For those that had a shop install your cam/rockers/pushrods ect, what did it cost you?

 

I didn't have it installed, but I was quoted around $1500 for a local speed shop to do it. No one wants to mess with LT1's anymore. There's so much more to do than on a LS1. Everything for them just bolts on, like the rockers.

 

Most shops in my area charge about 65/hr for labor and I dont see how a decent mechanic could take more than 12 hours or so to do a cam install and thats being generous...so I'd say 7-800 if you supply the parts.

 

the rockers and pushrods are cake to do. it took me about 4 hours and that was with a 2 hour wait for someone to come help me watch the lifters/rockers while i spun the crank. the hardest part was grinding my alternator for tall covers....which you dont need but i wanted them. you can pull out the support beams that run width wise to clear the trunion bearings on bigger rockers.

 

I agree $1500 seems pretty high.

 

At the shop I work at we charge 73.23 an hour for labor and I think book time for a cam swap is 13 hrs. give or take an hour. That comes out to be $950 + tax.

 

Labor charges differ everywhere you go. This was purely a F-body shop that does other work on the side, so they're rates were a good bit higher than a general mechanic's shop.

 

why not just call around the shops in your area and ask. Your always goign to get different qoutes depending on where you live. I wouldn't pay over 800 for the job unless the parts weren't included.

 

To a large extent you will get what you pay for. Book time is about 14 hours, a little more or less depending on year and other stuff. This does NOT include tuning, replacing with larger injectors, adding headers, etc.

Prices range from 600 to 1500+ for labor. Some shops charge MORE for labor when you insist on bringing your own parts, others do not.

I'd tend to go where several people liked the work done, and any problems were repaired rapidly and with good grace... but if you prefer bottom dollar, go your own way. What I'm saying is the quality work may well be worth a bit more... but 1500 labor is on the high side. On the other hand, if it includes the tuning, it may be a bargain.

 

i just recently pd 650 for a cam swap in my lt1 including the rockers,etc... but then my motor let go..so i'm hoping it didn't mess up my cam at all. the swap was done by a local performance shop down here, that just opened up a few months ago..they do mainly fbodies. but work on trucks as well

 

I'd say it's a 12h job, at least. So multiply that by your local labor rate. Around here, in the PRNY, everything is expensive. The only place you would want working on your car is $87/h, so it's $1,000, at least. But I agree that $1,500 seems too high.

Rich

 

I recently had mine done at a shop,. I hated it too.... I am one who likes to work on my car myself. Unfortunately due to a nasty front seal leak, and time constraint I decided to just have it done at a local speed shop.

It was $450 to replace the front seal, and $650 to do the cam swap. I figured if I was going to spend $450 to chang the seal, an extra $200 would be worth it to throw the cam in.

 

A little research (Shoebox's website has plenty of info), patience, a twelve pack and a weekend would land you guys alot of savings. Engine internals are like puzzles, you know you did something wrong if you have parts left over