View Full Version : ls6 cam
I just sent my ls6 block to the machine shop to get built and am still thinking about what cam to use. Comp Cams makes an exact dupicate of the original GM cam.They also make what they call a nostalgia plus and a magnum muscle.Has anyone ever used these cams,if so were you pleased with the results?
SS427
10-01-2005, 03:34 PM
Rob,
I will let you know shortly as I believe this is the cam that my engine builder is using on my LS-6. It will be dynoed within the next few weeks so I will let you know the results.
Rick
Chevy454
10-01-2005, 05:17 PM
GM still sells the 143 cam (http://www.gmgoodwrench.com/perfpartsjsp/partlist.jsp?cat=9349&section=ep#12364057)...it's actually a blueprint cam made by Crane, but last I checked it was cheaper from the GM dealer. Skip the Comp unit and go with the GM/Crane unit, trust me...all blueprint cams are NOT the same, and this thing has proved itself on the track and the dyno...
COPO PETE
10-02-2005, 06:50 AM
Take the comp cam and throw it in the garbage! Get the GM cam by Crane! Over the last 10 years in Pure Stock, I have watch many folks running a "close" cam or the Comp. I can name at least five people that have changed and picked up 2 tenths and 3 MPH. Sorry if I sound blunt, but ya can't polish a turd!
Peter
JLerum
10-02-2005, 08:11 AM
GM does not list the cam in stock last time I checked. What Pete said, take it to heart! Buy the CRANE 143 cam expecially if you are running exhaust manifolds. Besides, the cam is gentile on valve springs comparitively speaking.
JIM
WILMASBOYL78
10-04-2005, 07:48 AM
Sounds like good info on the BB cams. Is the L-88 version too much for a "wilder" street motor? Maybe something with enough compression and rear gears to make it intersting. Just doing a little thinking out loud for a future engine project..
wilma http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif
COPO PETE
10-05-2005, 03:17 PM
The L88 cam is no doubt wilder. Again, buy the one from GM! Just make sure you have a least a true 11:1 compression, and I mean a true 11:1, not I bought some 11:1 trw's and stuck them in. If you don't you will have no vaccumm to run your brakes. Also there is so much over lap on those cams that a motor that had a true 10.8:1 compression, it had 95lbs of cranking pressure when checked!
...............................But with manifolds, you can run high 11's for fun with this cam!
Peter
Chevy454
10-05-2005, 07:54 PM
From reading a bunch of my SS&DI mags, a lot of the old school guys opted for "143" cams in their L88s...the 143 is a darn good cam, then and now...
markjohnson
10-06-2005, 09:03 AM
The GM #143 camshaft easily qualifies as one of mankind's greatest mechanical achievements. My '55 chevy runs mid 11's with it but you'd never know by the mild mannered idle. I've been tempted to change it out for something more wild but after a blast through the gears, I always decide to leave it alone. Anyway, it's a fantastic camshaft for stock stall converters and great for four speeds as well. An L-88 camshaft with a four speed or a stock converter on the street is really not that pleasant to drive due to the lack of torque down low with all that duration.
Any thoughts on putting the 143 in a stock 427, 390 HP engine?
markjohnson
10-07-2005, 09:09 PM
I think a #143 camshaft would be a nice improvement to a 427-390HP engine. I've driven stock 427-390's and they run good to begin with but I've always considered hydraulic lifters as a poor man's rev limiter. If you would happen to change cams, fresh new valve springs would be well worth the small investment.
Thank you Mark. I think I will go that route.
WILMASBOYL78
10-08-2005, 04:42 PM
There seems to be some minor differences in the advertised lift for the 143 cam. Some places I have read say .500 and the Crane info says .520. All the techy stuff I have read says BB motors respond well to more lift, especially with a good set of heads. Wouldn't it make sense to have a little more lift and keep the duration about the same? Thinking about building a 427 engine for a project and using the 143 cam, 12 to 1 comp, 074 aluminum heads, etc. Based on the input here about this cam it should be a winner. Comments??
wilma
Chevy454
10-08-2005, 04:50 PM
The Crane unit is a true "blueprint" cam, which is probably why GM offers it...the others just try to get close, but they're all over the map. Been there, done that...
As for your future combo, our Y-Camaro is 12:1 with the 143, but 840s instead of 074s...and it's putting 430+ horsepower to the rear wheels, through stock exhaust manifolds in Pure Stock form...so decent power, I guess...
