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

valvespring suggestions for XFI cam?

Old 09-07-2006, 10:48 PM
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Default valvespring suggestions for XFI cam?

Decided to go with the 07-467-8 Comp XFI cam (.580 or so lift, very aggressive ramps). Heads will be off, getting freshened up, so can have spring seats cut to accept whatever. Given that, suggestions as to best spring choice? I'm really liking the lift capability of PRC or PAtriot Gold springs, especially at the price including titanium retainers. Comp wants me to use their 918 beehives, open to ALL suggestions, but leaning hard towards a dual spring for peace of mind.
Old 09-07-2006, 11:00 PM
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those will be great srings (beehives)
Old 09-08-2006, 08:35 AM
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Comp recomends the beehives for a reason.

Bret
Old 09-08-2006, 06:03 PM
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I like the Crane 99893's because you can set them up with alot of seat pressure without ridiculous over-the-nose pressures. Works well with aggressive hydraulic cams.
Old 09-08-2006, 07:38 PM
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918's all the way
Old 09-09-2006, 09:03 AM
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Originally Posted by Boodyrider
Decided to go with the 07-467-8 Comp XFI cam (.580 or so lift, very aggressive ramps). Heads will be off, getting freshened up, so can have spring seats cut to accept whatever. Given that, suggestions as to best spring choice? I'm really liking the lift capability of PRC or PAtriot Gold springs, especially at the price including titanium retainers. Comp wants me to use their 918 beehives, open to ALL suggestions, but leaning hard towards a dual spring for peace of mind.
"It's deja vu all over again", as Yogi said:

https://ls1tech.com/forums/lt1-lt4-modifications/569638-anyone-running-big-xfi-cam-lt1.html

Boody, you seem to want affirmation of your choices, not advice from folks who have been there before or do it for a living. That happens a lot in this business. More's the pity.

Hope it works.
Old 09-09-2006, 10:41 AM
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My understanding is the XFI lobes were developed specifically to take advantage of the capabilities of the beehive springs. I am sure you can make a standard spring work but are going to need a good bit more pressure to do so and pressure is wear on the valvetrain.
Old 09-09-2006, 11:49 AM
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Old SStroker I think he did follow your advice to some extent or maybe it was Brets. Anyways if I'm reading the numbers correctly he bought the 230 degree XFI cam not the 242 degree cam he was originally thinking of.
Old 09-09-2006, 11:55 AM
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I'm running the Beehives
Old 09-10-2006, 06:02 PM
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Good, they will work the best for your setup.

Bret
Old 09-10-2006, 06:11 PM
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Bret, correct me if I am wrong but beehives are have become a favorite for most LT1 heads shops.
Old 09-17-2006, 05:11 AM
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1) went with the XFI 230/236.
2) I'd probably have bought a cam from Joe Overton instead, if he had responded to the 4 messages or 2 emails I sent him.
3) I had little feedback from anyone except a single member who really liked their even bigger XFI cam.

As for springs... Patriot does in fact make an LT1 version of the duals, and the price was great. Will they do as well as beehives? Guess I'll find out.

By choice, would I have gone with an all-forged 383, ported heads, and a milder cam? Sure. But I had a max budget of under a grand, including slipping a used shortblock (no cost for that) into the car, and wanted a bit more fun out of it. I'll still probably pop the budget... but there was no way on earth to go 383, heads and cam. If you got to fix the car with the crispy short block (I did, it can't just sit forever), may as well add a bit, but that doesn't mean it'll be possible to do everything you might like to.

I did spring for a bit more porting on the heads... and Ladd's Porting ought to know their stuff after 40+ years. I'm confident Larry will get me what's possible from stock LT1 heads, and I'm positive the car will be even more fun than it was before the last oil pump seized, killing the oil pump, cam, dist gear, and ultimately short block.

(Oh, that was all likely due to the crappy job Performance Pontiac GMC in Ellicott City, Maryland did when they did the labor on a complete Jasper reman a while back. Seems they banged the pickup tube on the ground, causing a total failure much later. Goes along with them flipping the engine onto the valve covers to remove the oil pan. Guess that particular dealership didn't own an engine stand, or at least didn't think one was needed for a $5000 motor job)


In any case, I appreciated all the advice I got in this thread and others... even that advice I didn't take.
Old 09-17-2006, 10:14 PM
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Originally Posted by 96capricemgr
Bret, correct me if I am wrong but beehives are have become a favorite for most LT1 heads shops.

I hope so, I probably started that band wagon a few years ago and it has paid off well for everyone.

Bret
Old 09-18-2006, 05:17 AM
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Originally Posted by SStrokerAce
Comp recomends the beehives for a reason.

Bret
I bought a set of ported AFR 210s with some nice flow numbers and they have a double spring on them already. My head porter said they will work fine for the XFI 467 on my current 396 build but all this beehive talk is getting me paronoid.

Is i worth it to swap them for beehives?
Old 09-18-2006, 05:51 AM
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Originally Posted by 93-Z07
Is i worth it to swap them for beehives?
It depends on which double springs you have and how they are set up. Some will work just fine, while others will not.


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