Cam Install in Phoenix - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

Zaproy · 09-08-2015, 08:28 PM

Anyone have any recommendations on where to go for a cam install? I'm about to give in and buy a night fury camshaft package from lethal racing but I'm not sure where to go and on average how much it is for install? Planning to purchase a c5r timing chain and melling oil pump as well. Any recommendations would be awesome thanks guys.

BigD6.6 · 09-08-2015, 09:15 PM

You should check out the Southwest section, that's where most the Arizona stuff is going on.
It seems like the top 3 LS shops in Phoenix are J&R Performance, Top Gear and CPR. I had J&R do mine and I am extremely happy with the work. I talked to all 3 shops and quite a few Camaro owners and it seemed like J&R does most the 5th Gens. All 3 shops have good reps, J&R is the priciest but I noticed there attention to detail while I was talking to them on items the other shops didn't bring up. They also tune in house instead of subletting it out.

blake-b · 09-08-2015, 09:22 PM

I shipped my car to CPR (Cordes Performance Racing) for turbos and a cam in 2013. I'd recommend them. Joe (owner) is very enthusiastic and has a passion for cars.

45thCAMARO 2SS/RS · 09-08-2015, 09:23 PM

I had mine installed at CPR by joe. But like recommend before J&R and Top Gear are good shops from what I hear as well. I was happy with the work, and will probably go back later to get a N2O kit installed

Unreal · 09-08-2015, 09:31 PM

CPR. Honestly I would just go with a full package from CPR. Their defibrillator cam sounds mean and outperforms the lethal cam. They have everything in stock, and great prices. Sean@Top Gear is good too. The other shop never seen or heard anything good come out of the, but no personal experience.

Hell, I installed a few cams for camaro owners in Utah for a 12 pack of beer, but down here they just aren't as nice.

Zaproy · 09-08-2015, 09:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unreal

CPR. Honestly I would just go with a full package from CPR. Their defibrillator cam sounds mean and outperforms the lethal cam. They have everything in stock, and great prices. Sean@Top Gear is good too. The other shop never seen or heard anything good come out of the, but no personal experience.

Hell, I installed a few cams for camaro owners in Utah for a 12 pack of beer, but down here they just aren't as nice.

So they told me I should see somewhere between 460 and 470 with that cam, I'm guessing 480+ that lethal claims is impossible in this heat with our octane? The main problem is that cam isn't turbo friendly and I'm trying to get twin turbod in a couple years. I'm hoping to buy a house next year so getting the twins no isn't really a possibility right now so I was trying to get something to hold me over until then

Unreal · 09-08-2015, 10:38 PM

You can do a custom cam that would make great power, sound good, and be turbo friendly later. Won't cost anymore, in fact maybe cheaper.

I haven't seen any local lethal cam cars come close to those numbers out here. I think Joes Defib cams does ~480rwhp ish and drives great. Either way, you want to make sure Nic D tunes it, as he is the best local tuner around (that tunes for others) and CPR and Sean@Top Gear both use him.

Zaproy · 09-08-2015, 10:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unreal

You can do a custom cam that would make great power, sound good, and be turbo friendly later. Won't cost anymore, in fact maybe cheaper.

I haven't seen any local lethal cam cars come close to those numbers out here. I think Joes Defib cams does ~480rwhp ish and drives great. Either way, you want to make sure Nic D tunes it, as he is the best local tuner around (that tunes for others) and CPR and Sean@Top Gear both use him.

Your selling me on that defibrillator cam haha. I'm pretty sure they told me it'll work with a centri. I'm probably just gonna get their package if the guy I'm having install my long tubes can give me a good price on installation. Thanks for your help.

Unreal · 09-08-2015, 10:56 PM

Long tubes takes a few hours. Super easy. If my car wasn't on the lift I would say bring it by this weekend and I would do it for lunch.

Have Joe order a custom defib with a bit narrower LSA to make it more turbo friendly. Do a 115 or 116 instead of 112-113. Will drive nice and be turbo happy later. Any of them will make 1000+ with twins anyways. Hell a stock cam has done 1000+ with twins.

Zaproy · 09-08-2015, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Unreal

Long tubes takes a few hours. Super easy. If my car wasn't on the lift I would say bring it by this weekend and I would do it for lunch.

Have Joe order a custom defib with a bit narrower LSA to make it more turbo friendly. Do a 115 or 116 instead of 112-113. Will drive nice and be turbo happy later. Any of them will make 1000+ with twins anyways. Hell a stock cam has done 1000+ with twins.

He's not charging me much for the headers, I just asked him to get me a price on a cam install so if that's reasonable I'll probably go ahead and get the defibrillator from cpr and have him install it so I can save myself from having to tune it twice. If I had him do that would using a centrifugal still be an option later on? Or would it be turbo or nothing?
Btw I appreciate all this, I'm not highly educated on this yet as I just started getting more seriously into these cars. All of this information is very well appreciated thank you.

