Hello,
I've been tallying up regular bolt on mods for a few months now and I think its time to move up to some internal work
I've been searching the forums trying to find out as much as I can about cams. basically the CC305, LT4 hotcam, and XE 224/230 top the list, with me leaning more towards the XE 224/230. Are these cams safe to use on stock bottom end cars with 110k+ miles? My car is still smooth and sounds good. My dad and uncle both tell me that if I stick that cam in my engine that soon it'll look like someone shot the oil pan with a shotgun, and that it will be completely undriveable for every day use. How do the LT1s hold up to cam upgrades on higher mileage engines? If I do do this I will be putting on 1.6 roller rockers, new springs, and such in the head but for now I'll be using the stock heads.
If I have to completely tear apart the engine and install forged internals and such I probably will just leave it be after my header and 3.73 install.

I sure hope this isnt the way, because listening to the sound clips of hotter cams in these just bring a huge smile to my face and thoughts of "what could be"

 

120k stock short block

Tims in sig: it was very rich and needs plug wires

 

The shortblock isn't going to break because of a cam. The valvetrain is the immediate weakness, and you should be swapping most of that (or all of it) out anyway.

 

well thats with a small cam, does the XE 224/230 qualify as a small cam? summit site says...
Specifications:
* Advertised duration: 276 intake/281 exhaust
* Duration at .050 in.: 224 intake/230 exhaust
* Gross valve lift: .503 in. intake/.510 in. exhaust
* Lobe separation: 112 degrees
* RPM range: 1,800 to 5,800

thats with 1.5 rockers, with 1.6 rr's it would be
.536/.544

also would the car be completely gutless on the low end with this cam?

 

at 110K miles the valvejob is probably gone. while your doing the cam you might wanna pull the heads and have a valvejob done as well.

 

BTW, you'll need headders and head work to see the full benifit of your cam.

 

my MAC headers will be going on soon, so I'll have the headers. I am sort of torn between getting the heads done or just leaving them stock.

 

If you go with the 224, definitely do some headwork, at least a pocket port job while you've got the heads off, it'll make that cam work so much better. But if you stick with just the hot cam or something about as tame, headwork won't be as big of a deal, but it'd still help.

Jason

 

224/230 is a great cam if you want to make good power on the stock heads, and get a good gain when you decided to port them in the future.