'01 SS - BLOWN ENGINE - Need Advice on a good Long Block..!!

[NastySS]

Know in person, no but it's a fairly common practice for those wanting to keep it relatively stock. The only real difference between the LS1 and LS6 is the block structure. GM made some internal structure changes to increase better oil flow. Your 01-02 LS1 most likely had a LS6 block with LS1 crank and 241 heads. Now in parts this is where it differs, the early LS1's had oil pump issues specifically the 97-98 yrs. So in 01 and 02 yrs the LS1 came with the LS6 oil pump as well as the intake.
Both have the same crank and pistons but the cam specs are slightly different.

Check your build sheet to know what your cam specs are.

If you ever wanted to give your car a little bump in power but still be daily friendly not is the time to throw in a 228 cam as well as a LS2 timing chain.

Hello.! I have very little experience buying Camshafts (Once about 15 years ago). I assume this Cam will work with the Stock LS1 heads? When I Googled "LS1 288 Cam", I was getting messages like "Requires computer mods & upgraded intake & exhaust to maximize performance. Excellent high RPM power." When you get a moment, is there any chance you could provide a few links to the Cam you are referring to? Also, does Chevrolet Performance carry the 288 Cam? Thank you for your time...!

[35th-ANV-SS]

The cam spec is 228, not 288. It's a fairly mild cam widely used.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[SMWS6TA]

228 not 288.

Here is what you should be seeing in your search. I can't post direct link because they are not sponsors of the site.
Texas Speed 228R 228/228 .600"/.600" Camshaft


Texas Speed& Performance, Tick Performance, Brian Tooley Racing, Martin Smallwood of Smallwood Race Development (Facebook).


All of these guys sell them. In order I would check with Brian, Martin, then Tick and Texas. Martin & Brian both design cams and more. The others do to some degree but are more of a performance parts shop. Martin used to work for Tick till he went all in on his own company.

[raynor139]

Yup Martin shop is on the other side of town from me and Ticks is about and 1.5 hour or so ride. I will say Martin is a small operation now so it does take him a while to get back a lot of times. Still picking his brain is worth the wait.

[NastySS]

Thanks you guys. A typo on my part was the problem here. I did listen to some Utoob vids of this 228 Cam in similar cars, and it seems like I will be vibrating my neighbors quite a bit on warm up. I live in a 3 Story Town-home and my "Court" is in the shape of a long Oval. Any sounds in the court get unbelievably amplified. It does sound a bit more radical than I am looking for. Also, I have NO understanding of "Lobe Separation", and how the three options for this Cam (110, 112, and 114) affect the car or how it runs. I did read a lower LSA number creates a rougher idle. I'll gladly admit I don't really understand what 228/228 means except that it refers to the Intake and Exhaust Valves. Does anyone know the Specs of the Stock Cam that is in there now (2001 SS)? This would be very helpful for me to determine a suitable replacement. Thanks again guys...!

[SMWS6TA]

LS1 Camshaft Specifications
1998 - 2000 Fbody 202/210 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.496" / 0.496" int/exh lift 116 LSA	2001 - 2002 Fbody 197/207 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.467" / 0.479" int/exh lift 116 LSA
2001 LS6 cam 207/217 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.525" / 0.525" int/exh lift 116 LSA	2002+ LS6 cam 204/218 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.551" / 0.547" int/exh lift 117 LSA
GMPP Hot Cam 218/227 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.525" / 0.525" int/exh lift 112 LSA	GMPP ASA Cam 226/236 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.525" / 0.525" int/exh lift 110 LSA
6.0 LQ9 207/196 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.479" / 0.467" int/exh lift 116 LSA	5.3 LM7 190/191 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.466" / 0.457" int/exh lift 114 LSA

