i have a 2001 gmc sierra 5.3L. i was thinking about putting a bigger camshaft in. what is the biggest cam i can put in with out having to redo my springs. im talking a just a cam and lifter swap. also my truck is a daily driver so i need something that will get it more power but still be practical.

any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

no need to swap lifters stockers will do just fine this is a gen3 motor no more sbc

most just go with a cam and springs

you cant get a very big cam without replacing our stock springs

 

You dont need to swap lifters. I think the Z06 cams dont require a spring swap.

 

IMO if you are going through the hassle of a cam swap, Get a good cam (size wise) and just change the springs, You will get some great results with just a cam and tune.

220/220 cam will be great

 

in certain cases you should or might need to swap lifters. its a good rule of thumb when pulling heads toss on a new set of lifters

 

ok so whats all this about lift and duration. wat would be good for me?

 

Do you want low end TQ or high end power? Do you tow?

I had a 210/218 .551 .551 112lsa cam in my 5.3 and loved it. If you want a smoother idle and no driveability issues get the cam on a 114 or so lsa. Overlap plays a big part in the lopey sound as well. It all depends on what you want.

 

im looking for a low to mid range cam. i dont tow but i want something that will push me back in to my seat. would like to do just a cam swap. dont want to mess with springs or any of that. a more agressive and slight lope would be good. but this is a daily driver for me. so

 

sounds like a nice torque converter might give you what you are looking for... you'd be surprised. any cam worth swapping would have too much lift for stock springs and generally a larger cam will move your powerband up.

 

maybe swap in a ls1 cam and give you about 4-6 more hp..anything bigger than stock you will need springs..its really not that hard to do to change springs..cam swap is a picknick, no need to pull the intake like the old sbc's, but to change the lifters you have to pull the heads..read www.ls1howto.com and they will tell ya the tricks to holdin up the lifts..which i like using dowl rods..comp 212 218 .522 .529 lift 114 lsa cams work great in a 5.3 with a stock converter