I think I'm going to abandon my plans for a solid heads/cam swap and just toss in a medium sized cam that will work with my LO5 heads and save my pennies for an LS1 or something really nice down the road. I realize the heads would become a restriction, but I can't afford heads right now. However I don't want the heads to me SO much of a restriction that the engine runs like crap.

The primary use of this car is daily city driving.

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...8&autoview=sku

What do you guys think? Maybe I should change the springs too? What about the lifters? My LO5 right now has about 80,000 miles on it. I'm looking for a cam that will give me more power without a lot of strings attached.

 

That 115 LSA is too wide for a non-boosted application.
Although it's an improvement over the stock cam, the Comp 500 (206/212/112) would be better.
Your lifters are fine. Definitely change the springs.

 

Talking about this one?

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...8&autoview=sku

Isn't that lift starting to get a little high?

 

Yes, that one.
That lift is what you want. You'll need new springs with ANY cam change, so get a Crane 10309 spring/retainer kit; no machining required.

 

The way those heads flow, and I have put them on a SuperFlow 1020 flowbench, you'd do better with a single-pattern cam.

 

I have also had mutiple sets of these on a flow bench and recomeend the same. I like the Crane 272H10 for a non-roller setup. Its 272/272@ .006, 218/218 @ .050, 110 LSA, 107 ICL are near ideal for the ports in these heads and the RPM range of the engine equipped.

 

Thanks guys. Can you point me in the direction of a mild single pattern cam for a roller setup? I just spend some time searching and all I could find had 500+ lift. If I had the money to do machine work on the heads I wouldn't be trying to work around the 193s.

 

Anybody?

I've only checked summit....any other good place to find cams with those specs? (single pattern/reasonable lift for stock heads/mild duration)

 

This one is not a single pattern on duration, but is likely close to ideal. It only has 4* more exhaust duration, but the same lift. It only has .475" lift, which is obtainable with springs and offset retainers, no problems with machining. I would use umbrella seals both intake and exhaust.

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...8&autoview=sku

 

I'm even thinking about a custom grind cam since it would be the same price. What kind of things do I need to know regarding custom grinds? Like I said before mileage, driveability, and tuneability are top priority.


Something like...

216/216 @ .05
.470/.470 lift
113 LSA

 

The Manley 22410-16 springs and 23652-16 retainers will bolt right on to stock heads and allow you to run up to .525" lift camshafts. Change the valve stem seals while you're in there so you dont get the white puff of smoke on startup.

 

Your guys' suggestions are confusing me a bit. I was under the impression from my searching that with the untouched 193 swirl ports I want to stay AWAY from high lift. Ie, keep it under .470 at most not so much for the sake of the valvetrain but simply because the heads run out of flow at that point at mid-high RPM. And for the LSA, I was expecting to hear that I want at LEAST a 112 LSA, and more like a 114 due to my goals of this being a low RPM (under ~5200, cruising at about 2000 RPM) city driver where emissions and mileage are a concern?

For example, what is wrong with something like this?

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...8&autoview=sku

Or this?

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...8&autoview=sku

About what kind of powerbands would I be looking at with these cams? How would they perform below 2000 RPM where I do a lot of driving? Approx what should be my WOT shift point? I'm down to deciding between these two, leaning towards the one with a smaller duration because 193 heads don't like to rev.

 

Dark., That second cam in your post above is the one I initially suggested. It would work well. The other one on a 114 LSA would not be a good choice.
Also, take into account what Atilla and Fast have told you about the E/I ratio on those heads and consider a single pattern with conservative duration and narrower LSA. I have no experience with those heads like they do.
When considering lift, don't just look at the peak lift. That peak number is just a consequence of a decent lobe getting the valve moving up off the seat aggressively, which is what the heads want. There is much more time spent near the seat and on the front and rear flanks of the lobes than at peak lift. If you try to limit yourself to a peak lift, you're likely to sacrifice too much area under the total curve.
Also, the misconception that it takes a wider LSA to keep driveability, mileage, and tuneability stems from people going with cams having too much duration and then trying to crutch the excessive overlap with a wider LSA. In all cases they would be better off with less duration and a narrower LSA. The mild cams you're considering here definitely do not need that "wide LSA" bandaid. If you go with a single pattern like a 206/206, I think a 110 LSA should be your upper limit.
Only when you get into motors (like the LS series) with a bigger Rod/Stroke ratio, do the larger LSA's work better.

 

Hey man...As far as your set up goes...it seems like you already have a really good foundation for a cam swap. The 65lb hr injectors are the one found in the 9C1 Caprices in 1991-1993. They also were matched up with the 193's. It also happens that the 1991-1993 Caprices with the above mentioned parts also cam with the L98 cam. That was a the 9C1 cam for the 1991-1993 Caprice Police package which produced 195-215hp for the 9C1 during those years. This cam is VERY close in pattern to the LT1 cam. The LT1 cam is a very popular choice for people with the same parts you already have and is fairly inexpensive. It also doesn't need a lot of lift. Your right BTW...the 193 are known to fracture under too much lift but they can be upgrade to handle it.

As for the 193's...they can do some work for you. Guys around here have shown that a DIY garage port can result in near Vortec-like gains. On a very minimum you'll want to port match the intake and exhaust. That isn't that much at all...matter of fact...I have had a machine shop tell me that they would do the port matching and un-shroud the valves for 350 bucks. So...although they ain't the best heads out there...a little work on them can result in a satisfactory gain for a temporary set up.

I honestly think that if you were to get a nice cam, put a few dollars in to the 193's and get a bit better intake...you could see a very nice improvement overall.

Lastly....Just so you know...the 193's were a cylinder head GM developed as a "lightweight casting". It was later determined that they had coolant flow issues and developed hot spots. This would lead to head gaskets leaks or warped heads. I myself have had issues where the Drivers side cylinder head developed a head gasket leak and it ended up costing me an engine after I first got the car. This is why they created the Vortec because it had better cooling characteristics and the LT1 high velocity port design.

Oh and your going to want the cam you choose to pull some good vacuum because a cam with too low vacuum in a TBI will cause drive ability issues. With TBI...I think the 112*-114* LSA is where you want to be.