I have an auto and 3.23 gears with a stock stall. My money is tight right now and I won't be able to afford gears or a stall for a while. Do I really need gears or a stall with this cam to enjoy it on the street? Or is it just recommended for track etc.

So my question is how is it driving with the 503 on stock gears/stall? Will my car feel like a dog down low or will it be like stock until ~2500?

I have heard this cam makes a great torque curve and that is what I am after. I'm just not sure about its performance on the lowend. My car isn't a track car so I want it to be fun on the street. Thanks for any opinions.

 

I tossed around the idea of the XE224/230 vs. LT4 Hot Cam for quite a while before making my decision. They both are great cams and will give you great results. Those who have the 224/230 swear by it and forsake the LT4 Hot Cam, it is all just personal preference you cannot go wrong with either of them.

Either way with that cam you are going to need a tune, so definately factor that into your budget. A stall is not necessary, I drove on mine with just the cam and tune (plus bolt-ons) for a while before I put in the stall -- it was actually the demise of my 4L60E that brought on my decision to go ahead and put the stall in while the transmission was out getting rebuilt anyways. Let me tell you this much, the stall made a pretty considerable difference. I've still got the factory 3.23s right now and it is a super fun car on the street as well as putting down high 12.70s at the track. I'm confident when I do put gears in it will only make the car that much more fun.

Edit: I realize after the fact I really didn't answer your question so let me quit beating around the bush.

No, a stall and gears are not necessary for that cam to be fun on the street. It will give you a decent lope and you won't lose too much on the bottom, but you'll definately feel (the gain) up top. However, a tune is essential for you to really get the gains you want out of that cam.

I am running the LT4 Hot Cam -- if you do want to go that route and have any questions feel free to ask.

 

me and my brother both run this cam on daily drivers on the stock stall.
there is deffinatley a slight tug on the car at idle but nothing thats unbearable *IMO*

you have plenty of gear for the cam.. im actually running it on a 2.73 for the moment i just cant use overdrive unless im on the highway due to some cam surge.

the cam sounds great at idle too you can deffinatley tell its been cammed up some.

as for the power im not really sure i can help with that.. we are running ours on slightley ported heads. but im sure someone will post their experiences with it on stock heads.

*edit*
i agree with the above post... a tune really helps out alot.

 

It will run alright without, but even for a cam that size (with an auto) you will want a stall and gears to make it drive really well part throttle and perform the way it was designed.....

 

youll still be able to have alot of fun though, I recomend madz28.com for the tune! good luck

 

Man, you can get a cheap 2600 stall for about 125 bucks! That's what I did for a while and went easy low 12's with a 3.89 gear.

 

I don't think that the CC503 will work too well with that L98 intake you were planning on using.

 

Well check my sig i threw down some decent #'s with that cam i know my engine is far from stock but i was happy with it.I also am turning my car into a drag car and going with a bigger cam,i'll be pulling out the CC503 the springs retainers and keepers to go along with it this weekend if your on a budjet and interested PM me for more info.I had a guy here locally that wanted to buy it i havent heard from him

 

I didn't really like the cam until I got 3.73 gears and a stall. that made it much better. Had 3.23's to begin with. Sounds mean at Idle with mid length headers, hi flo cat, and cut-out.

 

LMAO! some people didn't seem to get the joke though..

 

I was considering this as an option. Where did you get yours from and how is the quality? Do they tell you the str of those cheaper converters when you buy them or do they just set them to factory spec?

 

I got mine from Oregonperformancetransmissions on EBAY. It's the 2200-2600 lock up one and is basically a replacement for the S-10. It worked great, even with a little juice, drove like a stocker, doesn't need a cooler, and is still in an Impala running weekly 12.70's. I thought it was a great converter for the money.

 

what rpm did that converter flash to?

 

LOL.

Actually, the CC503 is a pretty decent off-the-shelf cam. A good streetability/power compromise, but it's very hard on valvetrain components so you'd want to get good parts for the rest of the package. I have the CC503 in my 383 and I'm quite happy with it.

But for just a little bit more $ you could talk with someone like Bret Bauer (SStrokerAce on this board), describe your needs/goals, and he'll grind you a custom cam that will surpass anything you'd get off the shelf. If I was building my engine all over again, I'd go with a custom cam.

 

I ran a gm847 on stock gears and stall. It was sluggish till 2000rpm, then it will all of a sudden pull. Doesnt sound like much, but on a stock gear and stall, the motor spends most of its time under 2000 rpm during regular street driving.

I think your cam should do much better. If you do it, you may end up saving up again for a higher stall