Finaly got my Camaro out to the track. Lost almost every race. My specs: 355 bored .030, sealed power pistons,stock cam, ported L98 heads, professional products intake manifold, Flowtech headers, A/C and emmisions dumped, Edelbrock 600 performer carb, lightweight flywheel, T5 (V6 one) 3:42 rear end. I would hit 20mph@3000rpm's in 1st gear, if I stayed in 1st any longer the car wouldnt even accelerate because its a 4.03 gear. It would just keep reving up. 2nd gear would get me to 45mph@4000rpm's, then that gear would die out. 3rd, 4th, and 5th are the only useful gears, but on an 1/8 mile I can finish before im done with 3rd. Do I have to change the gears in the tranny or is there sumthin else I can do? Basicaly, no low end acceleration, need to change that...

 

That covers alot of ground.

What cam is it? A 929? Peanut cam? Either of those will produce that exact result... no power whatsoever past 3500 RPM.

 

I agree with RB. You can do whatever you want. As long as you have a factory cam of that magnitude, or lack thereof, for that matter, That has the same effect as studying for brain surgery with half of a brain on your own shoulders.

 

The cam is from an '89 L05 9C1 police package engine. It is the same cam used in the 350 in an '89 Iroc-Z. Dont know the specs

 

I serioulsy doubt it's the same as the L98 cam; but I could be wrong. AFAIK all of the TBI motors got a peanut cam of some sort in order to work best in the RPM range (just barely off-idle) that TBI is designed for. Wouldn't make too much sense to put together a motor with heads that hit a brick wall at 3500 RPM, and a cam that did anything else.

That's probably the malfunction.

Get a decent cam.

That's also a testament to the wisdom (?) of using a 6-cylinder transmission behind a V8.

 

That would make sence, since my car now can accelerate in 5th gear@40mph under 2000rpm's. So I need a cam with a higher rpm range?

 

Or can I just change my rear end gears to 2.73?

 

Its not an L98 cam. Thats basically half way between the LO3 and LO5 truck motor.

Let me put it this way - That cam does not have lobes, it has a mild swelling where the lobes should be.

Get a real cam in there, and you'll be very impressed by the difference

 

Changing the cam with the engine in the car would be alot of work, and I really dont have time. So what if I just change my rear end?

 

That won't you much, but if anything though, with a cam like that, you might want taller gears (3.23 or 3.08) , because that cam is a torque cam, not a hp cam.

 

If changing the rear end is gonna make a difference, I can have that done this week.

 

put in a real cam, forget the rear end. buy a v8 trans and you'll be miles ahead.

 

Mosquito bites. I thought they were called mosquito bites.

5.8 No gears are going to realistically help that problem. And Flowtechs are not on my list of performance mods. Once that's done, you may find the need for a new tranny in a relativly short span of time. Good luck.

 

If its an L05 cam, it will be of the peanut grind classification. As RB stated, the cam was designed to support the swirl port heads that are designed for low end torque. Not high end power. an idle-3500 powerband is about all i would give it.

Like AA said, if you dont change the cam, at least get some numerically larger gears. Possibly up to 3.42. That will help you off the line, at the expense of higher speed cruising. However, with gears like 3.23 and 3.42, that really shouldnt be an issue.

The thing is this: You can do all you want to try to make up for the weaknesses of that cam. gears help the acceleration of the car, they do not change the engines overall output. Changing the cam will. Why do you have no low end acceleration? because you have no bottom end gearing? No. Because your engine is tied down by a cam designed to make power UNDER 3500 rpm.

Changing the cam with the engine in the car isnt that hard. I have done it on a few occasions. Just need to get everything in front of the timing cover out of the way, jack the engine up enough to loosen all the oil pan bolts and LOWER the pan, not remove, just lower it enough for the timing covers lip to clear. You will need to get the radiator and a/c condensor out of the way as well. the supports that form an "X" in front will need to be unbolted as well. I can maneuver my cam between them, but it is risky as nicking the lobes or cam bearing surfaces is not the top thing on my to-do list.

If you perform a search, you will see the specific steps involved. It is one of the things on these cars that isn't as hard as it sounds like.

 

OOps,

 

Actually, I meant exactly the opposite... numerically smaller gears!! His cam is NOT a horsepower cam, its gutless above 3500 revs. But I bet its got a killer punch off idle, right? So you want to take advantage of that by using gears that will get you going faster at the same engine speed. So if he has 3.42 gears, a 3.23 or 3.08 gear set is exactly what he needs.

