98 trans am modding?

[chevy913]

I inquired at a local shop about camming my 98 trans am with 114xxx miles on it. It had the trans redone with a 3400 stall put in it about 20000 miles ago. It also has a Texas speed lid and magnaflow exhaust with 373 gears. The shop told me I have too many miles on it to cam it without going through the bottom end and trans. They quoted me 12-16k to redo motor and put heads cam and headers on it with a tune. They said that the 98s are known for rod bolts going? What do you guys think about all this? I have no idea how to put the cam in it and would rather pay to have it done but thought that this price was a little bit much.

[hoogiesngrinderz]

Forget that place ever existed

[chevy913]

Also if anyone can recommend a shop in the metro Detroit area to deal with and what would you guys recommend on doing next for more power?

[JoeliusZ28]

If youre willing to learn you can save a lot of money. Here's a good start:

http://ls1howto.com/index.php?article=23

[hoogiesngrinderz]

Just because you have that many miles doesn't mean you can't cam it, but I would be cautious of how much you cam it. You will need the supporting valvetrain to match.

Trans should be fine if it was done by a reputable shop.

Headers are a good addition. BBK's are nice for the money, Kooks are very, very nice but $$$

Rod bolts/rods are weaker on the earlier engines but they only let go when you spin it above 6k for extended periods of time or make tons of power. If you plan to do either, or both, Katech or ARP rod bolts are a good addition and then you need the proper valvetrain to prevent valve float. It's all about matching the combination to what you want.

Hell, you can buy a very potent crate LS1, a set of headers, and well under what they quoted you. Plus you'd have the original engine to set aside or sell to offset the cost

[chevy913]

Thanks for the replies guys. The car is just a "toy/cruiser" and would like to have the sound of a cam in it. I'm definately not opposed.to learning and putting the cam in it myself. Does you guys have any suggestions on a cam/cam kit for it? I also would like to know what supporting mods I have to get and a good brand? Like I said the car might see the dragstrip a few times but most likely will just come out of the garage in nice weather.

[hoogiesngrinderz]

Thanks for the replies guys. The car is just a "toy/cruiser" and would like to have the sound of a cam in it. I'm definately not opposed.to learning and putting the cam in it myself. Does you guys have any suggestions on a cam/cam kit for it? I also would like to know what supporting mods I have to get and a good brand? Like I said the car might see the dragstrip a few times but most likely will just come out of the garage in nice weather.

How far do you want to go, HP wise?

[hoogiesngrinderz]

I say that because you can get the "cammed" sound but not make any more power. It used to be that you could find a cheap 2002-2004 LS6 (Z06) cam for cheap and put in some GM yellow (now blue) valve springs for a couple hundred dollars and get a nice sound and a bump in power.

With that said, I'm having a hard time finding good used Z06 cams for a decent price these days.

[chevy913]

I would like to get the most out of the motor. At the same time I would like the car to be reliable. Sorry for the questions this is the first car I am modding. I bought this car from my brother in law the original owner last month with the mods it has now.

[hoogiesngrinderz]

Don't worry about the questions, gaining knowledge is the goal here.

There is a saying about cars:

1. Fast
2. Reliable
3. Cheap
Pick two out of the three.

[Formula Z]

Cam and supporting mods and a good tune and you will be very happy. If you bought some beer and pizza and had a warm place to do it, you could probably get some volunteers to help you do it

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[chevy913]

So can anyone give me a little more info on cam specs that they would recommend and also recommendations on the supporting mods and brands? Also what do you guys think of headers like which ones are a decent brand?

[Formula Z]

Pacesetter longtubes are your best bang for the buck and easiest install from what i hear. Its what i have and mine will be up for sale soon due to going turbo.

Also with a cam, you will want to do valvesprings, pushrods, and possibly even upgrade to ls7 lifters. And since you have it apart, a ported ls6 oilpump and ls2 timing chain. Many off the shelf cams available

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

[hoogiesngrinderz]

So can anyone give me a little more info on cam specs that they would recommend and also recommendations on the supporting mods and brands? Also what do you guys think of headers like which ones are a decent brand?

Comp Cam's tech department is usually very good at helping you find a "shelf grind" cam to fit your goals. Where do you want the power? Spread out, down low, or towards the upper RPMs? A good overall cam would be something like the 273LR HR12, but something like the XR277HR may work better with the higher stall. There are so many different grinds that would work so it gets tough to pick. Get the appropriate valve springs/retainers/locks/etc to match the cam.

A LS6 intake is good way to go for not a ton of money (prices are still high though, not as high as FAST intakes)

If you start making too much power then you'll need some new injectors.

I think I mentioned exhaust before. I paid $323 for my chrome BBK header setup.


Of course a good tune is always the way to go after upgrades!

[farmington]

I put a 224r cam in mine and its set up almost the same as your is. I added headers and an LS6 intake manifold. If you change cams, here's what you're looking at, $400 for the cam, $200 for springs, $100 for pushrods, $150 for incidentals (gaskets, crank bolt, etc), $125 LS6 oil pump, $75 LS2 timing chain. Its about a grand in all. Then there's the headers and a good dyno tune is $500. So, if you could find someplace to do the install, you're looking at about $3000. At least. The 224r cam (go to texas speed online) is a good daily driver cam with a nice sound and manners. Makes good power too. I made 375rwhp on a Mustng dyno.