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f6/differe...y-years-27512/

2001 F-Body

1. A small percentage of 2001 and 2002 LS1s actually had LS6 blocks which had a different part number and a darker metal cast
2. Starting 2001, all LS1s came with an LS6 intake manifold without an EGR system
3. Advertised HP output was changed from 305 to 310 on base LS1s and from 320 to 325 on WS6s and SSs
4. 2001-02 cars have a smaller cam from the Vortec truck engines to increase low end torque
5. 2001-02 cars had 28 lb fuel injectors like the 98 cars (albeit different part numbers)
6. WS6 cars had a redesigned 5 spoke rim which was more wavy
7. WS6 cars got less suspension upgrades from a base Trans Am suspension than previous years
8. Manual transmission cars all came with the Z06 clutch





The 228 Cam may sound aggressive it truly isn't. IMHO it should have been the cam that came with the car. It will give you a nice bump in HP/TQ and not kill the mpg. Also you will not need to change out the pushrods but for $100 it is worth to go ahead and upgrade them to Chrome-Moly; the springs IIRC will need to upgrade to handle the lift of the new cam.



Regarding the LSA - lower the number the more "chop" you will here. Manual cars like the lower LSA's while Auto's do better with a higher LSA. If Auto a 112-114 is good and for manual 109-112.

[Redphoenix1998]

Hey there just chiming in! So it sounds like you would like to have a decent factory replacement. Most people would want to upgrade for a bit more go but hey to each his own. To be honest I have had an LS1 and LS6 block in my WS6. I am now on an iron block LQ9 that I had custom built. To be honest the iron block is far stronger and much more "saveable" in a catastrophic failure. In my stock LS1 the upper ring on number 8 went kaboom and ended up damaging the cylinder wall. Tried to have it machined over but the gouge was so deep it would require a re-sleeve which was not cost effective. Had another LS1 block laying around and had that rebuilt and machined to factory specification. Had a head gasket failure that ended up trashing a cylinder head but also cracking the top deck of the block. Went with a turn key LS6 engine. It drove like factory and with the bumped up cam I was happy. After a few years my oil pump failed cause me to spin a bearing. When we opened it up the LS6 was trashed. The main caps and journals super heated and melted the aluminum beyond what could be brought back to speck. So went out to summit racing, who also sells full on long blocks. Bought an LQ9 Iron block, all new forged internals, basically a full on 408. Found a good machine shop for shortblock assembly, and now I have a stout 408 with a vortech YSI blower making 1000 hp. Overkill I know but car has been in this configuration for about 10 years now. Iron block has about 60k and has not failed me under high demand. So if you're looking for durability, go with the iron block. If you want to upgrade later, you know your block can handle it. Also in regards to the cam. Most cam vids on youtube are cars with ORY's (off road Y pipes), cat back, and cammed. Even with a mild 228 cam you will hear a bump. If your car still has a stock muffer and cats, you will not disturb your neighbors I promise you that. My engine has big supercharging cam, heads, TSP 1 7/8 long tubes, ORY, and a stock muffler and it's dead quiet like the factory. But I also have a 4" exhaust cutout. I never floor it with the cutout closed but with it open the car is loud! But I live in a neighborhood next to the local police station in california so stock muffler is a survival thing here for me lol. So if you still have the stock exhaust, the 228 cam will be quiet. But consider an iron block. It is far from inferior.

[NastySS]

LS1 Camshaft Specifications
1998 - 2000 Fbody 202/210 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.496" / 0.496" int/exh lift 116 LSA	2001 - 2002 Fbody 197/207 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.467" / 0.479" int/exh lift 116 LSA
2001 LS6 cam 207/217 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.525" / 0.525" int/exh lift 116 LSA	2002+ LS6 cam 204/218 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.551" / 0.547" int/exh lift 117 LSA
GMPP Hot Cam 218/227 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.525" / 0.525" int/exh lift 112 LSA	GMPP ASA Cam 226/236 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.525" / 0.525" int/exh lift 110 LSA
6.0 LQ9 207/196 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.479" / 0.467" int/exh lift 116 LSA	5.3 LM7 190/191 int/exh @ 0.05" duration 0.466" / 0.457" int/exh lift 114 LSA

