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Fu Manchu

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Having had a 10 year hiatus (marriage kids and work) I’m back on forums, a lot has changed on this site but nothing has changed with my stock LS1. So please help me....
VZ SSZ auto, time to take her for an upgrade. I’m in Adelaide so would appreciate any local suggestions.
Wanting head and cam package, big cam, only drive it about 6 Kms a day. Car has 150k on the clock but thinking with a big cam, heads, diff gears and stall what else should I consider? I’ve been out of the game for a while and back then it was putting hot dogs on to sound the part, but I’m sick of these SUVs pulling up next to me and struggling to get in front to merge (not going above the speed limit)
Help a brother out!
6L80e conversion.
 
H

harrop.senator

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Can get away without a stall on a lot of cams. But the power isn't to be had down low so why bother going through the doughey-ness for the good part.

You'll want 265-35/18 in a very good tyre otherwise you'll just turn them constantly. I don't bother going under a 3500 in an LS due to how high they make peak torque.

Just know a big stall , 3.7's and 3.9s can have you lose a lot of street races due to wheel spin.

If it were me I'd be looking at an intercooled vortech set up, used exhaust and a reasonable street cam around the 230's. Will sound nasty if tuned to be and do your 10k budget.

I usually only get $5-600 for extractors , hi flow cats and a twin system when I wreck them. That's $1500 new price big saving already.
 

shane_3800

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Can get away without a stall on a lot of cams. But the power isn't to be had down low so why bother going through the doughey-ness for the good part.

You'll want 265-35/18 in a very good tyre otherwise you'll just turn them constantly. I don't bother going under a 3500 in an LS due to how high they make peak torque.

Just know a big stall , 3.7's and 3.9s can have you lose a lot of street races due to wheel spin.

If it were me I'd be looking at an intercooled vortech set up, used exhaust and a reasonable street cam around the 230's. Will sound nasty if tuned to be and do your 10k budget.

I usually only get $5-600 for extractors , hi flow cats and a twin system when I wreck them. That's $1500 new price big saving already.

B S mate, the BTR stage two or most USA based stage two cams that aren't 40 series cores but the proper 50 series will make more power pretty much across the curve.
If you need to stall an engine your power curve will be rubbish below 3500rpm any cam that big is going to peak out at 7+ which is not needed for the street.
If anyone would put such a cam into a car that see's the street whatsoever they're a tool.

However sometimes you can step up to a BTR stage 3 style cam if you get the right heads that can help make up for the torque loss.
Some cam manufactures will say you need diff gears and more comp which is BS no matter how much you gear a dog of an engine it's still a dog of an engine and will be sloppy as **** on throttle response.

If you're going to change compression then you should increase it as much as you can. The camshaft has nothing to do with compression if you think a "big" cam needs more compression for dynamic compression then you have no idea. Compression just increases power evenly across the curve. A big cam on a low comp engine will still shift the power curve exactly the same. It's just cam companies tell people to up compression to help with thr lack of torque in the bottom end of the curve.
This does not need to happen with correct cam selection.
 

Fu Manchu

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1619607334472.gif
 

JasonMit

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B S mate, the BTR stage two or most USA based stage two cams that aren't 40 series cores but the proper 50 series will make more power pretty much across the curve.
If you need to stall an engine your power curve will be rubbish below 3500rpm any cam that big is going to peak out at 7+ which is not needed for the street.
If anyone would put such a cam into a car that see's the street whatsoever they're a tool.

However sometimes you can step up to a BTR stage 3 style cam if you get the right heads that can help make up for the torque loss.
Some cam manufactures will say you need diff gears and more comp which is BS no matter how much you gear a dog of an engine it's still a dog of an engine and will be sloppy as **** on throttle response.

If you're going to change compression then you should increase it as much as you can. The camshaft has nothing to do with compression if you think a "big" cam needs more compression for dynamic compression then you have no idea. Compression just increases power evenly across the curve. A big cam on a low comp engine will still shift the power curve exactly the same. It's just cam companies tell people to up compression to help with thr lack of torque in the bottom end of the curve.
This does not need to happen with correct cam selection.

thanks boys for the responses. A lot of the above goes over my head because of my lack of knowledge. After doing a bit of research I’m thinking vcm 480 or 883 cam, with 3000 stall, 3.9 diff gears.
Without driving a setup like that and from what I’ve read I’m thinking that would give me the power and sound I’m after for an occasional daily with the correct tune.
Any pros and cons with going for that set up?
What will give first and what should I consider touching up, don’t want to have that setup for 3 months and then trans is gone etc.
Thanks in advance
 

Ginger Beer

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My VX SS was fun and responsive with a little cam, full exhaust (pacey tri-y to single 3.5"), 2800 stall, Craigs built 4l60e with a trans cooler, 3.9 gears and some new FE2 suspension with 255/40 17 Hankook RS4 on the rear. It would bag the tyres through the gears if I wanted to, but I could still sit in traffic or drive from Sydney to Brisbane with the family, and it was a pleasure

Not the quickest thing, but it sounded good and you could give it a hard time, and it was a great street car with good manners, and quicker than most SUV's. This sounds like what you want

1 year later I did think of going a bigger cam and some Higgins heads, but after going for a drive in a few "really lumpy" cars that really only made power up high, I chose a different path, and I ticked a bucket list item, a blower (HTV2300)

And whilst the blower was slightly more expensive, I'm glad I went that way, the car drives brilliantly and has excellent street manners, and way more streetable power than a big head and cam package could ever give

Opinions may vary
 
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JasonMit

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So but of an update… have been given a quote for the following by a reputable engine builder.
True trac diff/diff gears, high stall converter, cam and heads, mafless tune $12500…. The finer specs are to be worked out but where do you think that price is at?
I haven’t shopped around all that much but before I do is this a price around the mark? What have others experienced. Thank you in advance
 

shane_3800

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So but of an update… have been given a quote for the following by a reputable engine builder.
True trac diff/diff gears, high stall converter, cam and heads, mafless tune $12500…. The finer specs are to be worked out but where do you think that price is at?
I haven’t shopped around all that much but before I do is this a price around the mark? What have others experienced. Thank you in advance

You need more detail on what is actually being done.
 

shane_3800

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