I hava a 2002 z28(5.7l auto ls1). I am looking at cams. Any advice on brands? Should I check for used cams? What else do I need to buy along with my cam? Do I need new springs,etc....

 

New springs, retainers, hardened pushrods, and gaskets.
I'd do the PRC Dual springs.

To play it safe:
Ported oil pump, new LS2 timing chain.

I'd check out the Futral Motorsports line of cams. Everyone seems to make great numbers with the F-13. It's very daily-drivable.

Mike

 

What cost am I looking at? Would it be better to just take it to a speed shop and have them do the shopping, or will I save money buy the parts myself?

 

do yourself. cheaper. Do your research too. With a cam that makes about 360+rwhp you'll need to replace the springs every 40k miles or less... You're looking at about 1grand in parts, plus who knows how much in install costs.

 

Read this:
http://ls1tech.com/forums/showthread.php?t=327734

Decide what YOU want for your car then come back with a less broad question.

 

he's got an 02...so the upgraded oil pump isn't as neccessary as it would be on a 98-00.

what is your hp goal?? without an idea of that, we can't really suggest a cam

 

My goal is to get under 12s in the 1/4mile. Whatever hp that amounts to. This with bolt ons, cam , exhaust, ...hopefully

 

You'll need heads and/or a new 12bolt / stall and new rear suspension to make 11's. Maybe a blower or NAAAWS...

 

You also need to look at drivability and what YOU consider livable. There are guys running around w/ daily driven cars and a T-rex cam. I'd rather not, but YOU need to read the link I posted and decide on YOUR preference.

 

I read the cam link from ls1tech. A lot of it goes over my head, I only took intro physics in high school, I'm now 26. The tr224 114 looks like the average joe cam. I'm looking for something to be worth the $ in an all around effort to get my 1/4 mile time eventually below 12s. U have to do every day driving though, so driveability is an issue.

 

with good traction and some driving skill...400rwhp should be enough to get you into the 11s.

just about any cam with 230+ duration will yeild 400rwhp on a bolt on car with stock heads. and with a good tune it will be daily drivable.

you can go smaller on the cam for better street manners, while upgrading to some ported heads or aftermarkets and still make the 400rwhp goal.

i've seen quite a few cars run right around 400rwhp with the TR224 cam and some stage 2 ported heads.

a cam like the FM13 plus some ported heads would yeild 430rwhp easily

sounds to me like you need to keep reading and learn a little more before jumping on the cam bandwagon.

 

I hope this post was a joke. You definately do not need heads, 12 bolt, suspension, blower or NAAAWS to hit 11's in a auto LS1. Full bolt-ons, drag radials and some basic weight reduction easily gets you high 11's to low 12's. Add any decent cam and dyno tune and you can see mid 11's all day long even with stock heads, stock gears and stock suspension.

maro z28,

I don't see any signature or mention of previous mods. I hope you're not considering a cam as your first mod. Most cams do not perform well with the airflow restrictions caused by the stock manifolds, cats & muffler. Plus you really need to match the cam with your stall and gears to get optimum performance. Take this advice for what it's worth but mods really should be done in a certain order.

I would get a lid, LT headers, catback (or true duals) and a torque converter first. Then and only then would I start looking at a cam.

Good luck.

 

I didn't kow physics prior to understanding cam specs and basically what they did. If you're not going to decide on what you want, what makes you think we know what you'll want? There are a plethora of cams out there that'l get you below 12's.

Like I said, what one person can live with as a daily driver, another wouldn't. We have no idea of what your limit is.

If you're going to be lazy about it, then just get the 224.

 

It has nothing to do with being lazy dude. I plan on talking to some mechanics, hearing what people with experience with mods on these chats have to say, and reading and learning as I go. Actually getting a cam is at least 9 months off. If you're just gonna act like a smarta** about it then why are you here. To all the other guys, thanks for your time and concern. Keep the advice comin'.

 

No crap? I wasnt joking... i apologise for my lack of track knowledge. With a few of the timeslip sites i've seen, I've only seen a couple h/c only cars in the HIGH 11's. (sorry i dont hang out at the track yet, all mines based on the few online slips i've seen) Most of hte 11 cars i've read about were running a 100 shot, or a small cam/blower or had some serious suspension/12bolt.

But ya, back to the cam guy, I think you're just posting for general knowledge for the future right? I was thinking about a cam for about 5 months, then I asked everyone here. The bolt ons are required to wake up potential of a cam, otherwise you'll be choking it. And DONT be afraid to do with a cam that maybe a few hundred other people are running. Even If you want something unique, these cars have been around for almost 10 years, so poeple have tried almost everything. I'm getting either a futral F11 or F13 with 112LSA. I've been recomended those many times, and my goals are about 410-430 RWHP also. Maybe If you are going to wait at least another month or so, keep in touch and I'll let you know my dyno/track times.