Camshaft upgrade questions.
 

What is a ballpark figure for doing this upgrade?

Who makes a good kit that isn't too aggressive and won't damage my motor?

What performance gains will I get?

Thanks. Please stay on topic.

Are you planning on Long tube headers and an intake to go with your cam package? The cam will make more HP with supporting mods like long tube headers, etc.

But off course that will increase the cost.

I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW THE SAME THING, I WANNA DO A CAM IN MY SS I ALSO WANT HEADERS AND A CAI

+2

thanks for nothing. :sm0:

I am doing short tube headers and intake. I also have straight pipes. :headbang:

You can see a cam swap results in my build thread...but there's oodles of custom cams and even more opinions. Find a shop you trust and talk with them.

cool thanks, I have a shop. what should I expect to pay?

that def gives me a good ballpark figure, also whats a good cam to go with? i want a nice lumpy idle and aggressive sound.

i went with a FMS custom camshaft ( 228/236 - .575"/.598" with 114 plus 4 center line ) witch is pretty big ,had to order 3000/3200 stall . your best bet is to talk with a cam shop then pick what works with your needs for driveabilty and sound . my cars going to the shop in late may after i get back from a 3000 mile round trip to colorado .

If you're just wanting to "Cam your whip" and aren't that educated on how or what cam to get, I totally recommend talking with the guys (Matt or Jason) at Texas Speed and Performance.

Here's a recent thread about a particular cam that was recently installed. Great increases under the curve and priced very attractively.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=71214

Here's a sample of a "Choice of Cam, Beehive Springs, and hardened pushrods" from them for under $600 bucks.

http://www.texas-speed.com/shop/item...d=174&catid=44

This is a great deal. And you can pretty much pick whatever cam they have or can do for you.

As far as installation, expect to get what you pay for there as well. You might find a "local" guy that "might" be able to do it for "like $500" bucks.

Call around and talk to somebody who has at a minimum installed at least 10 cam swaps in LS1 cars. All the better if they have LS3 experience. Depends on where you're from I reckon. That's me talking. I know that around here, it's going to cost you anywhere from $700 to about $2000 if you were to take it to a dealership. Just a ballpark figure. There are some who are competent and can do it for less but this is what anyone should expect to hear from a reputable shop.

There are so many threads here I wouldn't even know where to begin to send you. Search and read everything that you possibly can. Take nothing for granted and believe nothing until you see it with your own eyes.

Vigilance pays off and there are those who are willing to help you believe it or not.

Great luck to you,
Ivan :thumbsup:

:respekt:i was answering his question to me and told him what works for me not what he should do . i also told him to talk to a cam shop too ,so prices will very on a reigional level as well:w00t:

Give us a call we can supply you with tons of engine dyno data so you can select a camshaft that best fits your goals. You'll see tons of shops post 1 time installed camshafts & name them as something magical. Every camshaft looks magical when you have no other data to compare it to. That's the exact reason we invested $100k in a engine dyno facility to test modifications such as changing one camshaft after another one. The result is a company with a vast database on camshafts configurations & what power you can expect from each one.

Give us a call, we'd be happy to discuss all possible options with you!

thank you everyone you all helped me a lot with aprox amounts and it looks like i might be getting a cam really soon first my headers, then my cai. then finally headers im hoping to be fully finished by july with all those things. but if anyone knows a good shop in long island to do the cam swap let me know. thank you

I can tell you be careful - if you do a cam swap get a valve job. I had a whole nightmare with a MAST Motorsports cam swap and am still trying to get my money back. Ended up getting a custom cam (almost finished :happyanim:), eliminated AFM, DOD and VVT.

Of course with the M6 you don't have to worry about changing out the lifters, etc.

As for valves, get a valve job!!!! My valves were already unseated by .006" and would just get worse. I am hearing more and more about these cars having the valves drop and say bye bye engine, and with no warranty that's going to hurt the pocket book.

Anyway, custom cam, valve job, timing set (got rid of VVT), new lifters (you won't need), and miscellaneous seals, gaskets and hardware - $3200.

Add a tune for $300-$600

Looking at almost $4k for me (of course I ended up losing another $2200 because of the MAST cam that they couldn't get to work right and spent hours on the phone with them trying to figure it out and they finally said it was their product but won't give me my money because I bought it from Byunspeed who refuses to do a refund too - basically I have a $700 wall decoration)

You don't technically have to get rid of VVT, so that will save you a bit. You won't need new lifters with the M6. The valve job requires removing the heads and that is where the money comes in.

Trust me on this - do it right, don't regret not doing everything from the beginning like me. You drop a valve and you're toast.

PS - if you are going to get a torque converter get rid of the VVT, only really beneficial at the lower RPM levels.