So the z is running great now, and am ready to start tinkering with performance parts. I have a few mods that I have listed in the signature. My next step is to put some headers on it, probably going with short or mid length since I am worried about emissions. The next thing I want to do is put a cam in the car. I am looking for a good street cam. Something that I don't have to worry about loosing a lot of vacuum or running a stall. Just curious as to what people's opinions on a good set up would be. What cam? What lifters, push rods, rocker arms? Do I need stiffer valve springs? Bigger injectors? And where to get a descent priced mail order tune or should I try to do it myself?

 

Be aware that your project will snowball depending on the horsepower figure you want. The question you really need to ask yourself is, what is your budget? Will you be doing the work yourself? Do you have a backup car for long periods of downtime on the z?

Once you've ironed out the above...
1. Most street cams have no problem with vacuum
2. Will your car be a daily driver?
3. A dyno tune is always the best way to go IMO.
4. If your going with an aggressive cam then you'll need all new valvetrain hardware.

 

I have around 1000 that I can put into it after the headers...I will definitely be doing the work myself, and I have 2 other vehicles I can drive while it's down.....I don't plan to make this a daily driver, but would like to be able to if I wanted to.

 

Here's the choice I made after tons of research. A lot of people are using the comp cams 503 cam. This is the cam I chose, along with a few other parts from comp cams. I used the 1.52 roller rockers, which were recommended to compliment this camshaft. I understand you can also use 1.6 ratio roller rockers, but that will give you more lift. I also chose the comp cams beehive springs with comp cams locks and retainers as well. The stock push rods are fine for this application, as long as they are not bent. You cannot use the stock springs with a bigger cam because the springs are too thick and will just stack up, not giving enough room for the valves to open fully. I can tell you that this cam will make your car not only sound nasty, but it will perform excellent. This car is my wife's daily driver and it performs perfectly for that. I got my parts from www.atlanticspeed.com They also have a site on ebay. They had the best price, and for me that was right at $700 shipped. As far as a pcm reprogram, you will definitely need one. pcmforless.com is where I got mine done. They charged $190 with shipping to and from ohio. The stock injectors are just fine unless you plan on porting/polishing or running a turbo or a blower. Get the stock injectors cleaned and flow tested. They will also replace the screens and o-rings. I also had them clean the fuel rail. This process cost me $130, but it needed done. As far as headers, I went with pacesetter purely from the price aspect. I got mine off of a guy on craigslist brand new, and only paid
$200. They are long tubes with the 02 sensor bungs and AIR fittings up top. I ordered some fiberglass 2" heat wrap and wrapped the headers instead of having them coated(worked great). The long tubes take about 50' of wrap per side to wrap them properly. It will keep the heat down in the engine bay. The performance from all of this is awesome, you really feel it in the seat of your pants. Hope this helps.

 

that sounds great.....did you install the cam yourself or did you have a mechanic do it?

 

I installed every last part myself, and it really did turn out great.

 

I guess I recommend reviewing your specific goals and doing the research from there. Everyone here has a favorite cam choice, developed after exhaustive research and I'll bet they'll all tell you it's the best cam ever. No offense to anyone...just don't choose a cam because someone tried it and loved it...

The comp cams 503 is pretty similar to the GM 846 cam, that I have, in duration but has lower lift at the valves. Mine has a noticeable lope and is certainly driveable with a manual transmission if you stay between 1800 and 6300 rpm. You should have a higher stall convertor in an automatic if you go with this cam. A tune is mandatory.

I wouldn't run either of these cams with the stock heads as they don't flow enough to make the power these cams are capable of....think of it as an athlete having to breathe through a straw. He sure has potential but can't perform to his potential. This is why I recommend starting at the end...figure out what level of performance you want, determine the path to that power and then buy the parts. Who knows, you might wnd up with stock heads and a 503 or 846 cams but I doubt it....

 

I've got got CC503 with stock heads. Runs great very street able. Also has a very nice lope!!

 

o.k. so I've done a little research and here is what I am thinking. I don't think that this will give me the h.p. that I would really like to have, but I have come to realize that my hp goals may not be possible for what I want to do with the car. So I would like to run this cam http://www.jegs.com/i/Comp+Cams/249/07-304-8/10002/-1 as it seems to meet my needs as what I want to run on the street(not sure if i'll buy it from jegs or not though). This gives .500/.510 lift which is too much, I think, for the stock. I have been reading .480 is max lift the springs can take?? Just curious should I go with the lt4 valve springs or opt for a set of the beehive springs or other? I know I need to buy new lifters for a new cam, should I run OEM replacement lifters or get a different set? I plan to reuse my pushrods and rocker arms for now, and plan to upgrade to some 1.52 or 1.6 ratio rockers in the future after break in. Is that a good idea or should I upgrade?

 

If your worried about a cam and not wanting to buy a stall you should be looking at a much smaller cam. I have the hotcam in my A4 car with stock converted and it needs a stalll. However if you plan on getting a stall in the future and can bear it then you should be fine. A Crane 227 cam should be better than the Hotcam for the converted issues and still make decent power. As said a tune is mandatory for any build to optimize efficiency and power. $1000 might get you there if you go used on some things. Whenever it comes to build double your budget as there is always crap that will go wrong or you overlook.

Cam
Pushrods
Springs
Retainers
Locks
1.6 SA roller rockers
timing chain
gaskets
tune

If you plan on upgrading down the road to something more aggresive then what your going to install i would opt to spend a little more cash now then spend it twice when you get to that road. Along with the above:

Guideplates
1.6 NSA 7/16 roller rockers
ARP rocker studs
Better springs
Double roller timing chain

 

Well the reason i picked that cam was because the operation range is 1000-5000 rpm's. Its close to the same specs as the one I run in my truck and I don't need a stall with it. I mean I can see spending over 1000 but there are plenty of people who have already said they got out for 700 or maybe less.

 

If I'm not mistaken, the 304 that he linked to is smaller than the LT4 HOT cam... LT4 218/228 112LSA; 304 - 210/220 114LSA. A bit more lift.... but significantly less duration and overlap.

 

yeah I just looked at them and at .050 that's right.....How much power increase am I looking at with a tune with one of these? Would I be better off with the lt4 hotcam because it is cheaper(I've heard they are outdated)?

 

If you can't get to a dyno, I would go with MadZ28. I think the initial tune is around 90 bucks but about 10 each time there after, but that was a few years ago