Which cam for LQ4?

[superdav]

Ive got an LQ4 for my swap, my current motor is a small block with a 270/470 comp cam. Im looking at a comp cam thumper, which one compares to my 270/470? It has to sound good and make HP, around 450HP is what I'm looking for. The other mods Im still researching. Ive never had a roller cam so I don't know how how they compare.

[mongocanfly]

Your gonna need more than just a cam swap to get 450hp from a lq4..the lq4 stock is around 320s hp..as far as a cam I'm fixing to drop a btr stage 2 or 3 in mine..they sound great..lookum up on utube for sound

[tinydb84]

Those thumper cams aren't performance based. They are ground for sound.

We put a 6xx/23x/113 cam in my brother's 243 headed lq4 (I cant find the original specs).

I recommend calling up any of the big cam companies and tell them what you have and they will recommend a specific cam to match your needs.

[mongocanfly]

Check this out..http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/eng...-makes-464-hp/

[Rickysnickers]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Check this out..http://www.superchevy.com/how-to/eng...-makes-464-hp/

Wow, that's not bad at all. I would like to be able to find a 6.0 for $900. I didn't think that was even possible.

[superdav]

Originally Posted by mongocanfly

Your gonna need more than just a cam swap to get 450hp from a lq4..the lq4 stock is around 320s hp..as far as a cam I'm fixing to drop a btr stage 2 or 3 in mine..they sound great..lookum up on utube for sound

The cams only one part in the plan
and checking those links now........

[93Polo]

What are your plans? Daily, towing, street performance, stall converter?

I would mill the 317 castings .030 and then discuss your cam specs and spring selection with someone like Cam Motion, Engine Power Systems, Brian Tooley, LS1tech has more reputable vendors.

Quick google search for something I would put in your ballpark. 224 at .050 is good compromise on sound, tq, and drive ability.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCwolKH6RNA

[BR3W CITY]

That article feels that the Comp lifters (their donor sponsor) are of "better quality" than the GM LS7 lifter, a part so praised for its design that it actively replaced the entire back catalog of GM LS lifters and superseded all their uses in GM TSB....

...Seems legit.

[mongocanfly]

Gotcha sdave..I weighed building a engine to hit the 450 mark vs ls3...I went ahead and found a good low mileage ls3 for less than what I could build a engine for...426hp stock..close enough for me..

[superdav]

Originally Posted by 93Polo

What are your plans? Daily, towing, street performance, stall converter?

I would mill the 317 castings .030 and then discuss your cam specs and spring selection with someone like Cam Motion, Engine Power Systems, Brian Tooley, LS1tech has more reputable vendors.

Quick google search for something I would put in your ballpark. 224 at .050 is good compromise on sound, tq, and drive ability.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCwolKH6RNA

Weekend driver,the only thing this truck is gonna haul is good looks!
It's gonna get the mill, the compression is definitely gonna have to come up

[superdav]

Compcams recommended the 54-457-1, said it has a rough idle and good performance. Anybody use one of these? I found some videos online but the idle sounded only slightly rough, granted it's the internet and I only found a few videos but I was hoping for more sound
Does it have more?

[68Stepbed]

Texas Speed MS4!!

In all seriousness, call an LS performance company like Texas Speed, Tick Performance, Cam Motion, etc. and tell them what you have, what you plan to do with it, HP and performance goals. They'll help you pick the right cam and other complimentary upgrades to go with it.

[BR3W CITY]

FWIW if anyone cares about the tech side of things. Cams are a little like batteries, in the sense that only like 5-6 companies actually MAKE cams;the rest of them either order cam cores and grind their own, design their profiles and have them ground at a larger scale machine shop, or simply license an existing profile with an existing company and slap their name on it for a fee.

Comp is the BIG player (they own 80%+ of the common performance brands you've ever heard of) and they are also the #1 cam core maker in terms of volume. The problem is that over then last 2-3 years the quality of Comp's hard product has fluctuated. We've been witness to 2 separate incidents of cams made (and ground!) by comp which caused catastrophic damage because the lobes WEREN'T TREATED after the grind. Without this, the lobe surface is soft and mars when contacting the lifter and wears down VERY quickly...resulting in flattened cams and the collateral damage that comes with them. We've opted largely to use Cam Motion cores more frequently in the last year as a result.

