5.3litertornado

hey guys! new here and im in search of information...
i have an 02 silverado with a 5.3 but the poor thing is a victim of the typical chevy lifter knock... so to remedy this, im going to get a set of the ls7 lifters, a new timing chain and sprockets, and a new cam because why not? i also plan on getting a set of shorty direct fit headers so i dont have to go nutts on the exhaust and eventually end up with a tune.

now my question is this: what kind of gains can i see and is there anything else i should know or do before i dig in? i been wrenchin on cars since i was a young whipper snapper but i always like to get advice when i can. im hoping someone on here has done something similar and has some knowledge and maybe even some insight.

here are links for all the parts im considering:

Melling P/N: MEL-mc1394
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mel-mc1394/all
$221.00

Texas Speed P/N: 25-TSPLL212218
https://www.texas-speed.com/p-5002-t...-camshaft.aspx

Timing set P/N: CLO-C3220
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/clo-c3220
$32.97

Lifter/guide combo
$121.00

you will notice there are 2 cams there. im kinda torn between them... i dont want anything im going to have to change springs or pushrods or anything like that on and this will be a daily driver. so another question i ask is from the 2, which you think would be the best bang for the buck? i only want to have to do this once and i think the texas speed cam would be more worth the time and money. i also wouldnt mind haveing a mild lobe at idle but performance is my main goal.

in short, what kind of gains can i expect from this plan o mine, and which cam would be the best fit to get a good hp gain but maintain a DD? last but not least, the texas speed cam comes with the option to change the lobe separation. the options are, 111, 112, 113, and 114... which one would be the best for power gains?

thanks in advance!!!

FFDP

iTrader: (2)

The first cam is like a stock cam from looking at the numbers, no power gain from that.

The 212/218 is a nice cam, good power upgrade but you need new valve springs.

Skip the shorty headers and put that money towards the springs. It's going to need a tune no matter what if you upgrade camshafts.

Wolftrk99

iTrader: (5)

The melling stock replacement cam is not going to give you much increase in anything over your stock cam, bang for the buck would be the tsp cam but it is going to need a tune when youre done. Smart thing to do would be to add an oil pump to that list. Another thing to consoder is what headsyour engine has, if it has castech 706's may be worth while to throw another set of heads on it while you are there and have them off anyway.. if youre adding a cam and headers anyway you may want to consider an nnbs/tbss intake...

5.3litertornado

The texas speed cam claims i wont need springs.. and i shouldnt have to take the heads off i should only have to take out the pushrods.... right? Removing the heads is a lot more work...

Wolftrk99

iTrader: (5)

If you have lifter noise, you are going to need lifters, which requires pulling the heads!

5.3litertornado

Just kidding. I may have confused myself with an older small block style... hell it may not even have been a small block.. iv worked on so many cars... iv seen it done before (replacing lifters with heads on) i just forget which v8 it was...

Wolftrk99

iTrader: (5)

The gen 2 sbc you can pull the intake and pushemrods and lifters are right there, gen3/4 ls styke engines you could theoretically replace the camshaft without pulling the intake but the lifters are below the heads, and honestly are alot easier to get the heads off imo than the older sbc were, definitely a lot less bs bolted to the heads!!!

FFDP

iTrader: (2)

Read the texas speed cam dealio a little closer, it says they will use factory LS6 springs. Your truck springs are not the same as LS6 springs as far as I know.

5.3litertornado

Ahhh ffdp i stand corrected! I wonder how much those are gunna set me back... i guess the question i should have asked from the get-go is what is the most aggressive cam i can install without modifying heads/pushrods/springs/torque converter ect...

vista4.8

youre not gonna get a performance cam without having to upgrade valve springs. The BTR and Texas speed truck cam kits both come with valve springs.