ive already picked out the cam i want, the truck is a 03 5.3L avalanche. im for sure going to have to buy pushrods and valve springs but will the stock retainers work or do i need to replace those as well. also, whats a good brand for valve springs and pushrods.

 

just get new valve springs and pushrods. Hell you don't even HAVE to have pushrods unless you're going with a big cam. I don't know of anybody(in a truck) who has bent a push rod and if they have it's extremely uncommond. With that said, I run hardened comp pushrods, titanium retainers and new valvesprings in my truck but all that minus the valve springs isn't required.

 

What size cam? Generally stock retainers will work for most applications. Comp 918 springs are popular for under around 0.60 lift. Comp hardened pushrods are good or Thunder Racing ----> Sponsor also has some nice harden pushrods. Patriot has some nice dual springs for for a little more money a little extra insurance. I currently have a TR224/224 cam, comp 918 springs and TR hardened pushrods waiting for me to get around to installing them in my truck. I also got the Titanium retainers packaged with the deal that I don't really need but I may use them just because I have them. While your in there it is also probably a good idea to look at upgrading the timing chain to an ls2 chain. Very cheap insurance. Might not hurt to upgrade the oil pump too since it has to come out to replace the timing chain.

 

Just how much is there to gain from changing the cams in these trucks? Like my truck on has a Nelson tune no cats and a Magnaflow 3" I/O. What would be a very streetable cam and how much HP is there in a cam selection?

 

the cam im going to get is the vinci hi-performance "trucker". so what im hearing is that ill go with the patriot Partiot "Gold" .650" Lift Dual Spring Kit which includes: Patriot "Gold" Springs, Titanium Retainers, Machined bases, Super 7 Locks, & Viton Rubber Seals and then on top of that, get a ls2 timing chain. if im right, this would be a pretty good set-up.

 

That sounds like overkill for that cam, but if you are willing to spend the doe it should more than get the job done.

 

overkill, damn then lets cut back on some money. i totalled it up and it came out to be around 725. what can i get rid of but have it still be nice and safe. also, do i plan on getting a higher stall tc like a 2600 or 3000?

 

Titanium Retainers, Machined bases, Super 7 Locks, & Viton Rubber Seals.
You don't need any of that stuff for a cam swap, and if the specs I found on that cam are correct you can use the comp 918 springs. Although if the dual springs don't cost much more they might be a good investment. Check the classifieds on here and on Tech. Springs, cams, and pushrods come up for sale all the time. I got my cam, springs, pushrods and titanium retainers(which aren't needed) for $425. I could sell the retainers if I wanted and reduce my costs further.

Also I would go for at least a 3000 stall. You'll be wanting more if you go smaller. I have a Yank tt3000 and I love it even with the stock cam and I drive about 40 mile round trip everyday for work. You can get by with a trailblazer stall (should stall from 2600 -2800 in a truck) for less money, but I think it's worth it to get a better stall from the get go.

 

Did you install the yank converter before or after the flt transmision? I'm wanting to do a cam swap, but afraid of tearing up the tranny. It seems that anyone that just swaps out the cam and not the converter isn't having any tranny problems yet/

 

The tranny problems can typically be relieved with the addition of a trans cooler. When they say that 90% of all trans issues are due to heat, they aren't kidding.

Think about if you were driving a manual car and revved the engine out to 3K and let out the clutch. Think about the heat that generates on the clutch, pressure plate, and flywheel.

Now realize that is similar to what is happening within a torque converter. It generates more heat and without cooling down the fluid, it can burn it up.