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Realistic price of getting cams installed

9K views 80 replies 26 participants last post by  todds87ss 
#1 ·
I'm still not sure if cams are right for me though. I have kooks long tubes and I plan to get a solo exhaust to put on then. I already have a livernois tune so I can get it retuned easily from them should I go with cams. But I often use the car for long trips and daily driving when the weather is nice. I do track the car a lot during the summer and have it equipped with nitrous. I run 92 octane always and am tuned for that as well. Would a basic stage 1 cam be a good investment? On average what would the gain be in horsepower. What other components would I need to replace/upgrade as well.
 
#4 ·
General rule of thumb from what I have read/heard from other car enthisiasts and dealing w/ local speed shops is around $1000 for a cam install. Depending on what cam you go w/ and other supporting hardware that may be getting installed as well I think w/ the install + tune and hardware you would be anywhere from $2,500-$3,500 all said and done....that's just off the top of my head I may be wrong
 
#5 ·
^ im with boston anywhere from 2-3k pretty much with a tune and all the hardware.
 
#6 ·
If you were in town, I'd show you how to do it for food and drinks during the install.
 
#8 ·
#7 ·
$1000 is a fair labor only price for a cam swap on our cars where the heads have to come off.
 
#13 ·
No I did not want a DOD delete. I like the DOD and like the ability to just turn it off when needed
 
#14 ·
No I did not want a DOD delete. I like the DOD and like the ability to just turn it off when needed
Contact G8-4-Speed (Rick Crawford) on the board here then, and get his suggestion for a good DOD aftermarket cam package. He knows his stuff when it comes to swapping over to an aftermarket cam while still utilizing DOD.
 
#20 ·
no tuning required

2-3 K for a cam install blows my mind lol.

Are you DIY cam swaps degreeing the cam?

Is a simple rocker swap really worth any power for the effort?


I have not degreed a cam in years. Not worth the effort in my case.

The rockers are good for 15rwhp. not much effort. Easily a DIY. And a small cam can be added later if more power is desired, while still retaining DOD.
 
#21 ·
I think the 2-3k estimate was all parts included and installed. Which would be about right. Im a install it yourself kind of guy though. I hate a the price of a modification doubling because of paying for install.
 
#22 ·
If I'm looking at this correctly, it looks like Livernois mail order cam/dod delete package doesn't inlcude new rockers. Would it be a benefit to order a set of 1.85 rocker arm package from pfyc.com to go along with the cam package?
 
#23 ·
No those cam packages are made to work with the stock ratio rocker arms. Changing the rocker arms to 1.85 adds more lift and duration too I suppose. Essentially the rocker arms are just a way to make the stock cam a little bigger without actually swapping out the cam shaft. Some people have used the 1.85s to add lift to a slightly smaller aftermarket cam that way they are getting the extra lift after the DOD lifters which is supposed to take some strain off of said lifters.

Check out Yeti's build thread for more information on this.
 
#24 ·
Say yeah 2-3k with all the parts and tune which can be 200-600 bucks it seems. 1500 alone for the parts from livernois then if you want them or someone else to install it 500-1000 bucks and then you get to the tune. 2k or so on the low side if you install the parts if not it will be on the high side of 2k maybe even low 3k.
 
#25 ·
Or if you already have an email tuner and just pay for parts from Vector then your looking at about 1300. Oooor slap in a small DOD friendly cam without changing the lifter or anything for less than 500 which I wouldn't recommend for the most part but 8ualive seems to be doing pretty good with a setup like that.
 
#27 ·
There are to many variables in it to really name a set price but you can say for sure a full dod delete will be at minimum 2k to do. And truthfully if you do the work your self and order the parts your self it can probably be done for 1.5k. 400 for a cam, 500-1000 in misc parts, and 2-600 to tune.
 
