LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

Is this normal wear? (pics inside)

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Old Jul 30, 2005 | 12:25 PM
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Default Is this normal wear? (pics inside)

I pulled the cam last night and am a little concerned about the bearing and cam wear. Particularaly, if you examine the pictures, the grey coating is worn off part of cam bearing and there are what appear to be wear marks on the cam where it rides in the bearing. This motor only has 30,000 miles on it. For others that have pulled their LT1 cams, did yours look like and should I replace the bearings?

I'm in the middle of a cam/ heads swap and need to know if I have to replace the cam bearings as well. Thanks in advance!
Attached Thumbnails Is this normal wear?  (pics inside)-cam-bearing.jpg   Is this normal wear?  (pics inside)-cam.jpg  
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Old Jul 30, 2005 | 12:37 PM
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when I pulled my stock cam at 156,000 miles, it had less wear than that, and second, bearings are cheap, I would replace them.
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Old Jul 30, 2005 | 01:03 PM
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although it isnt horrible that wear isnt good for 30k miles...mine at 95000 looked almost new still with just slight wear...I would do bearings and make sure you get a new timing chain....
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Old Jul 30, 2005 | 05:02 PM
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Im going to have to say time for a new cam....... perhaps cc306

Toole
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Old Jul 30, 2005 | 05:24 PM
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Irregular oil change is the cause of this,the bearings are worn because of improper lubrication
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Old Jul 30, 2005 | 06:21 PM
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ALWAYS replace your bearings.
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Old Jul 30, 2005 | 06:55 PM
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The engine is going to have to be pulled to replace the cam bearings isnt it?

Not like its a routine thing everyone does when doing an in-car cam swap.
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Old Jul 30, 2005 | 08:26 PM
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Might not be poor maintenence it is actually VERY common for people with LT1s in particular to grab the wrong oil for this motor. The M1 5w-30 everyone thinks is the best is a bad choice for THIS engine it is good oil though. This is based on wear metal content in used oil so I don't want to hear the used it in the Vette or any of that, you want to argue it offer some measurable data.
http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/...?ubb=forum;f=3
I just bring it up because a lot of people think they are doing best by their motor when they are not.

LT1s are somewhat prone to front cam bearing wear due to carrying the extra load of the water pump, still what you have is non-typical and needs attention. Lubrication issue seems to be the logical answer as to why maybe do some readon on the link I provided and see if you learn anything.
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Old Jul 30, 2005 | 08:26 PM
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That looks terrible, I wouldn't run it without replacing them. Also might want to check out your other bearings..
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Old Jul 30, 2005 | 11:40 PM
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The motor has been supercharged for about ten thousand miles. I was in the middle of a cam and heads swap when I discovered this. If I'm going to have to replace the cam bearings, then all the bearings will be inspected/ replaced.

The motor has had Mobil 1 5W-30 run in it and changed religously every three thousand miles. From the damage to the bearings, it would appear that the 5W-30 was not the best choice of lubricants. On another note, you can still see the cross-hatch pattern on the cylinder walls; I just find that odd.
Attached Thumbnails Is this normal wear?  (pics inside)-cross-hatch.jpg  
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Old Jul 31, 2005 | 07:21 AM
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Crosshatch on the cylinder walls is normal even for old cop car past 100 or even 150K, the fuel injection does not wash the oil off the walls like the old overly rich startup carbs did. They also use low tension rings which leave more oil on the walls to lubricate.

M1 5w-30 and 10w-30 are too thin for this engine they actually boarder on being 20wt., but other brands are just fine in those weights, again I would refer you to the link I posted. Amsoil for instance tends to run towards the thick end of the weight range, so if running Amsoil a 30wt would be good but if going M1 then a 40wt is a better choice. Each are great oils you just have to do a little research to learn which one of their offerings is best.
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Old Jul 31, 2005 | 08:47 AM
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Originally Posted by 96capricemgr
The M1 5w-30 everyone thinks is the best is a bad choice for THIS engine it is good oil though.
So what oil should we be runing?
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Old Jul 31, 2005 | 09:29 AM
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What he asked.
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Old Jul 31, 2005 | 10:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Black_95_Z28
Im going to have to say time for a new cam....... perhaps cc306

Toole
I already have a custom gound blower cam from More Performance:
224/236 dur 502/ 520 lift (1.5 r) 536/ 560 (w 1.6 r) 115 LSA +3 deg adv. gound in.

I'll be pulling the short block out tonight and tear it down to inspect the rod/ main bearings. With that said, it's now time to upgrade the pistons/ rods to a forged variety (probe), lower compression (around 9.5 to 1) and up the boost. Now I need to figure out how fast I can spin that S-trim Vortech and not max out those new 42 lb SVO injectors I just got. Any suggestions for impeller speed and the corresponding compression ratio?
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Old Jul 31, 2005 | 08:54 PM
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Those asking about oil see the link I posted. The short of it is if you like Mobil 1 then just use the 0w-40 or 5w-40, amsoil is fine in 0w-30 5w-30 or 10w-30, Castrol Syntec 0w-30 labled "made in Germany" is arguably the best in the LT1/LS1, and if you just want to go dino which is fine then a 5w-30 or 10w-30 should work fine. There really aren't any bad oils these days just bad choices for a particular engine.
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