376LS3 · 09-08-2015, 11:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zaproy

So they told me I should see somewhere between 460 and 470 with that cam, I'm guessing 480+ that lethal claims is impossible in this heat with our octane? The main problem is that cam isn't turbo friendly and I'm trying to get twin turbod in a couple years. I'm hoping to buy a house next year so getting the twins no isn't really a possibility right now so I was trying to get something to hold me over until then

470 sounds aggressive out here. I just put a Pat G custom cam in a friends car that is bigger than the Defib and the Night Fury and he only put down 441whp tuned by NicD, and its knocking at idle. When I had the Night Fury I only put down 432whp. Danny also had "another shops cam" and I think he too was in the 440s. Not sure if NicD sabotages numbers of other cams so the Defib looks better, but it sure is fishy.

Also, Lethal Racing is going through some massive issues right now so Id look into GPI SS3 cam or a custom cam.

Unreal · 09-09-2015, 08:01 AM

Nic D doesn't sabotage tunes. Numbers out here just aren't the same. That package has been refined to what works on cars here. When it first came out it was doing lower numbers but Joe/Nic kept tweaking and tuning and trying new things until it started making 460+ consistently. That is a huge advantage compared to some other "out of state cams".

No you wouldn't be stuck with turbos, but you would want to be. No reason to look at a centri IMO.

Honestly just have Joe spec you a custom cam through Pat G/Ed C/BTR that fits your goals. If you really want to go FI later no reason to do a big crazy cam that will have drivibility issues. My cam is tiny, smaller than most people put in ls3 and I have no issues making over 1200rwhp. With turbos a basic ls7/ls9 cam has made 1200+ with ease.

Overcamming a car is one of the biggest regrets I see/hear. People don't understand how crappy a car can drive, or the gas mileage hit. They just want cool sound/power and then 6 months later are selling the car or pulling the cam out. Just be careful with what you want.

GONIF · 09-09-2015, 11:50 AM

I am a very good judge of people and I do not think Nic D would sabotage a tune , he impressed me as a good honest guy. IMHO , go with CPR and have Nic D tune it. Arizona ( the Valley ) is a whole lot harder to tune for . The heat ,Altitude ,and 91 octane weasel piss gas kills performance . Both Joe and Nic D will get you the best result . I was very impressed with the cars CPR has turned out. Nic D did the tune on my Bolton 1LE and i was happy with the result .

Joe@CPR.com · 09-09-2015, 08:49 PM

Thank's for all the kind word's guys!!! Nic for sure doesn't sabatoge a tune, it makes what it makes plain and simple. in the summer all the defib guy's we have done w/ good bolt on's ie no k&n cold air a real one lol. Hit right at 460 rwhp in the winter closer to 470. I have had one guy crack the 500 rwhp mark w/ the cam and he did ai ported oem heads, our ported fast 102,102 combo. Best w/ a stock manifold we have had was 492 rwhp. his manifold and tb was ported by us though.

09-08-2015, 08:28 PM	#1
Zaproy Drives: 2014 Camaro SS/RS Join Date: Mar 2015 Location: North Posts: 133	Cam Install in Phoenix Anyone have any recommendations on where to go for a cam install? I'm about to give in and buy a night fury camshaft package from lethal racing but I'm not sure where to go and on average how much it is for install? Planning to purchase a c5r timing chain and melling oil pump as well. Any recommendations would be awesome thanks guys.

09-08-2015, 09:23 PM	#4
45thCAMARO 2SS/RS xquest91x Drives: 2012 45th Anniversary 2SS/RS Join Date: Mar 2013 Location: Yuma, AZ Posts: 535 View My Garage	I had mine installed at CPR by joe. But like recommend before J&R and Top Gear are good shops from what I hear as well. I was happy with the work, and will probably go back later to get a N2O kit installed __________________ 2012 45th Camaro 2SS/RS LS3 Driver Mod: Stage 5 Full Bolt-ons + Tune •418RWHP/420RWTQ• H/C + Bolt-ons + Tune •485RWHP/435RWTQ• Full BMR Stage 2&3 Suspension 3.91 1LE Gear Diff Swap MGW Short Throw Shifter

09-08-2015, 09:31 PM	#5
Unreal Drives: 2006 Z06 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 5,712	CPR. Honestly I would just go with a full package from CPR. Their defibrillator cam sounds mean and outperforms the lethal cam. They have everything in stock, and great prices. Sean@Top Gear is good too. The other shop never seen or heard anything good come out of the, but no personal experience. Hell, I installed a few cams for camaro owners in Utah for a 12 pack of beer, but down here they just aren't as nice. __________________ Nick Corvette Z06 -1200ish rwhp

