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  1. #1
    Junior Member Footlead's Avatar
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    2002 SS

    Cam install and Keep the stock manifolds & cats

    I wonder is it worth it to put a Z06 cam or any cam in my 02 stock SS and keep the stock manifolds and stock cats or do you definately need to put some Long Tube headers on it before the cam. Would i be wasting time and cash with the cam install with stock manifolds? I could put alot better camshaft than a LS6 cam with the savings on the exhaust. I await your reply.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Veteran Hi-Po's Avatar
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    I would save just alittle more and buy a slightly larger cam. A 224R or 228 would drive so close to normal with a tune you probably wouldnt be able to tell it in there until you went WOT. For the effort of the cam install, a ZO6 cam would net you little over your 02 SS cam. Dont waste your time.

    Also, a cam wants to breathe. Even a stock cam. Any after market cam is going to see larger gains with Long tubes. If your car is stock, LT should be one of your first Mods IMO.

  3. #3
    Senior Member SS02's Avatar
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    My very first mods were Long tubes/new exhaust and smooth bellows
    and those two made a big difference!

  4. #4
    Senior Member Hurley711's Avatar
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    414 RWHP 395 RWTQ
    00 Black Ram Air Trans Am

    Dude you've got to get your list straight! YES put on a set of LT headers and ORY before adding a cam. And PLEASE do not skimp and put that Z06 cam on there, you are adding peak HP and not under the curve power like a 224 or 228 cam will net you. Use the $$$ for some long tubes, then start saving for the cam. Patience patience and do things in the right order. I also would avoid the tune after the LT install instead using that cash towards the cam and THEN getting a tune after both are installed!

  5. #5
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    Well I disagree on some points. Actually the LS6 cam is a sizable jump from the 01-02 Fbody cam, since after all they only cam with the little LQ4 truck camshaft.

    My wifes car when purchased already had the #062 Vinci cam installed which is very close to an LS6 with .551 lift, 210/218 at .050 but with 112 LSA.
    Yet the factory manifolds and cats were still on the car. I believe the reasoning for this is because this car still had to pass emissions, and this slightly hotter than LS6 cam did that for it while still boosting performance a bit. So there are some good reasons to take this approach.
    I believe if emissions is a concern than this is one of the very few routes you can take.

    On the other hand if you don't have to worry about emissions more cam is better if big HP numbers are what you are after.

    My wifes car ran decent. But the first thing I did was headers and an off road Y-pipe anyway. The cam already in there was just an added benefit and I would have done the exhaust anyway so it didn't matter to me either way.
    This cam works great, and runs circles around my 02 that still has the stock truck camshaft. It out MPH's me at the track by 4 mph and I still don't have the tune optimized yet and the car doesn't have enough gear either.
    Still knocking down 22-28 mpg city/highway, idles smooth too. A stealthy sleeper cam thats great for our daily driver. I don't have any complaints.

  6. #6
    Senior Member INMY01TA's Avatar
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    I think you'd gain more by adding long tubes/off road Y to your car than adding a ZO6 cam to your motor w/stock manifolds.

  7. #7
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by INMY01TA View Post
    I think you'd gain more by adding long tubes/off road Y to your car than adding a ZO6 cam to your motor w/stock manifolds.
    I'm not sure I agree totally. I installed long tubes and off road Y-pipe on my 02 SS and it only picked up 1 tenth and about 1.5 mph at the track.
    Thats roughly 10-15 hp improvement.

    Granted that if the car had a camshaft in it,,,then it may have responded better. Fact is I believe the 01-02 cars with the little truck cam just aren't dying for headers unlike the previous year Fbodies that had more camshaft in them from the get go. Plus the fact that the manifolds of the 01-02's are said to be a better flowing design, or so they say.

    The headers would be more beneficial once the install of a camshaft and more agressive mods are done.

  8. #8
    Senior Member INMY01TA's Avatar
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    I'm sure you gained with the ZO6 cam, but doing a cam 1st is just backwards in the grand scheme of things.

  9. #9
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by INMY01TA View Post
    I'm sure you gained with the ZO6 cam, but doing a cam 1st is just backwards in the grand scheme of things.
    Not really when you consider what I said above. If emissions is a concern headers are generally off limits, moving the cats is a no no. A camshaft is the next logical choice. To still be emissions friendly you can't get crazy with overlap, huge duration numbers etc...
    An LS6 camshaft or something very similar like my wifes car has fits the bill nicely. Thats why it was in the car with stock manifolds and cats in the first place.

    It's not necessarily wrong or backwards per say, but I do agree to see the most out of any decent camshaft headers are a wonderfull thing. If you are doing all these changes without worrying about emissions then by all means I agree.

  10. #10
    Veteran Hi-Po's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by INMY01TA View Post
    I'm sure you gained with the ZO6 cam, but doing a cam 1st is just backwards in the grand scheme of things.
    Agreed. Completely. So is sticking some huge off the shelf cam in with stock heads.

