This might be a dumb question...But I'm not sure...

 

"It Depends."

a bigger cam that stock, to a certain degree, will make more horsepower.

a cam that is too big for the flow numbers of stock heads, will make the engine want to operate in an RPM range that the stock heads will choke out the benefits of... meaning no there wouldnt be a hp benefit.

theres a lot more to it than that, but thats simple terms.

 

Yes, lots of options depending on your wants/needs and current set up. This might answer some questions:

http://www.ls1lt1.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15187

 

Lots of "cam only" cars putting down great numbers.
You will want to have covered the basics (intake and headers, catbackl) first.
Remember that more agressive cams will require supporting modifications
(springs, rockers, studs, tuning, even heads in some cases)

IMHO, a cam should be selected to compliment the rest of the build, not the other way around.

EDIT: I noticed your sig, what kind of cam did you buy?

 

Like in the other replys. It depends alot on your current set up and what your goals are. Along with what cylinder heads you are running.

 

Torque is more important for a street machine
than HP ... HP will follow torque.

First and foremost, you should improve the
breathing on both ends first.

Secondly, you can do more for the engine with
re-worked heads, before doing the cam.

 

You can also throw in a bigger cam and gain power on the dyno, but slow down on the track.

 

The guy who owned the car before me put in the cam. I don't know what type of cam it is. I've been trying to get ahold of the guy to find out...but the number is changed. The only thing he said is that it has a more lope to it than stock. To me it only has VERY little lope. You can hear it the best when you put it in gear and let the transmission get you rolling.

Apparently this guy had the engine pulled and refreshed the rings on the pistons and didn't do anything else. Not that I am aware of anyway. When I bought it I wasn't really knowledgable on any performance parts or mods. I just wanted a fast car...

But I'm still trying to get in touch with this guy so that I can find out exactly what has been done to my baby before I got her...

 

All cams are compromises, but the stock cam is clearly biased toward drivability, durability, and emissions. This implies that an aftermarket cam is going to be "better". What you need to keep in mind is that as you improve in one area, something else inevitably suffers. IOW, cams are a real life illustration of TINSTAAFL (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TANSTAAFL) In light of the above, better is in the eye of the beholder. TINSTAAFL nonwithstanding, an appropriately selected cam in an otherwise stock motor can gain 20-40hp with very little loss in other areas. Even more with supporting mods like headers, CAI, tuning, etc. However, as already stated, to gain these advantages upgrading other components (springs, rockers, etc.) may be needed.

Rich

 

well.....get us a sound clip, we can probably get you an idea of what cam it is

Its probably a hotcam, but who knows