want a cam

[1999camaro]

Hey i want to put in a cam on my 3800 camaro but i want to know how hard installation is and price range for a good sounding v6

[Bonemaro]

Re: want a cam

Yeah... me too. I was just thinking about this today.

[usp55]

Re: want a cam

im about to order all my parts for my cam install on the 1st of the month. cam and valvetrain will cost about 400 and install will run you about 600-800 at a shop. My guy quoted me 600 but thats a car club price.

here is how my 3.4l will sound at idle (i run a cut out and dont have near as much rasp as this cat back in the vid) soon to be running true duals after the cam istall so i hope to sound like the 3.8l ill show u next
http://www.fquick.com/videos/Cammed_3_4_Fbody_2/1456

here is a 3.8 cammed (not sure which but can be found out) this car has true duals dumped at the axle from two borla xr-1's and no cats, best sounding v6 i have ever heard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMdRV9ZHH3M

here is another 3.8. id be willing to bet that to a cutout but cant tell for sure since it not reved at all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKKzW...eature=related

another , seems lkike it need a tune
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEV1FvbU1hw


also do u have intake and headers on the car, really should do those mods before u cam it, car need to breath beofre u upgrade the internals

[IwannaCamarosoBad]

Re: want a cam

im about to order all my parts for my cam install on the 1st of the month. cam and valvetrain will cost about 400 and install will run you about 600-800 at a shop. My guy quoted me 600 but thats a car club price.

here is how my 3.4l will sound at idle (i run a cut out and dont have near as much rasp as this cat back in the vid) soon to be running true duals after the cam istall so i hope to sound like the 3.8l ill show u next
http://www.fquick.com/videos/Cammed_3_4_Fbody_2/1456

here is a 3.8 cammed (not sure which but can be found out) this car has true duals dumped at the axle from two borla xr-1's and no cats, best sounding v6 i have ever heard
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMdRV9ZHH3M

here is another 3.8. id be willing to bet that to a cutout but cant tell for sure since it not reved at all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKKzW...eature=related

another , seems lkike it need a tune
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEV1FvbU1hw


also do u have intake and headers on the car, really should do those mods before u cam it, car need to breath beofre u upgrade the internals

The 2nd in the video description says its a GT2 cam :P

[xmetallicaxguitaristx]

Re: want a cam

im about to order all my parts for my cam install on the 1st of the month. cam and valvetrain will cost about 400 and install will run you about 600-800 at a shop. My guy quoted me 600 but thats a car club price.

Lol that's BS. The cam alone will probably cost $300...

It also depends on what you want to do.. IE bigger cams will require higher rate springs, which will lead to you needing a double roller timing set and stronger pushrods. and if it is high enough lift you will need modified retainers and seals. Also a lot of people like to replace the lifters while they have the engine apart. Getting heads and cam at the same time is a whole other story that I won't even get into cause that is even more money. But to get the most out of your cam you will want to look into heads.

But after all those parts are bought, you need to think about all of the gaskets you will need to replace.. almost all of the gaskets that you will be removing are one use gaskets (forgot the term for that), and you will have to buy all new gaskets.. this will add up fast.. ask me how I know..

And you may not include this into your "cam swap price" but you have to think of all the little tools, manuals, and extra little things you might not think about now, but stuff you will need, that will add up fast also.

Technically the cheapest way to do it, would be to get a cam that you don't need a double roller, and just change the cam/springs/retainers etc. But at the same time you will have smaller gains.


To be honest the only good way to do it is to ask yourself, realistically, how much money you are willing to dump into your engine for a cam swap, and then we can help you build a list with the price given. Because even to do a small cam, doing the labor yourself, will probably end up costing ~$800 in the longrun.. with every little thing added in.. And the numbers will just keep going up if you want a bigger cam, or heads, etc.

[Smoke Panther]

Re: want a cam

i want to know how hard installation is

it's not hard, just very time consuming and detailed. It can take anywhere from 12-40 hours, depending on your level of expertise and if anything breaks or not.

and price range for a good sounding v6

pricing for parts can range from 600-1200, depending on what size cam you get. Shop labor will be 600-1000.

another , seems lkike it need a tune
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEV1FvbU1hw

it's just the weird positioning of the camera; whoever made the video left the camera sitting somewhere near the fuse boxes, so it was just rattling around from the lope. When the camera's picked up, the cam sounds just fine...probably running thru open headers tho

[usp55]

Re: want a cam

The 2nd in the video description says its a GT2 cam :P

yea i knew i read what it was somewhere

Lol that's BS. The cam alone will probably cost $300...

It also depends on what you want to do.. IE bigger cams will require higher rate springs, which will lead to you needing a double roller timing set and stronger pushrods. and if it is high enough lift you will need modified retainers and seals. Also a lot of people like to replace the lifters while they have the engine apart. Getting heads and cam at the same time is a whole other story that I won't even get into cause that is even more money. But to get the most out of your cam you will want to look into heads.

