I have been toying around with replacing the cam in my 1996 LT1 camaro. I don't have much experience selecting a cam, only replacing them in friends cars. I have been trying to find on wit largest amount of lift possible but this is where my problem lies:

How much lift can a LT-1 Handle, assuming 1.6 rockers and factory pistons?

Replacing things like the valve spings and such aren't a problem but my biggest concern is valve to piston clearance. I have been eye balling the comp cams XFI cams, part numbers 07-466-8 or 07-467-8. I would appreciate any input you guys have including specs on your wn cars to kind of ease my concerns. Thanks guys!

 

you also have to be concerned with the duration of the cam....
Lingenfelter seems to like lift over duration. 211/219 560 lift 112 lobe w/1.6
BRE has a few cams that get down with 226-230 range with similar lift ranges(maybe a bit more lift) so the best i could really suggest is to contact LPE,BRE,Advance Inductions etc...they will get you fixed up..

 

I'm running a 224/230 605/622 (1.6) camshaft with my stock short block.

 

Really? Whose Cam is that? I have searched a handful of cam suppliers, mostly the big names and haven't found anything over .584/.579. Let me know!

 

Also, among the others that were mentioned, one of the biggest factors in valve to piston clearance will be the LSA the cam was ground on......IMO, If your interested in getting the most lift possible in there , and even more importantly, something that's tailored to what your specific combo is (or will be) & what your intentions are with the car, I would definitely go with a custom grind......90% of the LT-1 shelf cams out there are just that(shelf cams.. that work "ok").... they are "nearly always" ground on a MUCH less than ideal LSA for the LT-1, sacrificing power compared to a cam ground on the proper LSA (at nearly ALL rpm levels) ...this spreading of the LSA by many of the cam manufactures is done "solely" for the intention of giving a more civilized idle & vacuum reading (important to some I suppose but others (like myself) would rather have the correct LSA for the engine and the increased power output that comes with it).....as mentioned, Bret Bauer or AI would be good choices to contact for a custom grind if you decide to go that route.......good luck.....PS: my LE Bret Bauer cam was very similar to the spec's of the cam listed by STL94LT1 (except I'm not sure what his cams LSA was...mine was a pretty narrow LSA).... and with the stock short block, I had no problems with valve to piston clearances (but it was "absolutely", right on the VERY FINE LINE of needing to have additional depth cut into the pistons valve reliefs on "BOTH" the intake "AND" the exhaust sides (but like I said, never a single issue with anything contacting).........Joe

 

IF YOU notice he is also getting that lift #due to the 1.6s........
584/579 add 1.6s should be around 617/612

 

584/579 probably IS with 1.6RR. Sounds like the xfi cam to me...

You can pick custom lobes or get a custom cam from AI or LE to get over .600 lift.

 

What calculation is everyone using to get the lift #'s from 1.5 to 1.6 rr's?

 

I was using 1.6, that is what my car has, that is how the comp cams XFI are advertised.

 

I think this is right....(just a ratio and cross multiplying deal)

Example....Calculating lift to 1.6 ratio on CC503.

Gross Valve Lift with 1.5 ratio...
Intake = .503
Exhaust = .510

Intake calculation:
(0.503/x) = (1.5/1.6)
((x)(1.5)) = ((1.6)(0.503))
x1.5 = 0.8048
(x1.5/1.5) = (0.8048/1.5)
x = 0.536

Exhaust calculation:
(0.510/x) = (1.5/1.6)
((x)(1.5)) = ((1.6)(0.510))
x1.5 = 0.816
(x1.5/1.5) = (0.816/1.5)
x = 0.544

So, with 1.6 ratio rockers....the CC503 has this gross lift....

Intake = 0.536
Exhaust = 0.544

 

http://www.compcams.com/technical/Ca...07/168-169.pdf

Right on!

 

yup the XFI cams are rated with the 1.6 rockers already so your .584/.579 stays just that unless you were to up it from a 1.6 to a 1.65 which is what i am running on the XFI 468 the largest one they make off the shelf which would make my numbers a tad over .600 at .602/.597 still on stock factory roller lifters with aFR rev kit cam makes power up to 7k on a 30k miles stock bottom end and le2 like head package.

 

Here's another piece of the puzzle, This car is an automatic with 2.73's in the rear, which are great because i can get good milage when i take it long distances. I don't want to put a stall in it because i don'twant to lose some of that drivability, same thing with the gears, i want to keep them. Every place says i have to have "numerically" higher gears but the only reason i can see that is because off the line it will take me longer to get to the power band, but once i am there, the car always stays above 2500-3000 rpm after shifting. I guess what i am looking for is a little comfort in knowing other people have run big cams with no stall and while i might lose some low end power, the car is still streetable. Is anyone doing that?

 

all that cam and no gear

3.42-3.73 gear will not make a huge impact on your fuel mileage especially with the cam you intend on using.
if you use a cam with #s discussed you will need a stall.......

 

Speaks the truth.