever.
If you look at it from a power, performance, driveability standpoint you cant argue with the cc503. Driveability is all relative though. Some people find a cc306 to be a great street cam, some people find it to be to large.
I say cc503 would be a better choice if your doing headwork anyways. On the same set of ported heads I would put big money where my mouth is when i say youll get more power with the cc503 vs the hotcam and loose nothing in terms of driveability or gas mileage on a properly tuned car.
The way that ive looked at it, and the way ill always look at it, is to go big or just dont go anywhere. Ive seen way to many people not like their smaller safer cam selections and want to swap it out or actually swap it out to a larger cam. I would say the lt4 hot cam takes the pie home with this incident.
A larger cam like the cc503 or like im sure is mentioned a LE or Ai grind could take your farther in the end then a hotcam. Maybe you blow your bottom end down the road and want to do a 355 or 383 rebuild. Could re use the cc503 or LE or Ai grind, The lt4 youll probably want to do away with in that case.
Does the LT4 hotcam perform and make power? Yes...period.
Like 95T-A said, Its not hard to do yourself, buy a torque wrench and start taking **** apart! (not with the torque wrench, but you need it for reassembly)
I say cc503 would be a better choice if your doing headwork anyways. On the same set of ported heads I would put big money where my mouth is when i say youll get more power with the cc503 vs the hotcam and loose nothing in terms of driveability or gas mileage on a properly tuned car.
The way that ive looked at it, and the way ill always look at it, is to go big or just dont go anywhere. Ive seen way to many people not like their smaller safer cam selections and want to swap it out or actually swap it out to a larger cam. I would say the lt4 hot cam takes the pie home with this incident.
A larger cam like the cc503 or like im sure is mentioned a LE or Ai grind could take your farther in the end then a hotcam. Maybe you blow your bottom end down the road and want to do a 355 or 383 rebuild. Could re use the cc503 or LE or Ai grind, The lt4 youll probably want to do away with in that case.
Does the LT4 hotcam perform and make power? Yes...period.
Like 95T-A said, Its not hard to do yourself, buy a torque wrench and start taking **** apart! (not with the torque wrench, but you need it for reassembly)
Last edited by trilkb; Aug 17, 2011 at 07:35 PM.
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Last edited by 96lt1m6; Aug 17, 2011 at 08:24 PM.
Ok, sorry, ONE person is known to have run a bolt on only 11 with an M6, I stand corrected, and the only other 'two' were a4's. I've never looked at that post being that I havnt been bolt on only for 7 years now. I still think Shon must have had a killer suspension set up to do it. And don't tell me it was a stock suspension. Don't get me wrong, that's awesome that they were able to do it, it's just not very common.
^track dedicated cars, running built to hell rear ends with high gears and some sticky slicks is my guess. Id imagine there was some weight loss in there too! power steering, a/c, heater cores, sway bars..the works. The a4 cars probably have stalls in them way over 4000rpm and if possible a trans brake to launch off of.
11.8 bolt on time isnt from power, its from hooking like hell from a crazy hard launch lol.
11.8 bolt on time isnt from power, its from hooking like hell from a crazy hard launch lol.
On The Tree
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 134
Likes: 1
From: alabama
CC503 food for thought
Stock rebuild with speed pro forged pistons, cc503, ls7 lifters, stock heads, 52mm tb, lt headers, 1.6 rr, dumped duals with x pipe,m6 and 3.73 gears in the stock rear made 343/363.
Not saying its any better than the hotcam just letting you know what i got out of mine, also get around 19-20 mpg heavy footed normal driving.
Stock rebuild with speed pro forged pistons, cc503, ls7 lifters, stock heads, 52mm tb, lt headers, 1.6 rr, dumped duals with x pipe,m6 and 3.73 gears in the stock rear made 343/363.
Not saying its any better than the hotcam just letting you know what i got out of mine, also get around 19-20 mpg heavy footed normal driving.
11 Second Club
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 1,707
Likes: 13
From: New Orleans, LA
I've been feeling the same way lately. I've been running my Hot Cam since 2007. I just put a car length on an LS1 with a TSP Torquer Cam the other day. Oh and Gregg I bet if you add an SSRA Mega Mouth ram air kit to that LS1 lid you will crack those 11's... Oh and get 1.7rr for your Hot Cam to get CC503 performance out of it...
Last edited by NewOrleansLT1; Aug 17, 2011 at 10:24 PM.
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I disagree. If it works why change it? Do you buy new tires everytime you remove your wheels, no? You have them off, you mine as well since "your in there" and have them off.
Every car is different and not every lt1 eats waterpumps and opti's. 36,000 miles since i swapped and im still fine. My opti suddenly went out maybe 20,000 miles after but it was a freak thing. Still fine to this day. 3 years or so. Plus its not even hard to change. idk. whatever.
Every car is different and not every lt1 eats waterpumps and opti's. 36,000 miles since i swapped and im still fine. My opti suddenly went out maybe 20,000 miles after but it was a freak thing. Still fine to this day. 3 years or so. Plus its not even hard to change. idk. whatever.
How many years/miles have you actually driven a LT1 car as a daily driver? Yea, three years on an opti isn't ****...my stock one last to 80K and 7 years. I've put well over 100K on my car over the past 14 years, and water pumps and optis are considered wear items...****, even the electric ones say you should replace them after 50K...but hey, I guess if you love working on cars and ripping it apart over again be my guest. It's cheap insurance if either part has over 50K on it.
