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Tech help please, would any LT1 cam fit?

Old Nov 4, 2006 | 09:47 PM
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From: Prince George, BC, Canada
Car: 89 GTA
Engine: 5.7L Supercharged
Transmission: T-56
Axle/Gears: Moser 9" 3.70
Tech help please, would any LT1 cam fit?

Hey just wondering would any LT1 cam either aftermarket or stock fit in are cars? I take it all it takes is to hammer the pin in or pull it out then things should work the same?
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 01:04 AM
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From: Prince George, BC, Canada
Car: 89 GTA
Engine: 5.7L Supercharged
Transmission: T-56
Axle/Gears: Moser 9" 3.70
Anyone?
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Old Nov 6, 2006 | 07:23 AM
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From: MA
Car: 93 GM300 platforms
Engine: LO3, LO5
Transmission: MD8 x2
Originally Posted by Tony89GTA
Hey just wondering would any LT1 cam either aftermarket or stock fit in are cars? I take it all it takes is to hammer the pin in or pull it out then things should work the same?

All LT1 cams, 1992-1997, will fit into a Gen 1 roller cam block, i.e. from any TBI or TPI passenger car with a 305 or 350 v8.

Remember that not all LT1 cams are alike. The B/D car LT1s used a 191/196 i/e deg duration with .414 or .418" lift (intake)//.424 or .428" lift exh (actual numbers depend on year), while the F/Y car LT1s used 202/207 deg, .446/.458" lift. Most people here would only recommend the F/Y car version of the cam for use in an Fcar.
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Old Nov 7, 2006 | 10:53 PM
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by putting that LT1 cam in a 305 roller motor would it make it idle like it had a decent size cam. And how much of a power gain are u looking at by doing this?
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Old Nov 7, 2006 | 10:58 PM
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From: Hurst, Texas
Car: 1983 G20 Chevy
Engine: 305 TPI
Transmission: 4L60
Axle/Gears: 14 bolt with 3.07 gears
Originally Posted by Beanx
by putting that LT1 cam in a 305 roller motor would it make it idle like it had a decent size cam. And how much of a power gain are u looking at by doing this?
It will idle like a stock 305 does. Even the PRODUCTION LT4 (203/210 @ .050) cam sounds BONE stock in a 305. The L82 corvette cam (224/224 @ .050) from the 70s only has a very little cammy sound to it.
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Old Nov 7, 2006 | 11:09 PM
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alright what about performance? how much would u see by using the lt1 cam?
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Old Nov 7, 2006 | 11:11 PM
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From: Hurst, Texas
Car: 1983 G20 Chevy
Engine: 305 TPI
Transmission: 4L60
Axle/Gears: 14 bolt with 3.07 gears
Originally Posted by Beanx
alright what about performance? how much would u see by using the lt1 cam?
What year, induction, exhaust?, other mods? Mass Air or Speed Density? Are you going to burn your own chips?
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Old Nov 7, 2006 | 11:14 PM
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the 305 is stock, other than a set of headers and underdrive pulleys, car has a T-5 with a borgwarner rearend w/ 3.42 gears. Prolly have somone burnt me a chip.

**Edit** Mass Air, Has 2.75 exhaust with gutted cat and a flowmaster catback

Last edited by Beanx; Nov 7, 2006 at 11:18 PM.
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Old Nov 9, 2006 | 11:19 AM
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From: MA
Car: 93 GM300 platforms
Engine: LO3, LO5
Transmission: MD8 x2
Originally Posted by Beanx
alright what about performance? how much would u see by using the lt1 cam?
Using GM numbers:

94-96 Bcar LT1 rated at 260 fwhp using 191/196 dur cam
93-96 Fcar LT1 rated at 275 fwhp ysing 202/207 dur cam

IIRC the factory Bcar exhaust (full duals) was a bit better than the factory exh on the Fcar, so IMO the difference in the cams is about 10+ fwhp.

The 305 roller cam (aka the peanut cam used in the LO3) was also used in medium-weight GM 350 trucks with TBI and when used with Vortec heads, same as LT1 flow-wise), and it made 230 fwhp. So the difference between the peanut cam and the Bcar LT1 cam is exactly 30 (260-230) but practically more like +20 given that the trucks didn't get the good factory dual exhaust that the Bcars got.

So if you had a 350 with a peanut roller cam (LO5 Caprice, non-LTZ or non-9C1) and if you swapped in the Bcar LT1 cam, you would gain as much as +20 fwhp gain (assumes good ECM tuning). If you swapped in the Fcar LT1 cam, it would be more like a +30 fwhp gain.

For your 305 (which has 87% of the displacement of the 350), the gains after a cam swap would be +17 fwhp and +26 fwhp for the respective B and F car versions of the LT1 cam. So the 170 fwhp LO3 could improve to 187 fwhp using the Bcar LT1 cam, and improve to 196 fwhp with the Fcar cam... assuming you added fuel and revised the EPROM.

For reference, the 305 TPI Fcar engine (LB9 ?) used a cam similar to the Fcar LT1 cam, and it was rated up to 205 fwhp and probably had a better exhaust than the factory LO3 did. I rated the Fcar-LT1-cam into 305 at 196 fwhp; adding +10 for an exhaust swap would make 206 fwhp, a number that's right in the ballpark. So the power gain from cam swap(s) estimated here are reasonable. HTH.

Last edited by kdrolt; Nov 9, 2006 at 04:10 PM.
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