I just got a set of trickflow heads 56cc for a lb9. I also have a lunati voodoo cam witch specs out at 213/219 @ .050 lift & .454/.468 lift. The springs recomended on the cam card 1.75 installed height = 100 lbs. I inteded to use 1.6 rockers so that would bring the lift to around .499 correct? Now on the trickflow heads they had some spring options, The cheaper package came with 1.25" od single spring good to .480 lift. So I opted to upgrade them to accomidate the 1.6 rockers. The springs that I upgraded to are single w/ damper 1.47" OD 1.78 installed height @ 120lbs, good to .540 lift. Does it sound like this setup will work allright? Will the seat pressure/installed height difference hose anything up? I've never done a head/cam swap so its all new to me.

 

Roller cam or flat? If it's a roller, it'll be fine. If it's a flat tappet you have an increased chance of flattening a lobe during break-in due to increased spring pressures. Comp Cams recommends removing the inner spring during break-in (most larger springs are a dual coil design and the inner spring is removable). Not sure if Lunati recommends a similar procedure. For sure, do everything you can to give the cam a chance to live. Use a bottle of GM EOS in your break-in oil (modern oils have a lot less anti-wear additives than they used to and are hard on flat tappet cams), over-fill the crankcase a bit during break-in, pre-lube the engine before starting, follow proper break-in procedures and change the oil and filter again immediately after break-in (using more GM EOS in the oil refill once again).

Make sure you check pushrod length, regardless of spring option- I beleive Trick Flow heads require the use of non-stock length pushrods. This is a good idea even with stock heads, but mandatory with aftermarket heads. They often move things around in subtle ways vs. stock.

 

it is a flat tappet cam. Where can I get the EOS additive? I think i read somewhere not to use a synthetic oil as well, what would you suggest?

Oh and the springs are a single 1.47" OD with damper. So Comp would suggest removing the damper?

 

You should be able to get the EOS at any GM garage. Breaking a flat tappet cam in with a single spring is the safest way to go. Then put the second springs on and repeat the breakin.

 

No, it's actually the inner coil of a dual coil spring. Many larger-than-stock diameter springs are actually 2 coils- inner and outter, with a dampener in between. If yours are just a single coil with a dampener then there's no inner coil to remove and you jsut need to take your chances. Removing the dampener won't change spring pressure enough to be worth the effort.

Yeah, EOS (Engine Oil Supplement) you buy at a dealership. It puts back all the good stuff that the EPA has mandated out of oils in recent years (ZDDP). No biggie for a roller cam (which most modern engines have used for well over a decade), but flat tappet cams still need those additives in good quantity to give them their best chance of survival.

 

Well this is kind of confusing, in the paper work that came with the heads list it as a single spring. However when you look at them it looks as if its dual:

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...0&autoview=sku

Part #: tfs-51400413

Should I disassemble these heads and take out what looks like an inner spring? Everytime I do an oil change in the future would I need to add the EOS additive or is that just for the break in?

I guess i kind of screwed up when I got the beefier springs.

 

No, you did the right thing. Too much spring, within reason, is ALWAYS better than too little.

Sounds like those springs are single with a damper. Dampers don't add much tension, maybe 10 psi on the seat and 20 over the nose, tops. Taking them out won't really accomplish anything. So leave them alone, don't bother taking anything out. That's not really enough lift to cause any kind of trouble.

I'd use the cam lube from the mfr, just like the mfr tells you to do, and the GM EOS; pour it all over the cam before you put the lifters in. Use Shell Rotella T straight 30 weight motor oil. Be ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN not to let the car crank for a long time before it starts up, and that it doesn't idle for more than a few seconds below 1500 RPM or so during its first 10 minutes of operation. Preferably 2000 RPM or above. Change the oil at about 500 miles, same kind of oil, and add a can of EOS to that. After the next oil change, you can run any kind of oil you want, and you shouldn't need the EOS any more either.