camming a 94 LT1
 

I'm soon buying a new cam for my LT1. I've been told I can run any computer compaitble cam with a 94 since the cam gear does not require a longer stud. Is this true? I was looking into the comp cam .600 lift cam with a 110 LSA. My bottom end is forged so it can handle the higher RPMS. Also, I have ported heads, and upgraded springs already, but I do plan to get a better set of LE heads.

as long as your springs are good for .600 lift, you should be good. what heads are you going with? if you are getting llyod's heads, why not ask him about a cam too? i'm not really sure what you are talking about with the 94 though. you need a cam specific for your lt1 year so it will turn the opti.

this is correct, you do need one for an LT1. if Lloyd is porting your heads i would get him to spec your cam but you should look at Alex's LT1 car with JSPerformance heads and a cam specd by him as well. his car trapped almost as high as my LE2 heads/ LE1.5 cam setup but full weight with a cage and road racing suspension. (my car was gutted)

What's Alex's member name? I'm asking because I heard the 93 and 94 geared optis don't require a longer dowl pin as do the 95+ so a typical sbc roller cam can be used.

Arock but he's nowhere near a computer for a while....He's at Quantico

1) Although Alex's car traps very well the cam Josh spec'd out was actually for road racing, so Josh may have something better?

2) You are correct, 92-94 LT1s with a none vented opti use the short drive pin. The opti is driver off the cam drive spline, not the pin.

3) Computer compatable? Not with anything as large as your talking! You will need a tuner to work directly with the car to get it to run right. 600 lift on a 110 LSA and ? duration... If you're looking at something bigger then the GM847 you are going to need custom tuning.

You do realize your only option is the stock/single none roller timing chain unless you convert to a vented opti?

DOH

Yes I am aware that a .600 lift cam is not compatible that's what summit was saying I don't know why. I had a custom grind cam in the car before so I'm familiar with the tuning. As for the timing chain I would have to get a 95+ cam opti etc, so wouldn't that limit me to premade cams uness I go with a custom grind?

A "custom grind" is nothing more then telling the manufacture what you want ground. They have all the various lobes already or can make changes during the milling/grinding, it just not something that is commonly produced so it doesn't have a part number. They aren't really designing something brand new from scratch.

You can get any cam specs you want.

I guess doing the 95+ conversion would be worth it for the double roller and I don't need a brand new opti since I'll be using an ltcc

He could be at Quantico, if he decided to go to Officer Candidates School then he would most certainly be at the Marine Corps Base Quantico.

Any cam will work with the 92-94 opti setup. All aftermarket pins come with a long dowel pin - just cut it to length (around .300" for un-vented). This is commonplace.

If you feel the need to spend $500 on the conversion parts alone, go ahead. But many people have been converting the 92-94 optisparks to the vented setup by just installing the MSD cap and rotor. There is also a tech article floating around where a few folks have installed vacuum fittings on the stock un-vented opti and converted them without even removing the cap/rotor and just added the vacuum lines. Both of these options are much cheaper alternatives if you are satisfied with the stock-type chain (which is plenty strong enough for a cam-only setup).

If you do opt to go with a double roller, you'll also need to convert to an electric water pump, as the double roller chain does not have the "double gear" to drive the pump.

All I would need for the conversion is a 95+ cam, 95' time chain cover, an 95+ opti with a good optical sensor, and the timing chain set, correct? I already have an EWP, and I don't need a new opti since the LTCC only uses the optical sensor, so that save me some money right there.

my point was that he made a custom cam that made good power lol. im sure that he is fully capable of specing a drag racing cam

Wasn't putting you or Josh down! Just that Alex is running those numbers with a cam that wasn't really selected for 1/4 runs.



From the old Opti-swap page:

Vented Optispark Swap
Early (92-94) LT1 motors have a non-vented Optispark distributer. Given the climate under the water pump, some owners find it advantageous to upgrade a failed optispark for a later vented model. Given the number of design changes in the six years of LT1 production, this is a non-trivial swap.
To swap, the later distributor, vacuum harness, distributor harness, and timing cover must be used. A camshaft with a longer dowel pin and a hole in the center is required, along with a modified cam gear or 95 or later timing set or the LT4 or LT4 extreme duty timing set. The best time to do this is when you're doing a rebuild or cam swap anyways, because you will be removing and reinstalling a cam for this job.
The rest of this page shows the parts list and compares all the parts swapped during this job. I didn't bother to disect the Optispark, because Mike Chaney already has a good Optispark Disection Page
Part Part Number
95 GM Optispark 1104032
95 Opti elec harness 12130319
Opti vacuum harness 12555323
Opti vacuum fitting 14082470
95 Timing cover (incl all 3 seals) 12552426
GM timing cover gasket 10128293
95 Cam Timing Gear* 10206039
Stock replacement timing chain* 10128485
Intake Manifold Gaskets 12524653
Water Pump Gaskets (2 required) 10128343
*Stock replacement parts. You may want to upgrade to the 8mm single roller LT4 set or the extreme duty set (12370835).

In addition, you'll need the 95+ vented optispark harness and vacuum lines, along with a vacuum fitting for the intake manifold.

so basically I need everything for a cam swap plus the opti the harness and chain cover as for the fittings and lines I have them I once had a msd vented opti