edlt1

I wish I had the time to research all this and understand it better, but I figure I will start here by asking others.

My 96 lt-1


I have seen cam kits on ebay and summit racing.
If I do a cam what do I need? Can a cam be done alone?

Here is my situation

I drive the car everyday ( that will change soon to a few months a year)

Gas Mileage not a concern

I want that deep loud rumble, which is my main concern

As much hp that a daily street driving car can add just a cam kit.

Wil the LT-4 cam kit give me this or is there something better?

Thanks

Ed

Legion21

For a daily driver you do not want to get too crazy of a cam. There are a lot of people on this board that will recommend the cc306 or the xe503. They are big cams and will build their power towards the top of the rpm range. If you were putting together a motor with split duties i.e some street driving and weekend track time, those cams are great. My personal experience is that people tend to over-cam their cars and would see much better street performance from less aggressive grinds.

My recommendation would be somthing more along the lines of the xe501 from Compcams. Mate that cam with 1.6 r.r's and you have a very strong streetable cam that will build power from off idle through the entire rpm range.
The deep rumble comes from cam and exhaust, so doing just a cam will not get the sound you may be looking for.

Also, the LT1 valve springs are kind of weak so you would have to change the springs with almost any aftermarket cam that you do.

Greg

edlt1

So all I will need is

The cam
1.6rr
and new vavle springs


I have an OFF road y-pipe
and flowmaster exhaust

Will I need headers?

Thanks

Legion21

Depending on how many miles your motor has, but I would change the entire valve train regardless. I would also do the lifters, pushrods, and you might as well change the valve seals when you have the springs out. If your car has more than 50,000 miles you should probably replace the timing chain also while your in there. Most of the items are just good routine maintenance things.

Headers are not necessary but would definately open things up better, and let the new cam breathe. I would also have a tune put on it to maximize the new stuff.

Greg

luckyou03

iTrader: (8)

your definately going to need a pcm tune.

Z4CSS

If you haven't done any mods to the car yet then I would recommend starting with headers and a cold air box before you change cams. Changing cams is not something that you want to be doing once a year so if you know what your end goal is with the car then try to pick a cam that will suit.

That being said if you are just looking for an inexpensive way to improve performance and get a nice rumble/lope from the exhaust then the LT4 hotcam is the best deal as it includes the 1.6roller rockers with it. The exhaust that is on the car will play a large part in getting the sound that you are looking for so I would say if you don't have an aftermarket catback exhaust that you should get one. I have the SLP 2OTL on my car but there are a bunch of good catbacks to choose from.

The LT4 hotcam with all the bolts ons should see around the 320-330rwhp with a good tune and it will have a noticeable lope to it. I also agree with "Legion21" that it is common for a lot of guys to overcam there cars usually in search of that dragster type idle and huge power gains and the truth is that in order to get the big numbers out of the big cams you need to spend some money getting good head work done. The cc306 or the GM847 will need to turn the motor to 6500-6800 rpms to make its power and a stock bottom end will not live in that range for a long time. I am not suggesting you can't make good power with those big cams on a stock head but it will be a bit of a struggle to drive in the low rpms and you will really have to keep the revs up to be in the sweet spot of the cam.

I have the CC502 (218/224) cam in my car right now and it idles with a slight lope but it is very mild. It makes excellent low end torque and my dyno graph pulls to 5900rpms before it starts to go down. I have a full bolt on M6 car with short tube headers and a dyno tune and it made 321rwhp. I would suggest going with the LT4 hotcam as it is slightly larger than this cam and it will cost less if you purchase the LT4 hotcam kit. I am currently upgrading to the XE503 and a set of LE2 cylinder heads with the hopes of hitting the 375rwhp mark, but more important than the peak number is the power under the curve. If you can get a broad torque curve from 2000-5000rpms (over 300lb ft of torque in that range) then you will have an excellent street set-up that will pull nice up top also. I have seen guys with bolt on LT4 hotcams in the mid 12's. I hope this info helps.

