Looking into the ls1 swap but before I do, want to do a rebuild with a nice aggressive cam but cant quite figure what I want. saw a few vids of gtos on youtube but wondering if anyone on the board will post their vids or specs. Like I said just stock engine with a nice aggressive cam, want the think to roar

 

I have a friend who put one of these texas speed cams in his 2002 LS1...thing is wicked. Not sure of all the mods but I know he also is runniung 11:1 compression and had his heads ported and polished. He's putting 400hp to the wheels

Magic Stick 4 by Texas Speed

 

hmm trying to figure what would gain me the sound with just a cam, so im not digging to deep.

 

Supposedly the thumper cams from COMP Cams have good sound. Not sure why you'd want a cam that was only for the sound and not performance though.

 

my opinion i want both but i'm looking to stay in 300 range and the ls1 stock is roughly mid 300's and a cam that could gain me the sound and performance would be great. this isn't a drag car, mainly street i just want a aggressive sounding motor too.. the stock ones sound so boring and low.. i'd like it to roar and sound good, theres a gto with a 6.0 that sounds great just a catback and cam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m-6r4cYkPu4

that or a bit more aggressive, mainly being this'll be an 46l0e tranny so it wont see higher than 5k i think

 

I'm just starting my ls1 swap and ordered the 220r camshaft with 110 lsa from texas speed and perfofmance. Its a fairly mild cam but you do have to change the valve springs. The 110 or 112 lobe seperation is what you will want to try to stay with for a nice rumble.

 

You can search youtube for 220r camshaft, there are a few sound clips.

 

You do know that the shift points in a stock ls1 is higher than 5000. Sounds like the hot cam will be all you need then they make decent power but have a good sound to them.

 

idle sounds great but ive seen a few 5.3 and im doing a 6.0 would it sound different reving or higher rpm? it sounds like its gets a bit more quiet on higher rpms

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ziUZE...eature=related

if it sounds like this when it pulled to burn rubber a bit, then it sounds awesome, but maybe theres more done to it than i think

 

The more cubes with the same cam let's say a 4.8 has the less it would lope from what I've seen in the past. Really what are your goals and what engine are you actualy building? If sound is all youy after the thumper cam would work but the hot cam is the first thing that came to mind for mild cam with decent lope and power.

 

Are you planning on upgrading valve springs or keeping stock springs? That's going to tell us what kind of cam you're really looking for. You won't be able to run much bigger than a GM hot cam without upgrading springs.


Here's what I'm running, pretty much a stock motor with the Texas Speed Magic Stick 4


Wide open throttle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23kQO7zL8fg

Idle:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_T6lTPOrVz0

 

Ive been shopping around aswell for a cam and ive come to realise that alot of the guys on ls1tech over cam there cars for very mild builds.My engine builder suggested for a nice lope with good power gains,plus upgrade springs regardless even if it was stock to go with a cam between 224r-228r or a custom grind inbetween.Power band from about 1600-6300rpm.Supporting mods would be pushrods,timing chain,lifters.Have decent gas mileage still with a useable powerband that suits my needs.And if I ever decide to further..I wont be looking to change cams again..just move onto building the heads..and better intake.

Im looking at the texas speed 224r and 228r on a 112lsa.Solid 30-50hp gains is what Im seeing from alot of guys.They sound good and choppey but very streetable.Check out some of those on youtube.

 

That sounds badass

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FHaNJC83Wpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4j4R1oZ50A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1zk-tqQdX8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpQnBYF8UAg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXCu2...eature=related

some vids for comparison

 

you need to figure what exactly you want. do you want PERFORMANCE AND SOUND, or just sound. i want performance. actually the cam i am going with is an ed curtis cam. the lope isnt going to make people look over and say wow. but the performance will. i have had at least 7 cams in the 2002 5.3 that i had. the best sounding cam was the 226-228-581-588-114+4 cam. on nos it was great. off it was not all that but sounded mean. the 224-224-581-581-112 cam sounded good and ran great off nos. heck a 216-220-525-532-114 will lope. my cam in my ls1 when she is finished is going to be somewhere around a 216-220-600-602-110 cam. near there not exact. it is going to lope about like the 216-220 cam above. it is going to be a torque cam that will run out at 6000 rpm,s. but is going to start around 1000 rpms. if it is sound you are after go after a thumper cam from comp.

 

That sounds like a nice cam for off idle torque setup.Id like to see the final numbers when you have that done.I used to be all about torque down low when I had my gen sbc but now Im after more topend horsepower with a decent flat torque curve.