I don't mean to seem super sh!tty on Comp, its just that A) big player in the market is a big target B) legitimate change in quality C) their clearly sponsored influence on the article.

[93Polo]

Originally Posted by BR3W CITY

FWIW if anyone cares about the tech side of things. Cams are a little like batteries, in the sense that only like 5-6 companies actually MAKE cams;the rest of them either order cam cores and grind their own, design their profiles and have them ground at a larger scale machine shop, or simply license an existing profile with an existing company and slap their name on it for a fee.

Comp is the BIG player (they own 80%+ of the common performance brands you've ever heard of) and they are also the #1 cam core maker in terms of volume. The problem is that over then last 2-3 years the quality of Comp's hard product has fluctuated. We've been witness to 2 separate incidents of cams made (and ground!) by comp which caused catastrophic damage because the lobes WEREN'T TREATED after the grind. Without this, the lobe surface is soft and mars when contacting the lifter and wears down VERY quickly...resulting in flattened cams and the collateral damage that comes with them. We've opted largely to use Cam Motion cores more frequently in the last year as a result.

I don't mean to seem super sh!tty on Comp, its just that A) big player in the market is a big target B) legitimate change in quality C) their clearly sponsored influence on the article.

You are not thee 1st shop I have heard that from. I was hooked on CamMotion 10+ years ago with my old cam Futral sold me. Cam Motion has always had good customer service. I have one in my current C5 and have plenty of other LS friend with CamMotion grinds.

I was reading this again and thinking about cams, a 230/230 110 may work giving you the torque to move the heavy truck and the sound you want.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4D8tbWDd6Y

EPS is Engine Power Systems which will show in a google search, and they use Cam Motion to grind their cams last I heard.

[superdav]

thx guys

[superdav]

A video of my 84 starting for the first time in 9 years, well actually the second time I couldn't believe it started so easy after sitting so long so I shut it of and got the phone out. Poured a cup of gas in the carburetor, cranked about ten seconds and she started right up!
The float is trashed so I had to work the pedal to keep it running and get into an idle but at the end of the video you can hear the cam's true sound with open headers


https://youtu.be/4IsjX-7bGcw

[OutlawDrifter]

EPS has a grind that is 230/238 that they like to push towards the 6.0l crowd. I run a 230/232 112+4 in my LQ9 based Z28 engine. It's got very good mid and upper range power, and a nice big flat torque curve. It will spin 7K rpm but stops building HP around 6500. My car puts down 425 to the wheels through a T56 and 4.10 geared 8.8 rear axle.

You don't have to over cam and use huge lift to make good power. Both intake and exhaust on my cam are under .600.

[zach_carver]

Call Brian tooley racing, ask them guys. You can thank me later lol

[Robznob11]

Im with br3, the cammotion cams have alot softer lobes than comp as well, meaning they dont snap open and closed as aggressive, therefore they are much easier on valvetrane. Also to adress some of the other post made. It seems the OP is wanting 450 at the crank not whp and yes that can be had all day long with a cam change on a lq4. Infact what you need to consider is about a 230/236 ish cam with @.600 lift. You will need a 3400-3800 stall and atleast 36# injectors, im running a sinnister grind that is about this range. I went with 42# injectors for room to grow, the ecm can pull up to 50% fuel so you can get away with a little large. The stock injectors on a lq4 are at 80%+ duty with just a tune....so injectors are recommended for a larger swap. I have a youtube page under disciple77.rc you can see sound clips of both a 221/226 cam and the 230/236 cam and hear the difference. I have not dynoed my truck yet so i cant really make a claim...but I can tell you there are atleast 3 dyno vidieos of the exact cam i have making 400-425whp in a 5.7 ls1. One has heads too....so its a bit more
I would also recommend running a fuel pump that will support the hp you are trying to achieve...