couple questions about mods

[transamdude99]

i have a '99 WS6 that is pretty much bone stock except a whisper lid and a flowmaster exhaust. im wanting to buy a cam for my car but i was just curious if i need to beef up my internals first before a cam or if the motor can take it. im not real mechanically inclined so this may be a dumb question but i just want to make sure i dont FUBAR my engine. i just look at stuff and say, "if it gives me more power, i want it!"

i also want to get a different exhaust too. my flowmaster sounds ok but i think it's a little too mellow for my taste, however i dont want something too obnoxious considering the fact i live in a very quiet neighborhood with 3 cops in spitting distance. i've had my eye on a loudmouth but i think i have heard some stories of cars sounding really raspy with the stock headers. anyways, what's everyones opinion?

[ATCharming]

u woudlnt need to upgrade internals for a cam. but ud need new valve springs and timing chain set, but thats cheap stuff

im thinkin u should do full exhaust first... u say u have flowmaster exhaust, but u dont hav eheaders do u? get full exhaust from headers to tips, and that should let the cam breathe enough.

a cam will do ok right now, as long asu tune it correctly, u just wont be able to run it to its max potential without letting it breathe with exhaust and intake mods

[2000T/A Guru]

Loudmouth sounds raspy compared to the rest even raspier if you have headers, if you want good go with borla if you want good sound, good hp gain with a good price, i would go with hooker which i have and it has a nice rumble to it not to loud but when i get on it its loud. Also with a cam swap you will need, valve springs, pushrods, timing chain and oil pump. Also a new clutch with that much power is a good idea.

[JwMonE99]

If you get a bigger cam and without upgrading timing chain, valve springs, pushrods ect. what would happen? and how much are all those parts?

[transamdude99]

so im just about better off with freeing up my exhaust some more and maybe doing an LS6 or FAST intake, right? im gradually wanting to get my car up to some high horsepower numbers but im on a budget right now and im looking for the best bang for my buck. i read the thread about the basic bolt ons and stuff and it sounds like a cam should come a little later, right??

[ATCharming]

If you get a bigger cam and without upgrading timing chain, valve springs, pushrods ect. what would happen? and how much are all those parts?

valve springs are under $100 and so are timing chain sets. i believe around 50 each.

if u dont upgrade springs, ur cam will push the valves up fast, the springs will be too weak to push the valves back down quick enough before the cam lifts them again

i hope i explained that well enough. u dont want ur valves to be constantly open. if u push them open alot faster, u need them to close faster so that u can open them again... if u know what i mean.

[Hi-Po]

Springs have two critical points that need to be addressed.

Seat Pressure and Static pressure.
Springs with less tension than design standards will contribute to valve float ( Bad)
Springs that are stiffer can cause flat tappet cams to wear rapidly. ( Bad)
You can do some easy checks IF you plan on doing this yourself, but it doesnt sound like you will be.

Checking for coil bind.... critical. When your spring binds, something has to give. Usually pushrods bend rockers and or rocker mounts break/bend or lifters get wedged.

ALso spring installed height,

and as stated, spring seat pressure and static pressure. But we wont get inot that quite yet.

I say get a nice set of headers, maybe a loudmouth 2 (two) for a nice loud sound, but is less than that of a LM1.

Than from there, I would start letting air in better. I.e intake and so on. Dont jump into a cam with out some supporting mods.

Also, suspension is nice.

[transamdude99]

this is all good to know. also, my car has 116K miles on it. im sure the motor might be getting a little tired so is there anything i should look at replacing?