Cam with Stock Valvetrain...

[Bo White]

I ran the GT1 under boost with stock valvetrain.
A buddy ran the 217/228 cam with stock valvetrain and ran 11s.

[ARrado15]

You kept the stock pushrods and springs? Sorry for these questions... just really trying to figure out when you need springs and pushrods. My understanding was that if the lift is over a certain limit ( I think it was like .550 or maybe .560 for stock?) then you need new springs, though i'm not entirely sure on the pushrods. I've heard some say that just because you get a new cam you need new pushrods, and heard others say that it has to deal with the base circle. Even heard some say it has to deal with the lift

[Gunmetal Speedster]

Originally Posted by derieu

You're going to want to get the GMPP ASA Cam kit that comes with springs and retainers. Typically "tight cash" and "cam" do not mix.

The question you want to ask yourself is, "Do I want to spend less now and risk my $10,000 engine?" or "Should I save up a little more, and spend more then to protect my $10,000 engine?"

I personally am saving to do a full cam + valvetrain overhaul + supporting mods. I want a bulletproof motor.

+1 on this. Save a little first and protect yourself for later.

[lownslowss]

Saving up for the springs and pushrods is the way to go. In the end it will be worth it and have some peace of mind. A few hundred bucks is nothing compared to replacing a $4-5k engine.


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[Gunmetal Speedster]

Originally Posted by lownslowss

Saving up for the springs and pushrods is the way to go. In the end it will be worth it and have some peace of mind. A few hundred bucks is nothing compared to replacing a $4-5k engine.

Even that is wishful thinking he would be lucky if that's all it costs!

[Bo White]

My first cam done great. I don't regret it at all.
Moved up to the BTR 3 cam and upgraded pushrod and spring set.

[frankwjr]

PAC 1218...$135 ..ebay..powell machine
Bronze trunnion upgrade...$140....ebay...powell machine(no I'm not spammin for them!)
BTR 3/8 7.4 push rods..$75!!..ebay score!...
Fel-pro gaskets $25ish
total=$375
goal was to attempt to "bullet proof" the top end and so far so good, stock motor rock sold to 7k, super quite...probably go with either a comp'ish grind like 54-446-11 or again powell machine has some interesting grinds right at .600..
I want all the power I can get for the street where most of the driving happens but still give me something to work with at the 1/4....and leaves the door open for FI...good luck but don't skimp!..it WILL always bite you in the ass....peace out..

[Bad70supreme]

Did no one read Bo Whites replie.
I ran the lunati
217/228
.565 life on a 112 lsa
Cam has a nice lope
Cam made enough power to put my car in the 11.40s!!
Faster then any night fury cammed car lol

That was one bone stock everything for 3 years. All I did was buy the cam for 375$ and install it and get it tuned

[christianchevell]

The cam would be better if it were the Howards ASA cam and then you could deal with them as they modified it slightly to be better. And they could set you up with springs and pushrods most likely....get a 8620 core at least if you don't do a break in like I do with BR30....IMO, Good Luck.

[davidscamaro]

You will need springs when lift exceeds .550" to .560". New hardened push rods should be used when max rpm exceeds 6500.

Of course tho it's cheap insurance to upgrade both of them when changing the cam. It's up to you to decide if you want insurance or not.

[ARrado15]

Originally Posted by Bad70supreme

Did no one read Bo Whites replie.
I ran the lunati
217/228
.565 life on a 112 lsa
Cam has a nice lope
Cam made enough power to put my car in the 11.40s!!
Faster then any night fury cammed car lol

That was one bone stock everything for 3 years. All I did was buy the cam for 375$ and install it and get it tuned

What type of power were you putting down? Any bolt ons? I assume if your running in the 11's... lol. Also, how was drive ability? This will be my first cammed manual...

[MrChrisLS3]

Originally Posted by ARrado15

Ok.. .so the GMPP ASA cam comes with springs with the cam, so all I'd need is new pushrods (maybe, still nobody has answered this). I just don't see how this is cheaping out as compared to getting a aftermarket with dual springs and pushrods. I just like the fact that it is a GM cam that has been installed into the ls3 and then sold as a crate motor. At least to me, this seems like the GM engineers have done their homework on the cam and have "certified", if you will, the cam to work in the LS3. I don't know if i will ever get a more agressive cam, so even getting 20-30 rwhp on the cam to me is worth it, knowing the valve train is having less stress put on it.

I ultimately want to be at 450-460 rwhp, and I already have all of the bolts on. This is not going to be a drag car. Its my daily driver and while I would like more power, driveability and reliability are at the top of my list. I was just looking to see if there were aftermarket cams that were in the neighborhood of the price of the ASA cam to see if possibly there was something I missed.

Can't speak for others, but I wasn't saying you're cheaping out on it. It's just that you mentioned wanting a bigger cam later on. Just seems to me that spending time and money on a cam that you don't really want is just a waste. Save that money for now and you're just that much closer to the cam you really want. Or, if you really need some extra umph right now, do the gears. But if the ASA cam is what you want, then, yeah, go for it.

I put the LT4 Hotcam in my '96 LT4 Corvette with stock springs and push rods. It was still going strong 80K miles later. It was relatively mild cam that gave a nice lope and had good street manners. That's what GMPP designed it for. It was perfect for me. I imagine that's about what this cam would be like in the LS3. I think GMPP puts out some pretty good stuff, and the best part is that it's tailored to the specific engine. I get wanting to keep it in the GM family that way. A simple phone call to GMPP might get you the answer on the push rods.

[lownslowss]

Originally Posted by Gunmetal Speedster

Even that is wishful thinking he would be lucky if that's all it costs!

For the engine it's about right. Now if a shop installs it or he goes to a stroker motor easily up in the $8k and beyond.


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[Camaro Dude]

OP, like a couple dudes wrote,

Think of it in a one liner. Stock valvetrain = sub .565 lift, 21X/22X cam.

Max.