riodealz28

hey z4css whats ur car hitting in the 1/4 mile ? and what cam is just 1 step ahead of the lt4 hot cam

Z4CSS

I have run a best of 13.28 @ 107mph with the XE502 cam. I would rate the following cams which are the more popular off the shelf grinds in the following order of small to big. I am sure there are many other camshafts out there but these are the more common ones that came to mind. Note all lift numbers are on 1.5 ratio rocker.


xe500 (206/212 - .480/.488 - 112lsa)
CC304 (210/220 - .500/.510 - 114lsa)
XE501 (212/218 - .488/.495 - 112lsa)
crane 227 (210/224 - .479/.518 - 112lsa)
GM845 (214/224 - .488/.509 - 112lsa)
XE502 (218/224 - .495/.502 - 112lsa)
LT4HOT (218/228 - .492/.492 - 112lsa)
CC305 (220/230 - .510/.520 - 114lsa)
GM846 (222/230 - .509/.528 - 112lsa)
XE503 (224/230 - .503/.510 - 112lsa)
CC306 (230/244 - .510/.540 - 112lsa)
GM847 (234/242 - .539/.558 - 112lsa)

edlt1

So the lt4 hot cam maybe a good choice?

Thanks
Ed

Z4CSS

Ed:

I am not an expert on camshafts but I have been doing alot of research on camshafts as of late so here is my opinion. I think the LT4 cam kit is an excellent deal for the money and there are a tonne of guys running it as it is a proven performer, but that cam is giving up some low end torque over the XE series of cams and the cam is somewhat outdated. You can get some good deals from some of the sponsor's on this board for cam kits that will be close to the $ you will spend on the LT4 hotcam kit. Before you purchase a cam you may want to consider what your end goal is and if the LT4 hotcam fits it or not. If you are looking for one of the middle ground kind of cams I would recommend the XE503 because so many people have had good results with it or the GM846 looks like it would work nicely too but the XE503 should have more power down low because of the fast ramp rates on the cam. As far as the rumble goes the exhaust system you have on the car will determine some of that and if you want something with a nice lope and you are looking at an off the shelf grind then pick something on a 112lsa. You mention you want to make the most HP as possible and although everybody wants that you have to ask yourself what am I willing to give-up to get that?

These are some of the things that big cams making big horsepower usually come with. When I mean big I am talking about the GM847/CC306/etc. but keep in mind that these cams and cams like it are going to make the max horsepower that you are looking for so if you can put up with the stuff on this list then they may be an option for you to look at, especially if you have future plans for head work.

Poor low end torque
Harder to drive in city traffic
Cam may surge if not able to tune it out
Sometimes they can make the car stink like gas fumes even with cats
You have to rev the motor a lot higher to get it to make the power
You may have to add a vacuum reservoir to operate power brakes
They can be harder on valvetrain components
Usually won't pass emissions test unless you have an excellent tuner

I know that was a little longwinded but I'm just trying to give you as much information so as you can make the best decision for what you want. I hope this information helps.

BTW if you really want to make an informed decision and get the best possible cam for your goals then I would talk to a guy like BRET BAUER of Bauer-Racing who is a camshaft expert. He can make a custom cam to suit your needs at a reasonable price. His Loggin name on this site is SStrokerAce.

BigCamLT1

I used to have the LT4 cam kit in my car. It a good cam for everyday driving and it will make heads trun. I got 330.2rwhp and 342.5 torque @ 6300rpm and at the track I ran a 12.64@105 1.74 60ft MT street and 3500 stall.

riodealz28

would i really need a stall with the lt4 hot cam

WannaLearn

I am new to this site and new to LS1's...i used to be a Mustang fanatic but recently my buddie showed me a different side to LS1s. I own a 2000 Camaro z28 all stock. As far as i know the modifications to camaros are wayyy different than Mustangs, but one thing i am particularly curious about are the Cams...i hear cams are one of the best mods to do. If so somebody please help me and tell me what kind of cams should i get, and some other really useful mods to start on. thanks! By the way its a 6 speed.

Any suggestions i will greatly appreciate. Thanks guys