I am serously considering putting a cam along with ls1 edit tuning in my baby. I just don't which one. I don't want to comprimise drivability and reliability. I would really appreciated if someone would answer me the following:
What cam should I go with?
How much would a cam, lifters and springs run?
Where do you all suggest I get it installed? The farthest I would want to go is San Antonio or C.C.
How much would installation run me a reputable speed shop?

I would want to this during my 2 week Christmas break if I don't go to Mexico.
Thanks in advance.

Oh.. I almost forgot... I also want something that will give decent power yet be compatible with a blower. Just in case I decide to treat myself to one in the future...

 

Id go with an LS6 cam if you are really planning on going FI later

 

I'd get some stall behind the truck before a cam swap. If you get too much cam you'll have a bit of a flat spot in power. The stall will allow you to jump right up into your powerband. That being said here my dos pecos...

I like a 214/220 dual pattern cam on a 114lsa. About .550-.575" lift. Should have a slight lope to it but still be smooth...hence why the 114lsa. If you know what a cam sounds like you'll know it has one at idle. It is pretty mild but should add easily 25-35rwhp (probably a tad more with a full tune) depending on mod level (your ASM LT's will help a lot here). It should pull well from bottom end to higher RPM's. That 214/220 is a good street cam for smaller small blocks. Just a good all around performer.

I'd say the cam is going to be around $300-400, lifters just go with OE replacments ($150 tops, if you even need them), springs should be around $100-150 also, and I'd get some hardened pushrods while it is all apart. I'd figure about $500-700 for install of it all. Should be in and out within a day as apparently cam swaps are pretty easy on trucks.

My pricing is all ballpark and probably a bit high on the estimates...I estimate high always. Better to be safe than sorry. Hope my input helps some.

 

I payed $350 for the cam install and $250 for the spring install. My cam was $379 + tax/shipping, 2002 LS6 springs were $100 shipped, and TR pushrods were $130 shipped.

Hope this helps a little!

 

thsnks guys.. still open more suggestions.

 

I will be installing the Thunder Racing Old Man Truck Cam in mid November. I will dyno before and after and post the results. It should be killer. Specs in my sig.

 

Here are some dyno numbers for a Comp 212/218 .558/.563 114lsa dyno results w/ stock heads .

I have a similar cam in my Tahoe and love it. I went with a custom grind to reduce overlap and make it a little more friendly for CA emissions.

 

Not to steal your post shark g but i am also curious about a cam for my 4.8L will these work the same for mine, and what can i do about the lost torque down low? I like a cam that will lope just my preference. I all ready have comp cams 1.85 roller rockers installed and if i can get pushrods and springs for around 200 dollars then ill really look at doing this also. I have a 2500 stall, will that work or do i need to go higher? Also how hard is this to do it yourself. I have a shop that i can work in that we work on a race car at. Just didn't know how easy this is. I've heard a couple of guys here say they did their own. is it a simple swap or do you need to line things up and so forth. When we pull the cam out of the race car you have to tear down the whole motor to get to it. Does this apply here also?
Once again sorry Shark G for butting in on your post.

 

If you are NA don't get a cam that has .500/.500 lift. There is a dead spot in airflow right at .500 lift on stock LM7 (5.3L) and LS1 (5.7L) heads. There is a reason why the stock 4.8 and 5.3L cams only lift .457/.466

Here are flow numbers for stock 5.3L heads:

 

LOL!! Big dead spot? That's only a 4 cfm drop. Picks right back up at .550". You will mis-lead people with cam choices by telling them not to go over .500 lift (with stock heads). Even my upcoming .600 lift cam will only put the valve over .500 lift for a very short time. I guarantee you it will make more power than the same cam limited to only .500 lift. Thunder Racing has had HUGE results with their .558/.560, 212/218, 114 cam. Around 40+ rwhp at 5800 rpms (with stock manifolds and cats, BTW).