http://www.ls1.com/forums/f6/differe...y-years-27512/

2001 F-Body

1. A small percentage of 2001 and 2002 LS1s actually had LS6 blocks which had a different part number and a darker metal cast
2. Starting 2001, all LS1s came with an LS6 intake manifold without an EGR system
3. Advertised HP output was changed from 305 to 310 on base LS1s and from 320 to 325 on WS6s and SSs
4. 2001-02 cars have a smaller cam from the Vortec truck engines to increase low end torque
5. 2001-02 cars had 28 lb fuel injectors like the 98 cars (albeit different part numbers)
6. WS6 cars had a redesigned 5 spoke rim which was more wavy
7. WS6 cars got less suspension upgrades from a base Trans Am suspension than previous years
8. Manual transmission cars all came with the Z06 clutch





The 228 Cam may sound aggressive it truly isn't. IMHO it should have been the cam that came with the car. It will give you a nice bump in HP/TQ and not kill the mpg. Also you will not need to change out the pushrods but for $100 it is worth to go ahead and upgrade them to Chrome-Moly; the springs IIRC will need to upgrade to handle the lift of the new cam.



Regarding the LSA - lower the number the more "chop" you will here. Manual cars like the lower LSA's while Auto's do better with a higher LSA. If Auto a 112-114 is good and for manual 109-112.

Thanks a lot Scott. Great info.

[NastySS]

Hey there just chiming in! So it sounds like you would like to have a decent factory replacement. Most people would want to upgrade for a bit more go but hey to each his own. To be honest I have had an LS1 and LS6 block in my WS6. I am now on an iron block LQ9 that I had custom built. To be honest the iron block is far stronger and much more "saveable" in a catastrophic failure. In my stock LS1 the upper ring on number 8 went kaboom and ended up damaging the cylinder wall. Tried to have it machined over but the gouge was so deep it would require a re-sleeve which was not cost effective. Had another LS1 block laying around and had that rebuilt and machined to factory specification. Had a head gasket failure that ended up trashing a cylinder head but also cracking the top deck of the block. Went with a turn key LS6 engine. It drove like factory and with the bumped up cam I was happy. After a few years my oil pump failed cause me to spin a bearing. When we opened it up the LS6 was trashed. The main caps and journals super heated and melted the aluminum beyond what could be brought back to speck. So went out to summit racing, who also sells full on long blocks. Bought an LQ9 Iron block, all new forged internals, basically a full on 408. Found a good machine shop for shortblock assembly, and now I have a stout 408 with a vortech YSI blower making 1000 hp. Overkill I know but car has been in this configuration for about 10 years now. Iron block has about 60k and has not failed me under high demand. So if you're looking for durability, go with the iron block. If you want to upgrade later, you know your block can handle it. Also in regards to the cam. Most cam vids on youtube are cars with ORY's (off road Y pipes), cat back, and cammed. Even with a mild 228 cam you will hear a bump. If your car still has a stock muffer and cats, you will not disturb your neighbors I promise you that. My engine has big supercharging cam, heads, TSP 1 7/8 long tubes, ORY, and a stock muffler and it's dead quiet like the factory. But I also have a 4" exhaust cutout. I never floor it with the cutout closed but with it open the car is loud! But I live in a neighborhood next to the local police station in california so stock muffler is a survival thing here for me lol. So if you still have the stock exhaust, the 228 cam will be quiet. But consider an iron block. It is far from inferior.

