LS1 cam swap

[oh one ls1 SS]

i have a 2001 SS and wanted to swap out the cam shaft. i got a few prices and one place said it would take 18 Hrs. and another place said it would take 4-6 Hrs. i was just wondering if anyone knew how long it takes or even better.. a place that does it and isnt to expensive. thanks[/b]

[foff667]

i have a 2001 SS and wanted to swap out the cam shaft. i got a few prices and one place said it would take 18 Hrs. and another place said it would take 4-6 Hrs. i was just wondering if anyone knew how long it takes or even better.. a place that does it and isnt to expensive. thanks[/b]

should take about 4hrs...i think ttp does cam/VS swaps for ~$400...alot of shops not familiar dont know you dont have to pull the heads.

[JW]

i have a 2001 SS and wanted to swap out the cam shaft. i got a few prices and one place said it would take 18 Hrs. and another place said it would take 4-6 Hrs. i was just wondering if anyone knew how long it takes or even better.. a place that does it and isnt to expensive. thanks[/b]

should take about 4hrs...i think ttp does cam/VS swaps for ~$400...alot of shops not familiar dont know you dont have to pull the heads.

Speaking of TTP I just took a look at their website again and was checking out their Installation prices, did they up all their prices becuase they are not as low as they used to be.?

JW :D

[foff667]

i have a 2001 SS and wanted to swap out the cam shaft. i got a few prices and one place said it would take 18 Hrs. and another place said it would take 4-6 Hrs. i was just wondering if anyone knew how long it takes or even better.. a place that does it and isnt to expensive. thanks[/b]

should take about 4hrs...i think ttp does cam/VS swaps for ~$400...alot of shops not familiar dont know you dont have to pull the heads.

Speaking of TTP I just took a look at their website again and was checking out their Installation prices, did they up all their prices becuase they are not as low as they used to be.?

JW :D

yup they definitly raised most if not all of their services...i think Steve is holding them up :lol: I knew they had raised their tuning prices...figured that would be good for me hehe

[9secfirebird]

you dont have to take apart the top of the motor, so the place quoting you 4-6 hrs is prolly good, just dont go to cartek

[oh one ls1 SS]

thanks guys doe's anyone have their websight?

[foff667]

ttperformance.net

[ar0ck]

Their located in Clifton NJ btw, and they dont like working on LT1's :evil:

[foff667]

Their located in Clifton NJ btw, and they dont like working on LT1's :evil:

its cuz they're slow :)

[Ian]

:owned:

:lol:

[oh one ls1 SS]

haha in your guy's opinion should i swap out the heads and cam or supercharg the SOB? and what heads are powerfull and not too expensive.

[kamikaz]

Their located in Clifton NJ btw, and they dont like working on LT1's :evil:

its cuz they're slow :)

Ah man that's it,thems fighting words...just kidding :lol:

Later,

Santos

[foff667]

haha in your guy's opinion should i swap out the heads and cam or supercharg the SOB? and what heads are powerfull and not too expensive.

its up to you...there are dozens of ls1 heads but few with consistant results...some of the head companies have gone out of business over teh last couple of years because of dirt goin down and there are reports & problems for almost all other "cheap" heads out there.

[LoudAssZ]

About 3 months... @ my house

[foff667]

About 3 months... @ my house

thought you had an lt1 car? cam swaps are slightly different/easier in ls1 cars.

[Batman]

haha in your guy's opinion should i swap out the heads and cam or supercharg the SOB? and what heads are powerfull and not too expensive.

Either you can get good or inexpensive, can't get both for an LS1. On a budget a set of worked 5.3 heads is probably your best bet, otherwise the 2 best sets I know of are the Rapid Motorsports heads and AFR's, but either will set you back some coin. Also when you go for your cam swap you may need tuning also, keep that in mind cause it isn't cheap. I know when I took my car to Rapid Mike did the cam, springs, seats in about 4 hours, with a Pizza break. If you follow the standard GM procedure (the 16 hour one) it calls for removing the engine, completely unnecessary.

[1FastWS6]

If you don't know what you're doing, I would pay someone to have it done. But it's best to research the project before you talk to a shop. A LOT of shops can rip you off on labor if you don't know how long it should take. I recently did a cam swap in a 98 Vette about a month ago. Everything went REALLY smooth. It should have taken no more than 8-10 hrs....until we realized that all of his pushrods were bent. Pulled the heads, and all of the pistons were marked. Long story short, we ended up rebuilding the motor.

