Engine refresh with cam swap?

[JoeliusZ28]

Well i am still planning my cam swap.... In a way its been a blessing that i havent had the money to do it yet because ive had a lot more time to research better grinds and valvetrain components, but anyway thats besides the point.

Anyway, Im just wondering what you guys would do. My car has 90k miles on it right now. Its been maintained meticuluously, but has been driven the way its meant to be. The engine is in good health. Im planning on doing a fairly wild cam (but not TOO huge). Im thinking about doing one of two methods for my cam swap.

1) Just change the cam out, engine in the car.

2) Pull the motor completely, and in addition to swapping the cam, install new head gaskets (to have fresh ones, and also to up the CR ~.5), and also new main bearings, and 4-bolt caps to strengthen it up a bit. Im not sure how much more this would cost.

thoughts?

[transampimp]

I would just throw the cam in. Sounds like alot of extra work that isn't needed. I'm not an expert, but I think you need to get your bottom end machined if you swap the main bearings. If you do that you might as well change the pistons, and possibly increase the bore size.

I dought your head gaskets need to be changed. The extra compression isn't going to be a substantial increases for the work. My car has 130,000 miles on it and I drive her in the higher rpm range all the time. I'd do a cam swap if I had more confidence in doing it myself. You only have 90,000 miles and drive your car just as hard as I do.

When you start changing stuff that doesn't need to be changed, you end up finding other things that need to be changed too. I know your LT1 is strong, and shouldn't need more than a cam and valve train. I bet you could get at least 1-2 years out of it before you need a rebuild.

[96BlackBetty]

When I get mine done hopefully this summer Im pullin the motor out putting all new gaskets checkin walls and piston ring with new ones and cleaning it up a bit with a new cam heads an headers. Thats just me though. Id redo the motor if I could and had the chance.

[WMCCjames]

I wouldn't eff with it. Do the cam swap and run the car till the motor starts showing signs of getting tired. Then go from there.

[tenpin842]

Yeah cam it and go!

[s.reef]

Hey joel when you doin the cam swap? I just bought a 503 and me and Tom are goin to be swappin it in a month or so

[Orange Terror]

I wouldn't eff with it. Do the cam swap and run the car till the motor starts showing signs of getting tired. Then go from there.

I agree, just swap the cam and drive the wheels off it for another 50k. I wouldn't worry about the mains till you rebuild it (if you do) and up the HP considerably. 2 bolt mains are good to well over 400 hp last I knew. Should be fine. Plus, tearing into something that didn't really need it always seems to take longer, cost more, and be more of a hassle that ever intended, its just the nature of the beast.

[JoeliusZ28]

OK! crowd has spoken! I'll leave her alone.

Hey joel when you doin the cam swap? I just bought a 503 and me and Tom are goin to be swappin it in a month or so

If things go as planned, probably about july or so. The 503 will be a great cam for an auto DD car.

[s.reef]

yea...love the lope on it too!

[JoeliusZ28]

hopefully yours is at least 112 lsa if you want lope... the 503 is actually a pretty friendly cam. The key will be to set the idle low.

[s.reef]

yup 112 lsa