09-08-2015, 10:38 PM	#7
Unreal Drives: 2006 Z06 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 5,712	You can do a custom cam that would make great power, sound good, and be turbo friendly later. Won't cost anymore, in fact maybe cheaper. I haven't seen any local lethal cam cars come close to those numbers out here. I think Joes Defib cams does ~480rwhp ish and drives great. Either way, you want to make sure Nic D tunes it, as he is the best local tuner around (that tunes for others) and CPR and Sean@Top Gear both use him. __________________ Nick Corvette Z06 -1200ish rwhp

09-08-2015, 10:56 PM	#9
Unreal Drives: 2006 Z06 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 5,712	Long tubes takes a few hours. Super easy. If my car wasn't on the lift I would say bring it by this weekend and I would do it for lunch. Have Joe order a custom defib with a bit narrower LSA to make it more turbo friendly. Do a 115 or 116 instead of 112-113. Will drive nice and be turbo happy later. Any of them will make 1000+ with twins anyways. Hell a stock cam has done 1000+ with twins. __________________ Nick Corvette Z06 -1200ish rwhp

09-08-2015, 09:15 PM	#2
BigD6.6 Drives: 16 GMC Denali Dmax, 14 1LE, 10 SS Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Glendale Posts: 60	You should check out the Southwest section, that's where most the Arizona stuff is going on. It seems like the top 3 LS shops in Phoenix are J&R Performance, Top Gear and CPR. I had J&R do mine and I am extremely happy with the work. I talked to all 3 shops and quite a few Camaro owners and it seemed like J&R does most the 5th Gens. All 3 shops have good reps, J&R is the priciest but I noticed there attention to detail while I was talking to them on items the other shops didn't bring up. They also tune in house instead of subletting it out.

09-08-2015, 09:22 PM	#3
blake-b Drives: 2009 ZR1 Join Date: May 2010 Location: KCMO Posts: 3,205	I shipped my car to CPR (Cordes Performance Racing) for turbos and a cam in 2013. I'd recommend them. Joe (owner) is very enthusiastic and has a passion for cars.

09-09-2015, 08:01 AM	#12
Unreal Drives: 2006 Z06 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gilbert, AZ Posts: 5,712	Nic D doesn't sabotage tunes. Numbers out here just aren't the same. That package has been refined to what works on cars here. When it first came out it was doing lower numbers but Joe/Nic kept tweaking and tuning and trying new things until it started making 460+ consistently. That is a huge advantage compared to some other "out of state cams". No you wouldn't be stuck with turbos, but you would want to be. No reason to look at a centri IMO. Honestly just have Joe spec you a custom cam through Pat G/Ed C/BTR that fits your goals. If you really want to go FI later no reason to do a big crazy cam that will have drivibility issues. My cam is tiny, smaller than most people put in ls3 and I have no issues making over 1200rwhp. With turbos a basic ls7/ls9 cam has made 1200+ with ease. Overcamming a car is one of the biggest regrets I see/hear. People don't understand how crappy a car can drive, or the gas mileage hit. They just want cool sound/power and then 6 months later are selling the car or pulling the cam out. Just be careful with what you want. __________________ Nick Corvette Z06 -1200ish rwhp

09-09-2015, 11:50 AM	#13
GONIF Drives: 73 VETTE ,, 05 2500hd diesel,14 1LE Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: The Left lane PHOENIX AZ Posts: 2,626	I am a very good judge of people and I do not think Nic D would sabotage a tune , he impressed me as a good honest guy. IMHO , go with CPR and have Nic D tune it. Arizona ( the Valley ) is a whole lot harder to tune for . The heat ,Altitude ,and 91 octane weasel piss gas kills performance . Both Joe and Nic D will get you the best result . I was very impressed with the cars CPR has turned out. Nic D did the tune on my Bolton 1LE and i was happy with the result . __________________ OLD GUY FLYING FAST AND LOW Last edited by GONIF; 09-09-2015 at 03:03 PM.

09-09-2015, 08:49 PM	#14
Joe@CPR.com Account Suspended Drives: 03 vette, 94 trans am, 04 gto Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 995	Thank's for all the kind word's guys!!! Nic for sure doesn't sabatoge a tune, it makes what it makes plain and simple. in the summer all the defib guy's we have done w/ good bolt on's ie no k&n cold air a real one lol. Hit right at 460 rwhp in the winter closer to 470. I have had one guy crack the 500 rwhp mark w/ the cam and he did ai ported oem heads, our ported fast 102,102 combo. Best w/ a stock manifold we have had was 492 rwhp. his manifold and tb was ported by us though.