[foff667]

If you don't know what you're doing, I would pay someone to have it done. But it's best to research the project before you talk to a shop. A LOT of shops can rip you off on labor if you don't know how long it should take. I recently did a cam swap in a 98 Vette about a month ago. Everything went REALLY smooth. It should have taken no more than 8-10 hrs....until we realized that all of his pushrods were bent. Pulled the heads, and all of the pistons were marked. Long story short, we ended up rebuilding the motor.

ls1 cam/spring swaps can be done in less then 4hrs for an experienced ls1 guy.

[1FastWS6]

If you don't know what you're doing, I would pay someone to have it done. But it's best to research the project before you talk to a shop. A LOT of shops can rip you off on labor if you don't know how long it should take. I recently did a cam swap in a 98 Vette about a month ago. Everything went REALLY smooth. It should have taken no more than 8-10 hrs....until we realized that all of his pushrods were bent. Pulled the heads, and all of the pistons were marked. Long story short, we ended up rebuilding the motor.

ls1 cam/spring swaps can be done in less then 4hrs for an experienced ls1 guy.


I don't doubt it in an f-body. But the vette was a pain in the ass,

[oh one ls1 SS]

okay.. since i dont know anything about cam's and lift and duration or anything like that can you guy's recommend a good cam that will give me a good power increase but still be "civalized" for daily driving? i was looking at one from thunderracing.com and the model number is 63-LS-216/220 and what it says about it is "1300-6300 RPM Power Band. Computer Tuning Required with automatic transmission cars. One of our most popular cams...This has proven to be a very well balanced camshaft in that it makes good power across the entire RPM range. Works well with Crane 1.8 Roller Rockers." is this good? any suggestions? also what do i have to upgrade or change thanks

[foff667]

you have to upgrade springs basically for almost any cam shaft as the stock springs arent worth crap...918's are a cheap way out for most cams with under 600 lift...a dual spring like patriots or racetech are only $100 more & will generally last longer & give you mroe protection if one of them fails before you have a chance to swap them out...most dual setups will last 25k miles on a cam with less then 600 lift...singles generally have a shorter life, but I cant really put a # on how much less or more. I would say go at least with the tr224 cam...in an auto go with one on a 114lsa & you'll have a good cam with a very nice powerband that I think you'll be happy with...with autos they have a lower commanded idle which is why the larger the cam the harder it will be to have it idle...but the one your looking at is pretty dinky, though I've seen good #'s put down by it, it would not be my first choice.

[j0n]

ur gunna need tuning no mateter what

[foff667]

ur gunna need tuning no mateter what

depends on the size of the cam & what tranny he has...autos suck with larger cams...m6's can get away with alot more...ive heard of people running 224+112 cams with m6's...you cant get away with that for more then a couple of days in an auto.

[oh one ls1 SS]

shes a 6 speed

[Batman]

You probably won't need tuning, but you will get alot more out of it with tuning.

[foff667]

You probably won't need tuning, but you will get alot more out of it with tuning.

:stupid: there is definitly hp to be gained with a tune...im just saying there are alot of cams that are daily driveable right out of the box...thats not to say the a/f isnt going to be out of wack especially at wot.

[1FastWS6]

okay.. Â*since i dont know anything about cam's and lift and duration or anything like that can you guy's recommend a good cam that will give me a good power increase but still be "civalized" for daily driving? Â*i was looking at one from thunderracing.com and the model number is Â*63-LS-216/220 Â* and what it says about it is Â* Â*"1300-6300 RPM Power Band. Computer Tuning Required with automatic transmission cars. One of our most popular cams...This has proven to be a very well balanced camshaft in that it makes good power across the entire RPM range. Works well with Crane 1.8 Roller Rockers." Â*is this good? Â*any suggestions? Â* also what do i have to upgrade or change Â*thanks

As somone posted, you can prob get away with a little bit of a wilder cam as long as you keep the LSA around 112-114. That should keep the streetablity and low end tourque while still adding some good top end power. The cam you quoted "216/220" is REALLY mild as far as duration goes. You can definetly go better than that. One of my friends runs the LS1 hotcam with headers and tuning. Car is DEFINETLY streetable, and he puts down around 390 rwhp on stock heads. I believe the specs on the Hotcam are 218/227, .525/.525, 112LSA.

