eugenecruz

Need advise from the experts.

Hi my name is eugene, i own a 2002 Ls1, and this is what i plan on doing.

changing my stock heads and intake with stock Z06 heads and intake.
i plan on buying a T-rex cam with these specs 242/248-.608/.612-110LSA from Thunder Racing.

New bee hive valve springs, push rods and 1.7 rockers
Long tube header and exhausts

computer tuned.

any suggestion on what else i can do or should not do will be greatly appreciated.

*****note: this vette is not going to be street racing is just going to be for cruising.*********

Thank you.

CCA Corvette Parts

Going to need Headers...

http://www.customcorvetteaccessories.com/headers.html

Regards
Chip

eugenecruz

i have long tube headers.

WKMCD

Why such a huge cam with stock heads? Why beehives?

You will want to install new lifter buckets and I would highly recommend new lifters while you have the heads off. The GM replacement lifters work well and they are now all the same as the LS7 lifters. Add a new timing set to the mix and strongly think about replacing the oil pump while you're in there with a Melling HP pump.

Blow Torch

I wouldn't use beehive springs with that size cam, and that cam needs better heads (or ported) to make the best power

WKMCD
Why install new lifter buckets and lifters??

CactusCat

Good specs on your stuff there bud. One thing you might consider. I see you've either got or will be getting beehive valve springs. Check and make sure they can handle the lift on that cam. You're getting into a pretty big cam (not crazy big, but bigger than most street cams) and depending on your brand, some beehive springs are only rated to .600 lift. You're a bit over that but not by much. Just make sure they can handle it. Also, that cam will give you a pretty rough idle. Go to youtube and search for 242/248 cam and listen to some of the ones listed there to see what your idle might be like. The 110 is rougher idle than the 114 too, so keep that in consideration as well. Nice looking mods. Keep us informed and updated.

outkast6991

Lift isn't the problem it the lobes themselves. For a street car with minimal mods the T. Rex is NOT a good decision

CactusCat

WKMCD

They are both wear items. The LS7 lifter is now the standard replacement lifter for LS1/2/6/non DOD LS3's. They are about $130 IIRC. The buckets are there to keep the lifter from turning sideways in the bore - which is very very bad. The buckets are a couple $$ each and cheap insurance.

Why replace them now? You're in there anyways and if the bigger cam stresses the originals and they have to be replaced, you have to take the heads off to get to them.

eugenecruz

all these parts mentioned above are going into a freshly new engine...new main bearings, rod bearings, pistons rings, hardened push rod, lifters, high volume oil pump, and all new gaskets.

the zo6 heads are ported and polished.

why that cam? i heard how it sounded on a vette as same as mine and i love it.
so is that cam good for what i want to do? or should i go with a lower cam?

outkast6991

Sound should not be your main concern when it comes to a cam choice. I understand the want for a choppy idle but you should be looking for power/reliability/drivability instead. A better option would be talking to a cam guy and explaining what you want as far as intended use and the sound you want. I'd be willing to bet the specs are nowhere close to the T. rex. Just my opinion

eugenecruz

ok, so how about this one?

228/230-.571/.573 LSA 112

outkast6991

I'm not trying to be a dick but are you just picking cams at random or is there a method here I'm missing? You should really just email or call a sponser and see what they recommend. A bad cam choice will take all the fun out of driving your car

eugenecruz

no u r not been a dick and i appreciate ur honetsy, but these are cams that were already recommended to me based on the mods i plan on doing, that is why i joined this forum because i like to hear from people that already did a project like this one and have seen the results vs s simple recommendation.

My apologizes if me asking this forum for some advise makes you uncomfortable.

Maxx_Z06

Do you have any kind of hp/tq goals in mind? Any future plans to go with after this setup is done? You need to take into consideration all these things before throwing parts in there. It could save you lots of money in the long run.

outkast6991

not at all man. those 2 cams couldn't be any further apart. sorry if i came across poorly.

eugenecruz

i am not going to be street racing with this vette only cruising with the club, Hp wise, looking for maybe 100hp more, since i am building a new engine i want some strong reliable and that sounded nice, that is all.

thanks for you reply.

realvc

Good luck on your build sounds like you are starting on a long journey of performance mods.

racebum

port the heads if you run 243s and plan on running somewhere near 600 lift and 230 deg of duration. you also would want a true dual spring matched to whatever cam you choose. on top of that you'll have a 6800-7000rpm engine on a bottom end that....well..they take it for awhile but a stock bottom end, even the later bottom ends were only designed for 6500. the early ones were flat time bombs at high rpms

stock heads would work well with something like the GM hot cam which a lot of people would refer to as the "baby cam" still, with a reasonable tune, headers and the ls6 intake manifold 390rwp would be very realistic. it would drive like stock and get you your 100hp over stock. you also would not need expensive pushrods and could use $65/set ls3 springs with your stock locks and retainers. even better, you wouldn't have to rev the engine past 6500

would be a very cheap, easy to tune and reliable build. it also wouldn't "require" headers even though it sure would run better with them

Tech

I'm pretty sure Thunder Racing went out of business. www.thunderracing.com

There are any number of tuners to talk to about your goals. The TRex is on the ragged edge of what will even fit in your engine (with GM heads). Unless you're building a race-only car, you'll get more enjoyment out of something a little smaller.