 

Here's the power and torque curve of the MS4, but keep in mind it's a 364 not a 346.

 

thats one quick vert you got there lol

 

mainly looking towards ls1 6.0 with a 46l0e. I'm wanting to be putting down high 300's or low 400's to the flywheel. This is mainly going to be a street car and highway cruiser. Currently have a rebuilt 3rd gen rear with 3.23 limited slip. I wanted a beastly sounding engine. I don't know how to describe it but thats what i'm looking towards. I want those numbers with a very aggressive wot sound, or high rpms. Idle will be nice but i like going to the drag races and hearing a wot funny car just roar by... wish I could put it down in better words to describe what i want.

Also to add I don't mind doing some adjustments to the engine but i'm not looking to fully overhaul and do heads and big money things, thought a nice cam would be nice to adjust the sound and give it some bonus numbers, but if i have to do springs its fine im just not looking towards putting 1k+ on heads for a few bonus numbers that i dont need, im not going crazy and drag racing for 8 seconds, haha

 

220r..maybe the 224r cam on a 112lsa will give the sound your looking for and produce the hp numbers aswell.Good everyday cams with some pep.Your exhaust is also going to play a big part on the the sound.What do you plan on running for full exhaust? easiest and cheapest way to get the rumble and scare people with is an electric exhaust cutout.Im putting one in for sure when I do my y pipe in the near future.

 

You can have a good sounding exhaust with any cam. But you can't have the lopey idle unless you're willing build the car for big horsepower. If you aren't willing to upgrade heads, torque converter, and rear gears then you need to stay with a mild cam. Based on your earlier comments you obvious aren't built for speed. Just go with a good exhaust system and headers and call it good. I think you'll be pleased. Magnaflow makes a nice sounding exhaust system.

 

i was debating electric cut out but still havent decided what to fit in for the exhaust.. i heard issues of anything except hawks exhaust so im undecided on what to do for that.. but would it change from after headers or y pipe to put a cut out(s) in?

 

what would you consider mild?.. i always thought magnaflow sound pretty shitty... but thats just my personal taste, love flowmaster and borla

 

If you're aiming for high 300's or low 400's at the FLYWHEEL with a 6.0 you're going to need to de-tune it


I forget how flywheel hp and power at the wheels are calculated from each other, but if I'm 420hp at the wheels cam-only, that should be near 500 at the flywheel right?

 

Alright, then do Flowmaster or Borla.

The cams you were considering in the 22x degrees is mild and will work well in an otherwise stock LS1 engine. Make sure you buy a cam that is compatible with your stock valve springs and won't contact the pistons. Call the cam manufacturer to find out what you can use.

 

I plan on sticking with the stock manifolds for now.Hawks lts are just over my budget for this build.Then custom made y pipe with cutouts ..hi flow cat to my magnaflow lt1 over axle 3inch single in dual out muffler.

Flows have been known to hinder flow compared to other brand names.I heard borlas are very good aswell as corsa and magnaflow.My main reason for choosing magnaflow was that I hate raspy exhausts,and it doesnt have the drone tone during mid range rpm cruising like my old flowmasters..which didnt last long either.At wot..my magnaflow screams.

I got pissy neighbors so at idle I didnt want something that will highten the cam lobe sound from far..untill I step on it.

Have you thought about maybe going with the ls6 cam on a 110-112 lsa?Your options are very wide open lol.

 

Stock manifolds dampen the rump noise of the cam. You must have headers if you expect to get the tough sound at idle.

Take a step back and think about what you're after. The sound of a high horsepower engine, right? Well, if you're not going to build a high horsepower engine then it's not going to be the same. It can still sound great with a good exhaust system and headers and still be fun to drive. Whatever you do, do not over compensate by being loud. It's just obnoxious and doesn't sound good.

 

Look into the hooker Aerochamber muffler. Mild tone at idle but still rumbly, really roars when you step on it.

 

I agree the hooker aerochamber is nice. My wifes iroc had one and it was really quiet at idle. When you romp on it it sounds like a totally different system though.

 

Back in the day when I had my 67 camaro, I was told to something like 25% loss thru the drivetrain...I dont know if thats right for "newer cars" or not.

 

Also Timinsk...I dont know if it applies to you or not, but do you have to smog the car? Too aggressive and I'm pretty sure youll have a heck of a time passing.

