Just looking for some thoughts on putting a cam in at 126000 miles. I know cam and heads should be put in together for best results but my pockets aren't that deep right now. So is it worth putting one in or should I just wait til I do a full build? I'm just looking to get it around the 400rwhp mark she's at 320 right now with cat back, cai and diablo programmer. LT and ory are going on this month. So if it is worth it what cam should I go with for a stock motor? Thanks in advance!

 

why not. if your motor goes just transfer your parts when you rebuild it.

 

Yeah, but then all that time wasted? I don't know man...

I think I would sell the car, buy another one, and start over. But that's just me.

 

KevinR are you high? Just curious lol

 

Nah.

I don't know man, there are some guys on here that have cammed their cars that were up there in miles. I guess if you really want to do it, then go for it. I probably wouldn't do it, but again, that's just me.

 

Mine was done at 127k, however it's not a dd or even a second vehicle so if it blows I'll tear it apart and rebuild it. If it was a dd, I'd be more worried.

 

I've grown slightly attached to it so getting rid of her and starting over isn't going to happen. Just been thinking of things to do is all.

 

Save money for a built motor, zero miles and if built right, no worries

 

i wouldnt sell the car because it has 126k miles..... if its that big of adeal to you i would just buy a new engine and start from there.

personally i would just wait till you have enough money till you have enough to do everything you want at once.

 

well, its possible it could last awhile too.

 

mileage in my opinion is certainly not a tell-all indicator of the condition of a motor. 126,000 might be the end of the road for a poorly maintained engine and it might be just fine for one that has had regular oil changes.

The LT1 in my car has about 140,000 miles now, still has great oil pressure, i had the valve covers off not long ago to install new rockers and springs, the heads looked like brand new castings because they were so clean from using synthetic oil over the years. When i replaced my springs i used a leakdown tester to keep the valves from dropping and all my cylinders had max of 5% leakdown most were in the 3-4 range. Therefore i would expect the internals of my engine to look and operate in a similar fashion.

I'm planning on doing my cam and heads very soon as well, and if i do tear up the motor, its just going to turn into a stroker ready for a little juice down the road

 

One of my buddies has a H/C/I camaro with 160K miles 445whp thru the auto (I think?) And a 175 shot on a stock bottom end. Yes he races almost every weekend and takes it to the track at least once a month and that bitch is still holding strong! Invest in some ARP rod bolts and your bottom end will be safe! Also don't just throw a cam in with stock heads.....id at least strengthen your valvetrain a little

 

maybe do a compression test,these motors are good for 200,000+ miles.

 

I see no reason why you shouldn't. Just use it as a chance to go through the motor and refresh it. A new valvetrain, gaskets, oil pump, etc. will be like a new lease on life for it, assuming the bottom end is fine. You can check to make sure everything is in order now, while adding power. Just don't cheap out and buy the minimum stuff for a cam swap. Do it right, and it will pay dividends later. A new shortblock is only like ~$3,000, so start saving for that if youi're worried and after the cam swap you can switch them out.

 

It probably depends on how radical the cam is. I think a mild cam would do just fine, but something that pushes the max lift on the springs, or a cam that "makes" you run it to redline all the time would be a bad idea.

 

The springs had better be new so that shouldn't be an issue. When you get the tune after a cam install, you adjust the redline accordingly, but it's going to be in the 6xxx rpm range, and you certainly don't have to run it to redline ALL THE TIME.

 

id wait for an all out build. just my opinion

 

Lots of people cam higher milage cars, I think you would be fine

 

My old ss wasa 99 model 156,000 miles.

Longtubes
Y-pipe
tpsi 90MM intake and tb
ms4 cam with springs and pushrods
Lid
m6 car

Dyno tuned 420rwhp 398rwtq.

GO FOR IT.

I have a 98 trans am I daily drive...bout to beat on it like a red headed step child that owes me money


NO offense if your read headed or adopted or owe money.

 

Go for it...126k isnt alot if the motor was taken care of.