#30 ·
Sorry, fixed it
 
#31 ·
I was quoted $1000 in labor.
I'll be getting my parts from Texas Speed and Performance.
Here is the info i've gathered so far:
TSP DOD Delete: $389.99 (LS2 Chain Dampener, LS7 Lifters, LS2 Lifter Trays, LS3 Head Gaskets, Your Choice of Head Bolts, LS3 Valley Cover, PCV Hose, PCV Plug, Cam Swap Gasket Kit), GM head bolts are free, but i'll be changing all lifters since my engine is close to 100k miles
16 LS7 lifters added to this dod delete kit: $80
TSP Cam package: (haven't decided if i'll do a 229/236 or 231/236, i'll talk to Jason and see what they recommend for my application, i have an aftermarket verter, so i can go big, and want to go big :)), my choice of Camshaft, PRC Double Spring Kit, and Hardened Chromoly Pushrods: $739.99

Additions to the cam package
Rollmaster 3-bolt single roller timing set $139.99
TSP ported LS3/L99 oil pump (don't know if it'll fit my car yet) $159.99

Don't know how much those items will add to the install, labor was quoted to install DOD delete and cam.
Man this **** gets expensive, i'll try to find somebody local and take one week vacation to do the install myself, i have most of the tools in my garage, if not i'll have to pay 1000-1200 for install.
 
#32 ·
Damn it, i'm looking at $2500-$3000 to do the cam install, i can do a complete NOS wet plate kit for $849, and add safety gizmos to it for probably $1200-$1300 total package, i do the install myself in this case, or simply add aftermarket wheels and tires to dress her up for about $1300-$1500, decisions, decisions, cammed high revving machine, Nitrous junke, or just another extra nice looking G8GT on the road, fack :)
 
#35 ·
Thanks Monte, i'm putting together the 3k needed for the cam, i just hate to think about 3 grand for too long,i get 2nd thoughts everytime i have to spend money :)
 
#37 ·
Well I was told you can't get an aftermarket set of cams and still retain the AFM so I think I'll stick with stock ones for now.
 
#38 ·
Cams? Two? There are several aftermarket cams out there and still can have afm. Mine is as matter of fact with no issues.
 
#40 ·
I just spent 4 days under the hood swapping the cam and ditching DOD. 28 hours and counting- I still have 4 hours work or so. If I paid 35 bucks an hour for that work, it comes to 1K. I would consider having someone else do it (except I hate the thought of someone else wrenching on my car).
 
#42 ·
Doing a cam swap on these is really not that hard. I quit wrenching for a living about 15 years ago. There's more work to on these compared to a SBC/LT1, but if you are mechanically inclined you should not have a problem. This is the first LS motor i have ever torn apart,but everything comes apart logically.
They did their homework, you don't need 20 different socket sizes for the job.Plus(a lot of people here will agree), you actually have room in the engine bay, nothing is really that tight. If you have the space to layout everything and match it up (4x6 table will do) you should be fine. Plus,there are plenty of people here to help if you if you get into a jam.
The only part i did not do myself was the springs, I took the old one's off but the new ones were just too much for my cheap-ass spring compressor. I paid $40.00 to have it done and another $80.00 to have my heads milled .0.015.

At the end of the day your car won't be down as long and you can can take pride in saying you did it yourself.
 
#43 ·
For a cam/DOD Delete, be prepared to spend in the ball park of $3,000. I had my install done along with my converter at the same time, so it was more.

Could I do the cam swap myself? Yes.
Could I install the converter myself? Yes.
Would I have saved a boat load of money if I did everything myself? Yes.

So why did I pay to have it done? Because my tuner does this all the time, and are much better at it than I would be. They know all the little details that I don't know about, because I don't work on LSX engines every single day. It's a turn key operation that I don't have to walk away from saying to myself, "gee, did I remember to do this or that?"

You drop the car off, and you pick it up. And when you do, it's 100% complete and 100% tuned, ready to go, and needs nothing.
 
#45 ·
$1,600 or so which would include a re-tune charge.
 
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