 

If you run a chambered tube type exhaust like GMMG you will get a more "Lopey" like rumble from the exhaust. They have good sound. Combine that with a mild cam on a tight LSA and you will have the sound you want without a crazy powerband.

Basically a thumper cam but anycam you put in it will make well over 400 hp on motor. Stock LS6 intake 6.0 with stock LS2 cam will make over 400 hp at the crank with exhaust/tune. A cam is gonna net 20-100hp gain depending on the size.

IMO, I wouldnt cam the motor unless you were looking for atleast 40hp more, since even the mild mid 2-teens duration cams will produce 35-40hp more over stock. The common and mild 224 cams make 50-60hp more at the flywheel on a well tuned setup.

Theres no reason to limit yourself to 400 crank hp with a LS EFI motor. I am assuming you are keeping it EFI?

 

You're looking at 20%-25% loss with an auto transmission. 15%-20% with a manual or so. Still applies today.

 

The trex is supposed the be the largest and most aggressive cam you can put in a stock LS1, it is what i have in my 89, i couldnt be happier with it, as it is a proven cam and has recor times in the 1/4 all motor, here is a clip of driving the car with the idle in the end as well as rolling through 2 gears from a stop:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8LUh...eature=related

This is my last track outing running 7.1 at the 1/8th mile, lifting the front tires. My engine is a stock 6.0 with the cam and stock heads milled .030, 6 speed, 4.3 gears and exhaust is dual 3 inch with 1 chamber blowmasters:

 

ZONES89RS that thing is rediculos lol eventualy ill build a 6.0 for my trans am and that's prety much my goals for it is what you camaro runs lol. Ok back to topic! Exhaust will make more of a diffrence in wot sound but like said manifolds will screw with the cm lope a little too.

 

Well, I am BSing waiting to port my ls6 beads and mill them, then shoot for 6.8 or so. But the cam is great for carbs, some efi tuners are not that good with them but allot are. I have seen manifolds with a cam still sound great.

 

Hmm lets just throw the ideal for power range out the door then if these engines can heighten so high on a 6.0. lets say we keep a stock engine throw in an aggressive cam like i want with keeping stock springs and mainly just the cam to be swapped.

then everything is fine. ive been having mix reviews on magnaflow but if i can get a vid to prove me differently, the issue i have with my flowmaster, at high rpm and letting it settle gets this rumble sound out the exhaust and sounds bad.. so im still trying to figure out a good exhaust..

so lets scrap the idea on exhaust, say im trying to look for a 6.0 with aggressive cam, headers back, what should i be looking at. mainly going to be street/highway, auto tranny, thirdgen rear end and maybe going to 4th.

 

I personaly like magnaflow! I'm going with a single in single out 14in magnaflow on my build. I run that same muffler but with dual 2 1/2 exits on my 03 yukon and its loud under wot and I still have cats and manifolds on it once I get time ill swap on my longtubes and ory for it to open it up more. But imo just about any straight through muffler is gona sound pretty good.

 

I'm going to go with the Thumpr cam in my 5.3, Car Craft did an article where they took a stock 5.3 and made 96hp just from that cam! Although their tests were done with a carb, it shouldn't be that far off with EFI.

http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles...ine/index.html


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fdzfh8zfQpo

 

Stock pushrods and springs are not gonna fly, used and new parts all over tech can keep cost down, but stock components are not going to operate, the stock valves, lifters and rockers are the only thing you will keep asides from the timing chain that may or may not be replaces depending on condition.

 

On a car that sees limited mileage you can get crazy with the cam. 230's duration is about right for a very aggressive LSx motor in the 346-364 ci range. With good heads they work even better and you could even go with more duration. However going too much will get abit hard to drive with the converter locked up at lower highway speeds. Can have abit of bucking/surging even with the best of tunes. You either need to run less cam or more gear to get out of those rpm deadspots.

Only problem is gotta watch out for the bottom end. They can hold some rpm with rod bolt upgrade but stock i'd be concerned about running it much over 6500 rpm for long periods of time.

Agreed that stock pushrods and springs will not tolerate a cam upgrade. Most important part of a cam upgrade is the valve springs, so dont skimp on that or else the cam was a wasted effort.

My car is a daily driver and if i can scrap together extra funds and dont have any issues with the thirdgen this year, I will go with a 228/232 type grind from Mike Jones, or another custom grind based on the EPS lobes from PatrickG..something like their 222/226 or 226/230 for a strong running stock bottom end 346" ls1 running to shift at 6500

 

7000 all day every day Stock bottom end.