I've got an offer pending on a lightly used hotcam kit.

I'm trying to price out how much it'd cost me to do this. If the deal works out, this will be an excellent bang for the buck, so please no "$500 would be better spent on longtubes", etc.

Here's what's included in the kit I'm buying.

• Hotcam
• LT4 Springs
• Proform 1.6 SA Rockers
• Retainers/Keepers

I think that I will also be replacing the timing chain. Will I be okay with a LT4, or do I need to splurge and get a Heavy Duty LT4? (The LT4 is like $80, Heavy Duty is $230)

I've also computed 2 oil changes, valve cover gaskets, tune, timing chain gaskets. What else will I need? Water Pump Gasket? ETC.

Also, the dowel pin for the opti on the cam I'm buying is for a '94... Can I use the dowel from my stock cam?

My mods/etc are on my fquick.

Any other input regarding the swap is appreciated. I'm by no means an expert, but I'll have some friends helping me.

 

only other thing i noticed you will need would be an intake manifold set ... as for the timing chain i have a stock replacement timing set, nothing fancy or heavy duty with my 306 cam and have had no issues, so i wouldnt see why you would need anything heavy duty unless it is just for piece of mind ...

 

by intake manifold set you mean the gaskets? what about waterpump/opti gaskets?

 

sorry yeah i meant the gaskets ... and you will need the water pump gaskets as well, there is no gasket for the opti just a seal in the timing cover for it, ... if you get a timing cover set, when you get the timing cover gasket it will have the seal for the opti as well as the front timing cover seal for the balancer, which since you will have them, i would say to change them

edit.. it should have the water pump gaskets as well now that i think about it

 

Cool, you don't think I need pushrods do you? I mean I want to do it right, but honestly this is all I'm doing to the motor for 2-3 years till I'm done with school and have a DD and garage. After that I'll either just add LT4 heads/intake and some go go juice or I'll build up a forged 355 for a procharger.

Also, since I'm using SA rockers, I won't need guideplates, right?

 

to be honest i would go with some hardened pushrods and guideplates to be safe, as the self aligning rocker arms appear to not be good up past the stock rev range, they are both cheap enough and would provide some good insurance ... i think the comp part number for the pushrods would be a comp 7808-16 and they are like 37 bucks from jegs, and the guideplates are a comp part number 4808-8 and are like 20 bucks

 

Thanks, I'll keep that in mind. Just gotta crunch numbers and convince my dad to let me do it. (I paid for my car in full, but he pays for my housing while I'm in school so.... )

Also, honestly I'll probably leave the stock rev limiter in place with my tune, I won't hook at the track on street tires anyway, so there's no need to spin it real high and spin a rod or throw drag radials on it and blow the 10 bolt.

 

I ran the "Hot cam kit" in my Formula for 95k miles. With stock push rods, and used the SA 1.6 crane rockers that come with the kit. I used the extreme timing set from GM performance, but looking back I don't think it is necessary.

It's not a crazy set up, and makes a great daily driver. Great gas mileage for what it is.

Use Felpro gaskets, and be carefull lowering the oil pan to get the timing cover off.

I was making most of my power before 6k rpms.

A really big bang for the buck!

Can you say ByByC5.......

Keith

 

Not to hijack the thread, but to go along with it. I'm doing a CC503 install and with self aligning roller rockers and pac 1218 valve springs. I didn't even think of guideplates, and also can't find them for my 1994 lt1 camaro at summit or jegs. Any help with a part number or another place to find quality guideplates. Thanks!

 

comp has guideplates part number 4808-8 for standard ones, and the matching pushrods for use with guideplates is a part number 7808-16, jegs or summit should have these and use those numbers

 

FYI: Do a search. Don't use the Comp guideplates, use Trickflow guideplates and pushrods.

You may also have a hard time changing the dowel pin in the Hot Cam.

 

i am just curious but what is wrong with the comp guideplates? i ran them in my old transam and had no issues with them, i also had there pushrods as well ....

 

From the re(search) that I've done. The Comp guideplates don't align well with the LT1's valvetrain, and the TrickFlow Chromemoly pushrods are half the price of Comps. I'm running TrickFlow guideplates and they align near perfect.

 

I don't think I'll be buying guideplates and pushrods, but I may replace the lifters.

Also, I could just take the cam to a machine shop and have them put a dowel in, that should be pretty cheap, right?