uummm

ok, first id like to start by saying im sorry for starting a new thread on a subject thats probably been covered a thousand times. also ive searched the forum a lil and cant quite find what im lookin for. that said, i have a 92 rs. my question is what all is needed to do a lt1 cam swap, can i still use the stock valve train or do i need it from the lt1, also ive heard a lt4 is simmilar to the lt1 with a few differances including the cam. im just tossing around the idea for now, i know building a 350 is a better route to go and i plan to do so in the future, but for now im tired of my boat anchor of a motor barely pulling the weight of the car and i figure i can get a cam at the local bone yard for less than twenty bucks. also ive already put headers and 2 1/2" duals on the car, so i wanna make good use of em while i get the budget to build a 350. any info would be greatly appreciated even links to what im tryin to do would be helpful and appreciated as well

thanks

camaronewbie

LT1 cam goes right in - nothing additional needed except lube.

LT1 is about your only factory option - anything else is too small or too large (in basic terms). Your TBI computer can 'learn' to a very small degree, and make adjustments accordingly to acomodate the factory LT1 cam (why it's done so much), but anything much else and you cross the line into custom chip tuning.

You should probably be able to get away with exhaust, LT1 cam, and maybe a better intake, and make it all work without custom chip tuning - might need a VaFPR. Anything else/more, and you're crossing the line into No Man's Land.

I mention the intake and exhaust, because TBI cars are very restrictive there, and doing the cam without intake and exhaust is kinda like adding stripes - might look cool, but really doesn't improve performance.

Your best "seat of the pants" feel of increased performance is rear gears - your peg leg 2.73's are great for mileage, suck for getting 'off the line'. Even a swap to a 3.08 posi you can feel a difference without sacrificing much hiway mileage, with 3.23 or 3.42 being more optimum choice.

Hope that helps you! Good luck!

torque_is_good

serious question

why do you say that?

I own 2 vehicles with good performance and am restoring an 89RS. The 2.73:1's are definitely a major source of lack of "punch"
But, my vehicle has a rebuilt engine (.030 over so it's a whopping 310 CID) and rebuilt tranny etc. it rolls just fine and I would call it "spirited" No, it won't run with my S197 or 4th gen but I didn't build it for that.

But, from what I can tell, despite it being a smog era design from the 80's, it does quite well.

Dyno Don

iTrader: (7)

With what you have, an LT1 cam will net you about a full second in the 1/4 mile.
You can't use 1.6 rockers with it though.

Been there done that.

uummm

idk about doin an intake, the only reason im considering the cam is cause i can pick it up so cheap, like i said i plan on building a 350 for it later, when the bankroll allows. as for calling it a boat anchor motor, thats just the way i feel, seat of the pants nets nothing for me. just a family hauler motor, for which it works well, i beat the hell out of the thing and it still runs great, just want more power than the 305 is capable of for the same money i would put in a 350. and after i put the cam in i was gonna go to the buying/selling section of the forum and see if there is anyone there that can burn me a prom, if not no big deal, i can live without, but may be worth it. and im sure the rear will prolly be swapped later when the motor is, and the tranny now is a t-5, id like to do a t-56 later for the strength. im not lookin for so much power that i have to tie the frame, but i want it to move too.

camaronewbie

If this car is needed for daily driving, trust me, avoid anything that will require chip tuning - it can take weeks or even months for someone not in the car daily to program a chip to even get it to run at all once you cross that line I mentioned.

uummm

i appreciate the insight, and it is a daily driver, however with just the cam and exhaust, it will still be drivable, but now that i think about it, i may not need a eprom burned, if the computer has a little bit of a "learning curve" to it then it may be okay anyhow. idk, as long as it runs its fine, i can drive it, just wanna milk as much out of it as i can for as little as possible. lol