I drive my car plenty and its been extremely reliable. Im 23, Ive had it 4.5 yrs now as a DD in Wisconsin. Just shipped it out to San Diego so i could drive it there. Drove everywhere in Cali with it without issues. Bought it with 48000 and it now has 99,000 on it.
Never said they werent wear items but if something works and is working fine, why replace it? thats all im getting at.
Yea, in that mileage range from 40K-100K yea, I only went through 1 opti and 1 water pump. ****, your just breaking your car in...4.5 years lol. All I'm getting at most LT1's are high mileage now....so unless you are either cheap as hell or broke it's foolish NOT to replace them if they are worn out with over 50K on them...working or not. You can get a waterpump for $130...cap and rotor at least for $100...so unless you have a high school budget just do it. Guarantee the cost of labor or pain in the *** of having to re-do either of these yourself is worth it. Prove me wrong 
I have no experience with the hotcam but was really thinking about going that route before I decided to do a head swap. I called up Lloyd when I was ready to start ordering parts and I coulda sworn I was his only customer the way he treated me. I must've been on the phone with him for 30 minutes just asking questions before he started taking info from me and custom speccing me a cam to run with my LE2s and 1.7 rr. Lloyd did some thinking and came up with something pretty close to the 503 with close to .600 lift.
Teching In
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 34
Likes: 0
lol. Im sorry i cant make time go quicker. jesus. 3 yrs what was i thinking, Didnt know this was a pissing match.
I drive my car plenty and its been extremely reliable. Im 23, Ive had it 4.5 yrs now as a DD in Wisconsin. Just shipped it out to San Diego so i could drive it there. Drove everywhere in Cali with it without issues. Bought it with 48000 and it now has 99,000 on it.
Never said they werent wear items but if something works and is working fine, why replace it? thats all im getting at.
I drive my car plenty and its been extremely reliable. Im 23, Ive had it 4.5 yrs now as a DD in Wisconsin. Just shipped it out to San Diego so i could drive it there. Drove everywhere in Cali with it without issues. Bought it with 48000 and it now has 99,000 on it.
Never said they werent wear items but if something works and is working fine, why replace it? thats all im getting at.
Last edited by 95T-A; Aug 18, 2011 at 09:06 PM.
Yea, in that mileage range from 40K-100K yea, I only went through 1 opti and 1 water pump. ****, your just breaking your car in...4.5 years lol. All I'm getting at most LT1's are high mileage now....so unless you are either cheap as hell or broke it's foolish NOT to replace them if they are worn out with over 50K on them...working or not. You can get a waterpump for $130...cap and rotor at least for $100...so unless you have a high school budget just do it. Guarantee the cost of labor or pain in the *** of having to re-do either of these yourself is worth it. Prove me wrong 
I do my own work on my car so the cost of labor is nothing besides a few hours on a weekend. Its really not that hard to change an opti or waterpump. i personally dont see any pain the *** part about it. Just saying. I dont mind spending money but on parts that are working fine is dumb and a waste of money. Im not exactly making bank on a E3 paycheck but still.
Agree to disagree at this point
Im done with this LOL Last edited by Badazz 97 TA; Aug 19, 2011 at 04:12 PM.
ok so now you only went through one opti and waterpump in 80-100,000 miles? You just said before how your LT1 eat opti's and waterpumps and how you went through 3 of them in 100k period. sounds like your car is messed up if your replacing them every 30k miles. You put 100,000 miles on your car in 14 years. Thats even less then what im driving per year........???
I do my own work on my car so the cost of labor is nothing besides a few hours on a weekend. Its really not that hard to change an opti or waterpump. i personally dont see any pain the *** part about it. Just saying. I dont mind spending money but on parts that are working fine is dumb and a waste of money. Im not exactly making bank on a E3 paycheck but still.
Agree to disagree at this point Im done with this LOL
I do my own work on my car so the cost of labor is nothing besides a few hours on a weekend. Its really not that hard to change an opti or waterpump. i personally dont see any pain the *** part about it. Just saying. I dont mind spending money but on parts that are working fine is dumb and a waste of money. Im not exactly making bank on a E3 paycheck but still.
Agree to disagree at this point
Im done with this LOL) because Ive been there done that. Let's see how many optis and waterpumps you go through in the next 9.5 years before you call my car a POS...LOL. 
If you're not mechanically challenged and don't think changing an opti or a water pump is a painstaking ordeal then don't change it. But if you have the mechanical skills of a monkey or no resources to change them yourself spend the money now.
For me replacing an opti or water pump is a half hour to an hour ordeal that I can do blindfolded. If I don't spend the money now and it blows up say a year later, I replace it a year later. No biggie.
There's no wrong or right way, no rhyme or reason here. It's all personal preference.
For me replacing an opti or water pump is a half hour to an hour ordeal that I can do blindfolded. If I don't spend the money now and it blows up say a year later, I replace it a year later. No biggie.
There's no wrong or right way, no rhyme or reason here. It's all personal preference.
I only change a part when it fails. No sence is spending money for no reason but to think im better off. Brand new parts can be bad and I could be replacing a good part for a bad one. Any good mechanic will only swap out a part that needs to be swapped out.
