Newbie!!
Point being, if you want to do a cam swap to something other than stock, you should add some custom tuning to your budget (at the very least a mail order tune, which could get you pretty close if you pick a very mild cam). If you need to do this as cheaply as possible and don't want any issues or hassles with idle/driveability, then I would suggest getting another stock cam.
You have an '02 LS1, so it uses the LQ4/9 truck cam stock, as do all '01+ LS1s. So any LS1 cam from any model 2001 or newer would work. 2000 and earlier LS1s used a slightly different cam.
a stock cam shouldnt be hard to find if you search online or even call a dealer in your area.
If you do have a top-end problem and want to get things going on a budget, I happen to have a stock cam, springs, pushrods from a 2000 Corvette w/ 40K miles. It's supposedly the "hottest" of the LS1 cams but still extremely close to the other LS1 pieces so should not need a tune and works with all the factory components. Can work a deal on it if you want it. I was going to put it into my 5.3 as a budget upgrade but found a good deal on a complete LS2 so all kinds of parts I don't need now. Also have a set of 12K mile 853(LS1) heads that are 12K mile takeoffs and immaculate and complete with springs, etc.
Good Luck!