WILMASBOYL78
10-08-2005, 05:04 PM
Thanks Rob for all the input on this cam and how it performs. Are you running the stock 163 intake on your car? Would you recommend an aftermarket unit that might perform better. Thanks again.
wilma
markjohnson
10-08-2005, 06:16 PM
The stock hi-rise aluminum #163 is very hard to beat and just looks right on these cars. My '55 runs mid 11's with the #143 camshaft and a 1966 aluminum #069 factory intake. Basically the same as the #163 intake which is the long water pump version. The plenum is even still intact in mine. A fantastic reference book that goes over all of this is the "How to Hot Rod Big Block Chevys". It was published in the early seventies and was circulated for about 20-30 years making it fairly easy to find even today. A wise friend gave me a copy when I was 16 and it has always been my bible steering me in the right direction. It is a crime to not own this book if you love those Rat motors!
Mark..I just got that book. Your'e right, its full of good reading.
markjohnson
10-08-2005, 06:39 PM
The book just stresses over and over again about how well designed the stock GM Hi-performance components really were. Most Supercars were built back in the sixties with mostly GM parts because the builders knew what worked and what didn't.
WILMASBOYL78
10-08-2005, 06:42 PM
It is sitting next to my computer as I type this, grease stains and all. I have head this book for 30 years and the info is just as good today as back then. It is funny to see the prices they refer to for hi-perf Chevy parts. $25 for an L78 cam!!!! Man, those were the days..... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif
wilma
Chevy454
10-08-2005, 08:42 PM
Wilma: our Y-Camaro races in Pure Stock, so the major hard parts have to be from the factory...so it's the run of the mill 780/163/840/427 combo...nothing fancy on my part...but as I tell folks all the time, the Chevrolet engineers have a gabillion hours into each and every part, so who am I to second guess them? This combo just plain works, and on a skinny tire it works better than my LS6 did as it will RPM better on the big end due to the stroke and the reciprocating weight.
A nice supplement to the "How To Hot Rod BBCs" book are the books by Ed Staffel (Max Performance BBC's and BBC Hi-Perf Interchange)...they take what you learn in the "How to Hot Rod" book and take it to another level...from ignition curves to compression mapping camshafts....pretty good stuff.
Casey Marks
10-10-2005, 04:24 PM
[ QUOTE ]
...gabillion hours .....
[/ QUOTE ]
Must be a Missouri way to tell time ... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hmmm.gif
Seattle Sam
10-10-2005, 10:36 PM
[ QUOTE ]
GM still sells the 143 cam (http://www.gmgoodwrench.com/perfpartsjsp/partlist.jsp?cat=9349&section=ep#12364057)...it's actually a blueprint cam made by Crane, but last I checked it was cheaper from the GM dealer. Skip the Comp unit and go with the GM/Crane unit, trust me...all blueprint cams are NOT the same, and this thing has proved itself on the track and the dyno...
[/ QUOTE ]
No longer available through GM and none in stock in the US. However it is still made by Crane with grind # 3863143, you can order from Summit Racing or others.
-Sam
SmallHurst
10-12-2005, 11:51 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
...gabillion hours .....
[/ QUOTE ]
Must be a Missouri way to tell time ... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/hmmm.gif
[/ QUOTE ]
Must be Southern Missouri! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif
SS427
10-28-2005, 05:08 PM
Just picked the engine up last night from a day of dyno tuning at the engine builders. End result with a .040 over 454 otherwise totally stock was 475 hp and 482 ft lbs of torque. Unfortunately the highest horsepower rating was also at the highest RPM at 6100. The bright side is it pulled 290 horse at cruising speed and 475 ft lbs of torque. I was happy over all.
Chevy454
10-28-2005, 06:10 PM
Headers or manifolds?
SS427
10-28-2005, 09:57 PM
Rob,
That was run through stock manifolds with waterpump only hooked up. No air cleaner, recurved distributor and rejetted stock 4557.
Rick
Chevy454
10-28-2005, 11:05 PM
Atta boy... http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggthumpup.gif
Rick ,What cam did you end up using?
SS427
10-31-2005, 07:53 AM
Rob,
They used the Comp Cams # 11-671-4 listed as a direct replacement "nostalgia LS-6" cam. Idles slightly rough at 700 RPM and with almost as much clatter as the original cam and a great torgue curve.
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