There was a thread on one of the forums and one guy responded saying he did run the LT4 Hotcam with the 1.7s and was pulling GM847 cars. Now I don't quite believe that statement, but is anyone running the cam with 1.7 rockers? What kind of times are you pulling down?

Before everyone and their mother jumps down my throat about how Im not looking into a custom grind cam because of todays technology, just remember, I don't care. The LT4 Hot cam is a tried and true baby cam and thats all I want. Besides, they are dirt cheap in the classifieds.

 

I ran my Hotcam with 1.65's in my DD car for a while and may continue to do so with a set of heads and intake.

Ran a C6 with exhaust and hung with him from 60 to 100, then my old LT1 ran out of steam and he started to leave me. Not an accurate comparison at all, but that's the only measurement of power I have. I'm sure I'll get flamed for that one. I had LT's, 3" duals, cold air, and a Madwolf tune. I'm a M6, I think he was an Auto.

If you have a properly tuned and set up Hotcam car vs a GM847 car that is not, it wouldn't be hard to believe. It ain't always about the part you use.

The Hotcam ain't all that bad, lobes agressiveness are basically between Comp Magnum and Extreme Energy. Good power but not rough on parts. Custom "moe powa" lobes are typically going to be rougher on parts meaning you'll need better parts if you want it to last longer.

I wound up with the Hotcam because of the price, so far it worked good for me. I hope to get some dyno numbers whether or not I do heads.

-Dustin-

 

What kind of springs are you using? I'm thinking of using some LS6 springs.

 

Isky 235D, however I got some Comp 978's a while back so I may use those with something more aggressive after I rebiuld the motor. I'm not a beehive person, so I'm not sure what those LS6 springs can handle.

Remember as you increase the ratio you're "increasing" the valve motion therefore you may need more spring to control it. Basically giving the effect of a faster ramp with more lift at the valve.

-Dustin-

 

It will be beneficial, but remember that it will limit your cam choice in the future.

Higher ratio rockers don't just add lift, they make the lobe seem more aggressive - to put it simply, everything happens faster. That means as the cam gets more aggressive, you need better springs then recommended and good pushrods to make sure it pulls cleanly to peak and keeps the valves under control.

Keep in mind that most cams are specced with 1.5 rockers, with some based on 1.6s, and will end up very aggressive when used with 1.7s...not an issue with the hotcam, but if you try to run an XFI or something later down the road you need to make sure the rest of your valvetrain is up to par.

FWIW for a little while I tossed around the idea of running a cc503 on 1.7s with my old motor to see what it can do "cam only".

 

Yeah I know. If I went to a bigger cam, it would definitely be custom to run the 1.7s. That won't be for some time.

Should I even bother with measuring push rod length? Im under the impression, that is more needed for more aggressive cams.

 

Pushrod length has nothing to do with how aggressive a camshaft is. It's to correct the geometry.

Let's say you use LS7 lifters in place of the stock LT1's. The pushrod cup is deeper in the LS7 lifter meaning you'll need a longer pushrod to maintain correct rocker tip contact on the valve stem. Even with a stock camshaft, stock springs, etc. You should always check and double check for proper pushrod length when you change something in the valvetrain. The checkers are relatively cheap when compared to the damage poor geometry can cause.

-Dustin-

 

I agree 180%. But I also read alot where the geometry stays the same and they reuse the stock pushrods and lifters and everything is fine. Did you have to change out your pushrods and lifters?