New Cam!!!

[getarz4u15ster]

So this weekend I busted my butt and installed my new cam and valve springs (from Thunder Racing) for the Camaro. This is my first Cam swap on and LS motor and let me tell ya... I was super causious, did a lot research before hand, and it's payed off so far thank GOD someone cam up with the idea for the rods going through the oil journels, it was literally a 5 minute process from taking the stock cam out to puttin the new in.
If you think you want to put a cam in your car be sure you have all the appropriate tools and youtube/spec charts to do it with swivel sockets are your friend and the FREAKING AC BELT IS A B$%^H to get back on why Gm didn't think it a tensioner was appropriate boggles my mind..., it's no backyard 4 hour project while your drinking a beer deal. It's taken me a good 6 hours to get it ripped down, Cam installed put back together with fluids back in, and still haven't gotten to the valve springs yet (only because I found out you can't use the stock retainers with the 1779-16 comp valve springs, so I wait... for them to come in). Nevertheless anyone thinking about doing it, but leary about the work involved. Give it shot you will def learn alot!!

[Novianca]

yeah iv been looking for a diy thread on doing a cam swap on this car forever and they only thing i've been able to find is one for the ls1 4th gen camaro......plus im also swaping out the heads at the same time and cant find a thread on that either lol i guess i'll keep waiting till one comes up cuz i refuse to pay $2000 to have it installed and tuned!...but congrats on the successful swap man!

[10aSSee D]

Hope everything goes good for you on the valvetrain swap. Post a vid when you get done so we can hear that cam. Congrats on the cam swap! I will be doing one myself in about 3 weeks.

[RamAir02]

planning on cam swap soon too. have done a few fourth gen swaps, but never an LS3. any pointers/differences?

[HeavyD]

6 hours for a cam swap? I think that is really good time! Congrats!

[Ivan @ Southwest Speed]

Originally Posted by HeavyD

6 hours for a cam swap? I think that is really good time! Congrats!

Hell yeah it is....I'd be shocked if that were true.

-Ivan

[AlSuwaidi]

good job!! i wish i could do more DIY stuff myself! dont have the toold or experience!

[getarz4u15ster]

Well... I got it running last night. So yes it took six hours to rip down the front part of the motor all the hoses take the radiator out, waterpump off, timing cover, cam gear, and do the swap. HOWEVER.... it took me 5 additional hours alone just to do the valve springs!

Suggestions someone asked...
1. TAKE YOUR TIME, there is no rush it's not a race.
2. BUY THE IN CAR VALVE SPRING REMOVER either from thunder racing or lingenfelter... the rear springs are a B!tCH to take off they take the longest even with the neat little tool (that likes to turn sideways on you when your doing the intake rockers because they have an offset design, and you cannot tighten the tool down to the rocker stud. My suggestion... swivle ratchet a on one side of the tool short extention with straight ratchet on the other side of the tool and pull both at the same time for even pressure on the valve spring.
3. Listen very very very closely here.... If your using the compressed air method to change out your valve springs.... MAKE SURE THE FREAKING CURRENT IS ON TO THE COMPRESSOR... the breaker was turned off (because it runs all night) and we forgot to turn it back on.... you get where i'm going with this???? The intake valve FELL into the cylinder (not all the way thank God) so i was able to use a Pen magnet along with a ratchet on the on the crank pulley to SLOWLY push the valve back up to point where I could grab it with a pair of pliers and not bend it on the way up. Then pumped the cylinder up with air...
4. Once you've past the valve springs your in the home stretch... top off the fluids off bleed the radiator for air, put the spark plugs in, mount the rockers (follow the specs from the shop manual 22lbs/ft on each rocker off lobe lift each side, again take your time it's not worth bending anything when you start the motor up. crank the motor over without the coils plugged in, to build up some oil pressure... finally fire it up... =O)
4. WARNING the car is going to run like $H!tocky until you get a tune on it because the ECU can only compensate for so much fuel and air. My cam is a 227/243 duration w/ (.614/.624 lift) anything with that kind of duration and lift is going to require a tune to run correct. So as of now the car doesn't have enough vaccum to stay running at idle i have to keep feathering he gas... I know there is a trick by drilling a small hole in the throttle body plate to build some vaccum, but i haven't found any conrete evidence that will help... so i'll wait till after the tune if it still is doing it. but hopefully that will all be corrected friday after my tune.

tools needed....

In car valve spring remover

"2" 5/16 Metal dowels cut in 2 foot sections to get the lifters off the cam lobes..
10mm socket/ratchet seems to be the popular tool here, it's like every bolt on the car was either 10mm or 8mm

Other than those thing it's the usual tools needed

let me tell you though.... the car wants to GO now.. if you have any questions specifically PM me.. i'll answer if I can...






3.

[10aSSee D]

Nice write up thanks for the info.

[RamAir02]

Great info! Thanks for the tips. Can't wait to see your numbers tuned

[Russell James]

That cam has tons of duration for a street driver.

I'd add to the cam advice. Pick the cam you think you want, then go down at least one or two cams. Huge duration, overlap, tight LSA's make for quite an unfriendly street driver.

[BLK2SS]

Don't drill any holes the TB blade....it won't help at all with the ETC.

[RamAir02]

Originally Posted by Russell James

That cam has tons of duration for a street driver.

I'd add to the cam advice. Pick the cam you think you want, then go down at least one or two cams. Huge duration, overlap, tight LSA's make for quite an unfriendly street driver.

I disagree. I had a FM13 (230/232, .595"/.585" 112LSA) cam in my '99 LS1 and a TSP MS4 (239/242, .649"/.609" 111LSA) in my '00 LS1. Those are BIG cams for a stock motor (just bolt ons) car. I daily drove both of those cars and was actually surprised at how street friendly they were. They always idled great for me, never stalled, yet still made good low end power. No surging or anything.

So IMHO, pick the cam you want and stick with it or go up a cam or two Only thing is, a high lift cam is going to require more frequent attention to the valvetrain!

[getarz4u15ster]

Originally Posted by RamAir02

I disagree. I had a FM13 (230/232, .595"/.585" 112LSA) cam in my '99 LS1 and a TSP MS4 (239/242, .649"/.609" 111LSA) in my '00 LS1. Those are BIG cams for a stock motor (just bolt ons) car. I daily drove both of those cars and was actually surprised at how street friendly they were. They always idled great for me, never stalled, yet still made good low end power. No surging or anything.

So IMHO, pick the cam you want and stick with it or go up a cam or two Only thing is, a high lift cam is going to require more frequent attention to the valvetrain!

Yeah, I'm happy with the Cam I got 227/243 @.50 .614/.624 113LSA. I picked it because of it's specifications and did lots of research before I did it as well. This isn't my daily driven car. It's only a weekend play toy honestly. I carpool with my wife everyday in her honda to work, it's better on gas! So as far as being street friendly i can deal with it! I start feeling the power come on at around 2000rpm which i think is good for being as big as it is.. and after 3500 it's wants to go. The springs are rated for up to .675 lift (id rather be safe than sorry) and after i put a couple thousand miles on it, i'm going to take the valve covers off again and make sure the all the rockers are still tight maybe go back in with roller rockers as well. For as much as i drive the car it's a perfect set up for my needs.