Its exactly the opposite cam that needs 3.73 or 4.11 gears... those gears make up for cams with no bottom end torque, like say, the old 327/350hp cams. Those had nothing below 2500 revs, but took off like a bullet after that. They needed the shorter gears (higher numerically) to help them off the line.

He needs exactly the opposite - gears that will get him more top speed, not more off the line grunt.

I still agree with everyone else though. The only way you will really see more than a tenth or two out of a gear change is if you do the cam as well.

 

Great, now you've got me all confused by posting taller gears and 3.08/3.23 making me think hes got lousy 2.73 gearing.....

[/rant] j/k its all good Adam

 

 

uh...

 

Get a new camshaft.

 

I have a camshaft from an '89 L98 with only 50k miles on it. Would that be worth putting in until I have the money for a good one?(this comming winter)

 

Add up everything it takes to put in a cam. Include gaskets, fluids, things you might just change anyway just because you're there like spark plugs or hoses or filters, etc. Include a couple of things that you might discover when you get there, that it's too worn out to put back on but you don't know it just yet, like a water pump. Be honest: put down EVERYTHING. Don't leave it out just because you think you can get by without it. Except, we'll let you fudge a little bit, and don't necessarily include that chrome timing cover you've always wanted because your motor doesn't leak enough oil. Pad it a little bit, to make up for any consumables you might run out of in the process, or tools to buy, or parts that break as you work on them.

Then think about if it's really wise spending all that money, plus your time and effort, putting in some lame stock cam that you can be absolutely certain is going to be a disappointment.

Now: is it "worth putting in"?

 

Priceless.

oops, wrong commercial.

 

Your tranny will be fine the way it is. Whats your tire size in the rear? You might want to get a taller tire like a 28inch. Second I would get a beefier cam that will run within your setup. Thirdly, your engine will only rev 4000rpm max? I would think you'd be able to get at least 5000rpm out of it with it being a stick shift in all. Dont replace your 3.42 gears, they're a nice gear for your setup. Hope this helps.

 

Sounds like you have major tuning issues as well.

Also, why ask the question if you don't want to hear the answer? Changing rear gears to a numerically lower gear will slow you down, not speed you up.

You need a new cam, and you need to spend some time tuning the thing. Even a peanut cam should not fall on its face at 3k rpms.

 

In theory, yes. BUT, like I said before, his cam needs taller gears if he's not gonna swap it out. His cam has no top end, so if he uses shorter (higher numerically) gears, he will run out of gear long before he crosses the 1/4mi marker. Probably right after the 1/8mi marker, actually, with that cam.

His cam is a torque cam, so he needs taller gears to make up for the lack of top end. If you still disagree, read my previous posts up above.

 

I have a 93 caprice lo5. Had the roller camshaft. I put a micrometer on it when I pulled the cam out and guess what....it was the same cam that my lo3 had in it. Lift wise anyways.

I installed a lt4 cam and noticed a HUGE difference. Its not even the hotcam...just a factory lt4 cam. Nice little upgrade. Now I'm working on getting rid of the swirl ports. Probably upgrade the cam again to. But so far it has served me well.

 

Thats where our thinking has taken different turns. You suggest in regards to top end. I have given my suggestion in regards to the fact that he complains about accelleration. Not that theres anything wrong with either your suggestion or mine.

But generally, the higher the numerical value, the more you gain on acceleration, at the expense of top end, engine permitting. And vice versa with numerically smaller gears. You gain on the top end at the expense of acceleration. So if off the line power is what you want, numerically larger gears are for you. If you want a gear that will carry you across the 1/4 line with that little cam, then smaller gearing is what you need.

 

I need off the line power. My car has alot, but like I said, its all under 3500rpm's. I am racing on an 1/8 mile track.

 

Your 3.42 rear gears are fine. Just get a beefier cam. Its cheaper to do a cam swap than a gear swap anyways.

 

Its a roller cam, arnt they more expensive? like $250? Would I have to change springs also? I would have to remove the heads, no way in hell im doin that.

 

Yes your car does have a roller cam. Some do cost $250 but for what you need it'll be cheaper. Normally you'd need to new spring etc... but thats why I said to get a cam that would work within your setup. Find the max lift your valve springs will take and find a cam that will work with it. Not saying to buy a cam that would max out your springs, just one that will have better duration and lift than your stock cam. I'd find a GM roller or Crane roller they dont seem to be as expiensive as others.

 

http://motors.search.ebay.com/zz4_En...osortorderQ3D2 ZZ4 cam

http://motors.search.ebay.com/lt1-ca...osortorderQ3D2 LT1 cam