    Buy the best heads to can possibly afford, then base your cam off the heads you bought. Plain and simple. A

  11. #11
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hi-Po View Post
    Agreed. Completely. So is sticking some huge off the shelf cam in with stock heads.

    Hmmm I don't know, I think there are alot of cam only guys out there that would disagree with that.

  12. #12
    member since may 2000 nhraformula's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Firebirdjones View Post
    I'm not sure I agree totally. I installed long tubes and off road Y-pipe on my 02 SS and it only picked up 1 tenth and about 1.5 mph at the track.
    Thats roughly 10-15 hp improvement.

    Granted that if the car had a camshaft in it,,,then it may have responded better. Fact is I believe the 01-02 cars with the little truck cam just aren't dying for headers unlike the previous year Fbodies that had more camshaft in them from the get go. Plus the fact that the manifolds of the 01-02's are said to be a better flowing design, or so they say.

    The headers would be more beneficial once the install of a camshaft and more agressive mods are done.
    with long tubes, off road y pipe and a tune, i gained 30
    2000 nhra edition formula
    a few bolt ons, 379 rwhp
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  13. #13
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by nhraformula View Post
    with long tubes, off road y pipe and a tune, i gained 30
    That further signifies what I was getting at. Since the 98-00 cars had the bigger camshaft they tend to respond more than the 01-02's with the tiny truck cam. Since your's is a 2000....

    Thats my thought anyway. My 02 as I said didn't really pickup that much with headers and off road Y-pipe, and I had tuned it as well.
    My wifes car on the other hand that already had the vinci cam installed, really cam alive with the headers and off road Y.
    That 02 just needs a camshaft in the worst way.

    There may be some 01-02's that are stock and respond really well with headers, mine wasn't one of them.

  14. #14
    Junior Member DKITCHEN's Avatar
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    2002 CETA

    I guess I did my mods backwards too but... I already had a whole cam kit sitting in the garage when I bought my 02 CETA. My friend and I did the install so it didn't cost me any labor money so we installed it in the otherwise bone stock 2002 WS6. 226/226 Comp cam, patriot dual gold springs, and a small 3000 stall converter from Circle D converters. With a great tune the car drives like stock around town and ran a best of 12.1 at 112 at the track. Stock manifolds, cats, and stock exhaust...Obviously it has more in it when I want to shell out for the American Racing longtubes, but the set up I have now definately works.....

  15. #15
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DKITCHEN View Post
    I guess I did my mods backwards too but... I already had a whole cam kit sitting in the garage when I bought my 02 CETA. My friend and I did the install so it didn't cost me any labor money so we installed it in the otherwise bone stock 2002 WS6. 226/226 Comp cam, patriot dual gold springs, and a small 3000 stall converter from Circle D converters. With a great tune the car drives like stock around town and ran a best of 12.1 at 112 at the track. Stock manifolds, cats, and stock exhaust...Obviously it has more in it when I want to shell out for the American Racing longtubes, but the set up I have now definately works.....
    Now I may be the only one but I find this very cool. What a sleeper you have, with stock manifolds and all,,,, you could pop the hood and no one would guess you have a near 11 second ride there.

  16. #16
    Senior Member INMY01TA's Avatar
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    Well I noticed a big gain in my 01 from Mac midlenghts and an off road Y. Get those headers Dkitchen.

  17. #17
    Junior Member DKITCHEN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by INMY01TA View Post
    Well I noticed a big gain in my 01 from Mac midlenghts and an off road Y. Get those headers Dkitchen.
    They'll be installed before MIR opens in the spring! I also just bought the new Magnaflow quad tip exhaust so we'll see how much that wakes the cam up...

  18. #18
    Veteran Firebirdjones's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by DKITCHEN View Post
    They'll be installed before MIR opens in the spring! I also just bought the new Magnaflow quad tip exhaust so we'll see how much that wakes the cam up...
    There goes the sleeper affect, once headers are on all bets are off

  19. #19
    member since may 2000 nhraformula's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Firebirdjones View Post
    That further signifies what I was getting at. Since the 98-00 cars had the bigger camshaft they tend to respond more than the 01-02's with the tiny truck cam. Since your's is a 2000....

    Thats my thought anyway. My 02 as I said didn't really pickup that much with headers and off road Y-pipe, and I had tuned it as well.
    My wifes car on the other hand that already had the vinci cam installed, really cam alive with the headers and off road Y.
    That 02 just needs a camshaft in the worst way.

    There may be some 01-02's that are stock and respond really well with headers, mine wasn't one of them.
    It was kinda surprising you didnt pick up more h.p

  20. #20
    Junior Member DKITCHEN's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Firebirdjones View Post
    There goes the sleeper affect, once headers are on all bets are off
    It will be a catted ypipe to keep it reasonably quiet.

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