[foff667]

hotcam isnt very popular because it idles like crap & doesnt make great power...there are far better cams out there that will idle just as good if not better...seems like the better #'s are put up with single profile cams ie 224/224, 228/228...they make a nicer tq curve the split duration cams, though maybe not the peak figure...but tq is where its at...personally I would go with a 228/228 ish cam on a 112 or 114 with an m6 unless your really wanted to make crazy power but loose some driveability.

[Batman]

I think I did pretty well with it, anybody who has seen me run will back that up. Cracked 11's with it and hit 116 MPH with an otherwise bolt on engine. In fact it still resides in my block with the new heads. When I had the 1.8 rockers on it made 411RWH and 419RWTQ with a partial tune. I've heard alot of trash talking about that cam but I wiped out many a 224/224 or 230/230 cammed car with it. Even beat some cars with cheaper heads/cam packages on them. Bottom line, don't underestimate it. It does idle rough though, but with tuning it isn't an issue. I may even get another one when my new block is done because it is a great nitrous cam to boot.

[foff667]

I think I did pretty well with it, anybody who has seen me run will back that up. Cracked 11's with it and hit 116 MPH with an otherwise bolt on engine. In fact it still resides in my block with the new heads. When I had the 1.8 rockers on it made 411RWH and 419RWTQ with a partial tune. I've heard alot of trash talking about that cam but I wiped out many a 224/224 or 230/230 cammed car with it. Even beat some cars with cheaper heads/cam packages on them. Bottom line, don't underestimate it. It does idle rough though, but with tuning it isn't an issue. I may even get another one when my new block is done because it is a great nitrous cam to boot.

its all relative though, there are people that have hit 128mph with a cam only, otherwise bolt on engine. There are also people out there with tr224 cams in the 11's with no tuning and stock rockers so again its all relative & what your happy with. If your happy with it then thats great, im just letting him know I think there are better options out there...you are obviously stuck in your thinking in every aspect which is fine but dont bottleneck everyone else.

[oh one ls1 SS]

what is the differance between a hotcam and a hydraulic cam?

[foff667]

the hotcam is a hydraulic cam, so nothing.

[oh one ls1 SS]

ohh.. haha cuz on some sights they have hotcam and some are hydraulic cam any suggestions on a good sight to order one threw? the only ones ive really been looking at are T Byrne Motorsports and Thunder Racing but their cam pages confuse me because i know nothing about cams.

[Tru2Chevy]

ohh.. Â*haha Â*cuz on some sights they have hotcam and some are hydraulic cam Â* Â*any suggestions on a good sight to order one threw? Â*the only ones ive really been looking at are T Byrne Motorsports and Thunder Racing but their cam pages confuse me because i know nothing about cams.

Hydraulic is just the type of cam....could be mechanical or hydraulic.

The Hotcam is one specific grind....

- Justin

[foff667]

ohh.. Â*haha Â*cuz on some sights they have hotcam and some are hydraulic cam Â* Â*any suggestions on a good sight to order one threw? Â*the only ones ive really been looking at are T Byrne Motorsports and Thunder Racing but their cam pages confuse me because i know nothing about cams.

1. are you installing the cam yourself?
2. are you tuning for it yourself?

if you answered no to either of those questions get with the person who is planning on tuning it or tuning and installing it to see what cam to go with. They can generally help you decide what cam to go with depending on exactly what you want out of the cam.

[oh one ls1 SS]

i would love to install it myself but i deffinately dont trust myself to do. and for the tuning.. i dont even know where to begin. i try talking to my mechanic about it but all he tells me is "save your money.. your still going to get beat after you get the cam" ssooo he's not much help thats why i was looking on here for some assistance with this

[foff667]

i would love to install it myself but i deffinately dont trust myself to do. and for the tuning.. i dont even know where to begin. Â*i try talking to my mechanic about it but all he tells me is "save your money.. your still going to get beat after you get the cam" Â*ssooo he's not much help Â*thats why i was looking on here for some assistance with this

first find a new mechanic...secondly if you do get it done at a shop it should run you between $400-$550 for the cam/spring swap, no more then that.