But after all those parts are bought, you need to think about all of the gaskets you will need to replace.. almost all of the gaskets that you will be removing are one use gaskets (forgot the term for that), and you will have to buy all new gaskets.. this will add up fast.. ask me how I know..

And you may not include this into your "cam swap price" but you have to think of all the little tools, manuals, and extra little things you might not think about now, but stuff you will need, that will add up fast also.

Technically the cheapest way to do it, would be to get a cam that you don't need a double roller, and just change the cam/springs/retainers etc. But at the same time you will have smaller gains.


To be honest the only good way to do it is to ask yourself, realistically, how much money you are willing to dump into your engine for a cam swap, and then we can help you build a list with the price given. Because even to do a small cam, doing the labor yourself, will probably end up costing ~$800 in the longrun.. with every little thing added in.. And the numbers will just keep going up if you want a bigger cam, or heads, etc.

I would not have typed it if it was BS...I can only speak directly from my current experiance and for the 3.4l as that’s what im moding, any cam has been from $118 to roughly $200. the high end being almost to aggresive for my DD and force me to tune a nearly impossible obd1.5 94 computer. Some sort of megasquirt application or better. Fastchip.com, hptuners, etc have no option for the 3.4l. so im going with a less agressive setup to run on a stock tune

My exact parts to date include:
Comp cams 260h = $118

comp cams valvetrain package w/ 1.6 rockers = $268.55
Includes:
- CompCams Roller Tipped Rocker Arm/Hardened Pushrod Kit
(RP1413.12) OR (RP1414.12)
- CompCams Hydraulic Flat Tappet Lifters
(802.12)
- CompCams Valve Springs
(980.12)
- CompCams Valve Spring Retainers
(742.12)
CompCams Valve Locks
(601.12)



Now for gaskets year obviously u need some but if your gona complain about buying them then u shouldn’t be modding an engine in the first place. That’s just a built in cost to and engine internal mod, yea it has to be figured in but IMO its a small detail to a larger picture and I was trying to give a general idea to what such an upgrade will cost.

Now my shop install will run me 600 and a day and a half in the shop. No need to buy tools in my case. So with that im looking at about a grand fully installed by a professional mechanic and f-body guru.


Now if your doing head, yes your right that is another story. Can easily tack on another 800-1000 so i have read.


so BS, no just my experiance so far. sound clips coming shortly after the first week of september.

[1999camaro]

Re: want a cam

i dont think my pocket goes that deep!

[xmetallicaxguitaristx]

Re: want a cam

My exact parts to date include:
Comp cams 260h = $118

comp cams valvetrain package w/ 1.6 rockers = $268.55
Includes:
- CompCams Roller Tipped Rocker Arm/Hardened Pushrod Kit
(RP1413.12) OR (RP1414.12)
- CompCams Hydraulic Flat Tappet Lifters
(802.12)
- CompCams Valve Springs
(980.12)
- CompCams Valve Spring Retainers
(742.12)
CompCams Valve Locks
(601.12)

It must be cheaper then for a 3.4. The guys name is 1999 camaro, so he obviously has a 3.8. When I look at 3.8 parts, a set of springs is well over $100 probably closer to $130-140, pushrods are about another $100, lifters $150, and if you get steel retainers/locks, that's about another $50, and that's already over 400 and that doesn't even include the CAM which, for the 3800II I see most cams for ~$299. Add in gaskets ~$100-150, and $50 for various fluids/pastes/etc.. That's over $800. Pushrods and lifters aren't completely necessary for a small cam, but if you did go even a little bigger you would need a double roller which is another $150 or so.

I have been buying parts cheap, piece by piece.. and so far I have only spent about $900, and that includes heads (self P&P), intakes (upper and lower, self P&P), cam, TB (self P&P), 918 beehive springs w/ modded steel ls1 style retainers and locks, and some other things I can't remember. I still need to get about another $600 in parts before I can do the install. Pushrods are tough to figure out because I haven't decided my gasket size yet because I am not sure if I want to stay N/A or go N20 in the future. I still need lifters, dbl roller, valves, and gaskets.


I wasn't complaining about gaskets, I am just saying, when you are thinking about prices remember gaskets cause they bump the price up more than you would expect.

[xmetallicaxguitaristx]

Re: want a cam

Honestly though 1999camaro stick with bolt-ons.

I think, if you are completely stock, or if you have intake/exhaust.. You should look into a higher stall if you are A4, and higher gears if you already have LSD.

If you are still stock, get a whisper lid, some headers, and a catback or any header-back combo you can think of.

[Meatyshells]

Re: want a cam

you dont need a double roller timing chain unless you go over 105# springs, and then even some people would argue you dont really need a double roller.

[lilchubby]

Re: want a cam

here is another 3.8. id be willing to bet that to a cutout but cant tell for sure since it not reved at all
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKKzW...eature=related

This one is mine. its acutally not a cut out. The cam is a gt2, and the exhuast is pacesetter headers, cat delete, and a tsp rumbler that is cut off right after it goes over the axle. Hell the exhaust/cam sound was enough for me to want to do this. Not to mention the power gains, best mod ive ever done.