After many years, I've finally broken down and am doing the upgrades that have been sitting on my shelf gathering dust. While I'm in the engine, I'm swapping out the tbi truck cam for the equivalent of the Crane 2032.

270/276 @ 0.004
214/220 @ .050
.452/.465" LIFT
112 LSA, 108 ICL

I have stock 083 heads that were recently rebuilt, but I believe the valve springs are still stock.

Assuming I'll want to swap them out. Does this spring kit look like a fit to accommodate the cam (trying to also stay budget conscious)?

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/sum-174000

Thanks, and apologies if this has been asked, etc. First time doing a cam swap.

 

Do you have screw in rocker studs? Those looks like Z28 springs and they could pull out pressed in studs possibly. LOL I just did a vid on studs, my channel link is in my sig if you wanna check it out.

 

That probably will work. Atleast the spring/retainer will

 

I just did this same cam swap. I went with LS6 springs and the Comp 787 retainers. I will be using 1.6 roller rockers so I also went with screw in studs.

 

I'll be using the stock 1.5 rockers.

I'm going to assume they're pressed in studs.

Guess I can't escape doing the studs. I'll order a set and probably just be lazy and let a local machine shop pop em in. I don't feel like busting my head removing a stud (seen a few photos)


Told you they were gathering dust!

 

Yup pressed in studs, you can pin them but better off going screw in stud.

 

@BOOT77

 

The video definitely illustrates why I'll be dropping it off at the machine shop, as you had to bust out the welder. Not something I have in case that happens.

I'll probably go with the LT1/LT4 GM factory screw in studs (12371058).

Ordering the springs/studs Friday and will get the heads off to a local machine shop asap. Cam should be here next week, hopefully.

 

If you are going to have the machine shop do the job, then you want to use the ARP stud with the hex at the bottom. The machine shop will mill the stud bosses down to compensate for the thickness of the hex. The base thread (that goes into the head is 7/16-14 and you have your choice of the size on the top (rocker arm) side - either 3/8-24 (like you have now) or 7/16-20 (the larger, stiffer size).

 

ARP studs are the way to go, they have a flat top so the set-stew of a poly lock holds better. If your using that style rocker. Course you could make cheaper studs tops flat, I plan to do that with my speedway studs with a drill and bench grinder.

Far as stud breakage, I believe that I used that last nut too many times in a row, can't rem if I mentioned that in the vid(hard to get in all the details while recording) but I was trying to rotate nuts(the ones I didn't thread down too far and screw up). My next set I plan to drop off at the machine shop cause I want to use guideplates but I still will pull all the studs myself to save a bit of $ and this time I'll prob spring for some grade 8 nuts.

 

What is the part # for the 3/8-24 studs? Too many lengths and I don't feel like messing it up

I had read of many people using the LT1/LT4 style with great success on spring-rates similar to mine, so that's why I was going that route.

 

I looked on Jegs and came up with these 4.
The first 2, I can't tell the difference between. I would guess that the 7101 is the high performance series, and the 7201 is the PRO series.
https://www.jegs.com/i/ARP/070/134-7101/10002/-1 $42.99
https://www.jegs.com/i/ARP/070/234-7201/10002/-1 $74.99

https://www.jegs.com/i/ARP/070/134-7104/10002/-1 longer for roller rockers
https://www.jegs.com/i/ARP/070/134-7201/10002/-1 metric thread for late model Vortec heads

 

I appreciate the replies, all. After soul-searching, the final drive-train upgrades looks like..

Springs: Summit Racing SUM-174000 - Summit Racing® Valve Spring and Retainer Kit
Rocker Studs: Chevrolet Performance 12371058 - Chevrolet Performance Rocker Arm Studs
Pushrods: COMP Cams 7608-16 - COMP Cams Magnum Pushrods
Rocker Arm Nuts: COMP Cams 1400N-16 - COMP Cams Rocker Arm Adjusting Nuts

 

The difference between what Works or Wins is quality and details. Those will work just fine, you won't be pulling studs and any stud deflection would be mute because of other weak points in your valvetrain. Not everybody needs or wants to buy top-line stuff to just cruise around. Make sure they machine off enough off the boss for the hex part of the stud but not guideplates, the studs I used in my vid don't have a hex and are designed to be used w/o machining. Also be sure to use a quality sealer on the threads as they will go into the coolant or intake runners and you don't want coolant seeping into your oil or oil seeping into your combustion.

 

Makes sense. I am definitely not going for the fastest/highest revving car on the street, or else I definitely wouldn't be using stock 083 heads. I'm going for a 'mild bolt-on' build that's more period correct towards the early-mid 90s to pair with my SuperRam setup. I could definitely go 'better' on a lot of stuff, but as long as it'll be a reliable cruiser, i'll be happy.

I'll be dropping the heads off next week. If I'm lucky they'll be back on the car before too long. It's been a few years in the making. Got the SR in 2016.

 

Don't screw this up by using the wrong head gasket. Measure your deck clearance. You will want the quench distance (deck CL + HG thickness) to end up close to .040".

 

I'm using HS7733PT-15 for the head gaskets. Has been posted many times as the proper gasket set for iron L98 heads.

 

Springs are on! Machine shop was adamant that the springs did not need me to modify the press-in studs. Going to another shop that'll install them, as I don't feel like pulling a head in the future.

The measured pressure is 140lb closed/300 open. Exceeds the cam's requirements (270 open).

They say it appears bind is at .500 both exhaust and intake with the way its setup now. We did not use the included .530 valve seals.

 

Back from the second machine shop (GM specialized shop.)

They put the removal tool on and basically said the studs in are tight, that the heads or studs are gonna break before they come out. I've been advised to run them as is.

Gonna say F-it and run em. If a stud pulls out I'll replace them using BOOT77s video as reference. Realistically the car will never hit 6k RPM, ever, and rarely 5k.

 

Those spring pressures are a little high, especially for a new HFT camshaft break-in.
Since you won't want to pull the springs apart again, your only option would be to use low ratio (1.3) rocker arms.
But they only come in full roller and the cheapest set on Summit goes for $270.
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/s...make/chevrolet

 

I'm going to be running Driven Break-In Oil for the break-in session. It was advised for a roller cam paired with heavier springs.

 

That cam is a roller? Sorry I thought it was flat tappet. If roller, then you're good to go.

 

thtanner, did you get this swap up and running?

How much power is there to gain by doing the cam swap?
Thanks

 

I did finish the build, but I have no real world numbers to share. Runs good!

I have some spark knock/retardation at 3000RPM with partial throttle. I'm thinking its a false knock. WOT it is fine. It's the last "operational" issue I need to address.

 

Do you have any issues as of late running this cam and spring set up on your ride?

 

He posts here regularly so I'm sure he would have mentioned it if it had gone sideways.

In 2023, the best way to go is LS motor beehives, with the "adapter" retainers from Comp. PAC1218 is the usual choice. Stock LS7 replacements work well enough for a sub-.500" cam too if you're not too picky.

In any case, had I been building the heads in th's pics, I would have left off the stuuupid "rotators" on the exhausts and replaced the retainers. He did leave out the "oil splash shields" which are yet another blob of useless dysfunctional weight that the factory saddles motors with for some reason. I guess they just continue to stick with "what worked" since 1955, maybe they're simply afraid to learn anything. [boss]What, are you telling us we've been doing it wrong all these years? Just who the hell do you think you are young whippersnapper?!?!?!?!?[/boss]