Choosing A Cam

[ib4200]

do a cams only Lt5 swap

[Stupercharged]

Oh I kno stock heads dont flowwell but i'd rather say i touched 11s on bone stock heads and be part of that few.Im not crazy concerned about drivability on the streets as long as it runs and moves i'll be happy lol. It will just be one of those little achievements where after i can say now what can I run with heads

[Blacdout96]

Aren't heads off a police car known to flow better then Camaro LT1 heads stock for stock? I know you'd kinda be downgrading from aluminum heads to cast iron, but technically they're stock heads

Originally Posted by Stupercharged

hey your the one barely in the 12s on a h/c and shot.....

yeah well im the one that went 11.53 with heads/cam a 6spd and a stock bottom end and im telling you its stupid. if you're trying to save money thats one thing but throw a cam in it thats going to like heads later on. youll regret it if you dont

[RamAir95TA]

Originally Posted by Blacdout96

Aren't heads off a police car known to flow better then Camaro LT1 heads stock for stock? I know you'd kinda be downgrading from aluminum heads to cast iron, but technically they're stock heads

The iron heads do flow marginally better, but whatever gains they provide would easily be offset by the added weight.

Originally Posted by JerzLT1

yeah well im the one that went 11.53 with heads/cam a 6spd and a stock bottom end and im telling you its stupid. if you're trying to save money thats one thing but throw a cam in it thats going to like heads later on. youll regret it if you dont

True story.

[Stupercharged]

Originally Posted by JerzLT1

yeah well im the one that went 11.53 with heads/cam a 6spd and a stock bottom end and im telling you its stupid. if you're trying to save money thats one thing but throw a cam in it thats going to like heads later on. youll regret it if you dont

This is just gonna be my cam only go fast set up I already spoke with lloyd elliot and told him the deal and he says its gonna be hard to obtain but it is possible with stock heads, I already have the specs of the cam that he'll make up for me. I just want this motor to run while i build another one.....

whats gonna be hard to obtain? 11s with stock heads? i went 12.51 stock internals and stock torque converter with minimal weight reduction

[Pampered-Z]

Sorry, don't understand why everyone is so against putting a bigger cam in the car now?It's been done for years! If the long term plan is to add heads or other upgrades later why advise to buy a small cam that will have little resale vaule and waste money on gaskets etc. Granted your leaving a bit on the table with stock heads, but you can always upgrade them later if desired. What if you go with something like a 305 cam and end up not hitting your goal? Going to put the 305 and go 306?

[RamAir95TA]

Originally Posted by Pampered-Z

Sorry, don't understand why everyone is so against putting a bigger cam in the car now?It's been done for years! If the long term plan is to add heads or other upgrades later why advise to buy a small cam that will have little resale vaule and waste money on gaskets etc. Granted your leaving a bit on the table with stock heads, but you can always upgrade them later if desired. What if you go with something like a 305 cam and end up not hitting your goal? Going to put the 305 and go 306?

The only reason I advise against putting a bigger cam limited by stock heads is because you will have more usable power with a smaller grind. Larger cams diminish low-end power and move the power band much higher in the RPM range, beyond where the stock heads can support. A smaller cam will provide the same gains in the upper RPMs approaching stock head limitation without sacrificing the bottom end. I ran the XE 236/242 for awhile with full bolt-ons and trapped 108mph. Guys with much smaller cams are trapping 110+. Drivability wasn't an issue with that particular cam, but the performance wasn't what I had expected (5 years ago).

But if the OP is planning on doing heads in the future and isn't too concerned with overall performance right now, running a larger cam on stock heads won't hurt anything.

JMHO!

Originally Posted by RamAir95TA

The only reason I advise against putting a bigger cam limited by stock heads is because you will have more usable power with a smaller grind. Larger cams diminish low-end power and move the power band much higher in the RPM range, beyond where the stock heads can support. A smaller cam will provide the same gains in the upper RPMs approaching stock head limitation without sacrificing the bottom end. I ran the XE 236/242 for awhile with full bolt-ons and trapped 108mph. Guys with much smaller cams are trapping 110+. Drivability wasn't an issue with that particular cam, but the performance wasn't what I had expected (5 years ago).

But if the OP is planning on doing heads in the future and isn't too concerned with overall performance right now, running a larger cam on stock heads won't hurt anything.

JMHO!

i agree, a large cam bring choked off where its supposed to make power isnt going to produce results. the motor is currently apart, im still not seeing the point in rushing it together while the heads are off just to do a cam only build. again, if money is an issue thats one thing but if its not then this just seems like beating your head against a wall.

btw Joe, i trapped 110 with only bolt ons

[RamAir95TA]

Originally Posted by JerzLT1

i agree, a large cam bring choked off where its supposed to make power isnt going to produce results. the motor is currently apart, im still not seeing the point in rushing it together while the heads are off just to do a cam only build. again, if money is an issue thats one thing but if its not then this just seems like beating your head against a wall.

btw Joe, i trapped 110 with only bolt ons

110mph with bolt-ons, eh? You do know Atco IS downhill, right?

[transmaro93]

ram air what cam are you running in your t/a... now?

[RamAir95TA]

Originally Posted by transmaro93

ram air what cam are you running in your t/a... now?

It's a relatively small custom-grind AI cam, 23x/24x, around .600" lift on a 108 lobe.

Originally Posted by RamAir95TA

110mph with bolt-ons, eh? You do know Atco IS downhill, right?

with an auto too and if its downhill then i guess you dont reeeeeeeeeally have a 10 second car

[transmaro93]

Originally Posted by RamAir95TA

It's a relatively small custom-grind AI cam, 23x/24x, around .600" lift on a 108 lobe.

whats the thought behind the low number lsa... thats not that small of a cam.. thats around what im running... i was told any higher than that on a HR i would have trouble making vacuum... your stroked right?

Joe were going to be running almost the same cam but mine is on a 112 for nitrous. and i have a single plane with LE heads rather than AI

[RamAir95TA]

Originally Posted by transmaro93

whats the thought behind the low number lsa... thats not that small of a cam.. thats around what im running... i was told any higher than that on a HR i would have trouble making vacuum... your stroked right?

Yes, my motor is stroked to a 383. I have no problems with braking, although I will probably still pick up a reserve canister.

The 108 lobe came recommended by AI for a healthy torque increase, higher cylinder pressures, and a narrower powerband.

[transmaro93]

Originally Posted by RamAir95TA

Yes, my motor is stroked to a 383. I have no problems with braking, although I will probably still pick up a reserve canister.

The 108 lobe came recommended by AI for a healthy torque increase, higher cylinder pressures, and a narrower powerband.

ahh gotcha... well my car idleing the brake pedel is rock hard.. i dont know if its a vacuum issue or because of the abs delete yet... ill see how it performs on the road once i register it again