Help with cam and upgrades

[nickatina916]

hello.i have a 2001 ws6 and i want to know step by step on what i need to do to upgrade my ls1. i have an idea but im not sure whats best for me. i want to add the best cam that passes smog in california. im lookimg for the best sound as well as power. i found a kit from comp cams 224 114 that will pass but i was told that its so small its not worth the money.he could be wrong tho.if i got that i was going to dyno tune it next.all of that including labor will cost me about 2500..is that fair and worth it? if not what other option should i go with, im not trying to spend more then 3000. next i have a questions about just making it an lsx.. can anyone help me?

[pajeff02]

Welcome to the site Anthony! I moved your post to its own thread as it will receive more attention in the proper area of the forum.

[SMWS6TA]

Being in Cali it's hard to recommend much. Sorry, it's just your state is a tyrant.

I believe you can use a 228 cam but I would check with some places like Vengence, Comp Cams, EPS, or Tick Performance to see what they recommend in the cam department.

LSX for $3000 = forget it, you couldn't touch one under $8,000 for a short block ($3k is just for the block). Not to mention all the other stuff you need to get to make it work.



Budget builds: Several of us here are finishing up or in the middle of engine builds. Look in this section and you can see what we've done.

Some ideas of the cost you're looking at.

Heads - good set of 243's will help a lot.

Intake LS6 $350-$500 used

Labor - are you able to do this yourself or have a shop do it. If you have a shop do it $2500 for parts and labor isn't far off. Hell depending on the setup that isn't enough. Most cams are $375, $425 for custom grinds. Used 243 heads go between $400-$800. Getting them milled $1000. Getting new custom heads $1500-$2400

Tuning - simple bolt on's - recommend a mail order tune from Frost, full H/C/I = dyno session = $500 (average)

I've been doing a budget build for my 6 liter and I still manage to spend almost $3000 in parts and machine shop fees. See my signature for my 6 liter build.





You need to ask yourself what you really want and can have. Cali adds some restrictions that hinder this.

Street, DD, Strip only, show. One or two can go together easy but they can't all be combined and be affordable. Pick two and stick with it. Plan and research. Figure out what you can do, what you want to learn how to do vs not able to do. I've been down 16 months, getting it finish quickly usually means you have a large account to spend on.

There is quick, cheap, & reliable - pick two. Never works well when all three are combined.



I will always recommend getting the car right first, meaning take care of the basic stuff first. Follow it with suspension upgrades. Simple bolt on's next (Exhaust, Intake, Air Lid, etc) Good stall and a decent tune.


Others will add on....

[pajeff02]

^^ Sound advice. You can put an essentially stock LS1 into the high 11's at the track with a cam, exhaust, tune, suspension mods and traction.