Thanks for the info Allen, and for chiming in. Man, sounds like you have a hundred grand or more in your car. I do want a little upgrade, but nothing too radical. I am going to get a TMS Short Block which includes TMS Single-Piece Racing Cam Bearings(Please tell me this is NOT a bad idea, they are a sponsor on an LS1 TECH-nical web Forum Site), then also buy LS2/LS7 style HP Lifters, TMS Chrome-Moly Pushrods, a TMS Billet Performance Single Roller Timing Set and a HPressure Melling Oil Pump, but need the Cam to work with the Stock Heads. Since I don't have a garage or a Lift, I have to pay someone big $ to do all the work. I don't have unlimited funds for this project, to get better heads. I've spent the last 4 years fighting Big C 3 times, and owe many $ in Medical Co-Insurance. Also, I don't have a stock Exhaust. I have an SLP 3" Y-pipe and a Corsa Stainless Dual Dual from there back. I completely agree an Iron Block would be better. My concern about the Iron block is the extra 90 lbs and how it will affect the suspension, and any mods to make it fit with the front Engine Accessories, Intake, Heads, etc. I don't race the car and only drive it a few months of the year. For the sake of simplicity, I think it's better for me to stick to the Stock Block config. I do want a better Cam, but need it to be OK with the stock heads and preferably no PCM tuning needed. That's not too much to ask,,,,right??......

[Redphoenix1998]

PCM tuning will have to be done even with a stockish cam change. I do have quite a bit invested in my car but it's the price you pay to go really fast. As far as your concerns with an iron block, I never noticed a difference except during the installation. I am running KYB gas adjust shocks in the front and rear which is close to stock and don't notice a front end dip or anything. As far as bolting it all in, nothing changes. I use the stock k member and clamshells with poly mounts. Everything from the factory setup bolts right to it and trust me I know because I've built quite a few LS engines and have gone through a lot of trial and error over time. The only thing you have to ponder is whether the block is an LQ4 or LQ9. Personally I have an LQ9 which is the 6.0L block from an escalade which I had machined out to 408 cubic inches and built for forced induction. The LQ4 is a 5.3L but if you plan to mod it later they can be bored out to a 4.065 but not built for boost at that point due to the cylinder wall thickness. The LQ9 at 30 over to a 408 has enough meat left for the cylinder walls for a couple of rebuilds and the ability to handle a lot of boost. The nice part about iron over aluminum is the ability to repair and machine if you do say get a crack in the block. Aluminum blocks if a ring breaks usually means a re sleeve which you might as well buy a new block at that point because sleeves are about $1000 plus machining cost. Also if you're looking to retain your heads, manifold, TB, etc, it sounds like you would only need a shortblock and not a long block.

[SMWS6TA]

Only one negative with the LQ blocks is that you will need to have the extra bolt hole for the alternator drilled and tapped. Other then that everything Allen said is the exact same reason I went with my LQ4 block.

I have Hotchkis 1" drop springs on OEM shocks (for now) and my front end didn't even drop. Handling no difference. I got around the alternator bolt issue by relocating mine to the passenger cylinder head. I got tired of replacing alternators because a 60 cent o ring leaks from the power steering pump.

Dart sleeves in an aluminum LS makes them strong as hell, about the only way to do so, but again like Allen said the cost to do it you can find an iron block way cheaper. Will picked up his block from Summit for around $500 IIRC. It was already bored out to 4.030" and already clearances for stroker cranks too.

[NastySS]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate your time, and how you are trying to help me. My car has been down since October of last year. Due to personal issues, I have not been able to deal with it until now. I really need to go the quickest route, and I don't have the resources to do what you guys do to your Kick Ash Engines. I don't race the car or beat the Sh*t out of it. Sure I like to stomp the Pedal on occasion and spin some rubber, but nothing truly insane. I want to drive the car by the end of August, because I have no idea if I will be on Earth next Summer. Also, although I've had 3 LS1's, I have ZERO experience with PCM tuning and know ZERO about it. As of this moment, I don't know who does it, how much it costs, or even if you lose the new settings if you disconnect or take your battery out which I do every Fall (Take Out) B4 I pack the car away for 7-8 months each year. The only thing I've ever done is to Remove the PCM, to run an SLP Fan Control Switch wire through the Firewall Grommet behind it.

I'm truly sorry, but for my needs and the sake of simplicity, I believe I should stay with the current config, but definitely much stronger&better rotating parts and bearings than Stock LS1. Sure I would rather have a Iron Block, but it does not seem to be in the cards for me, and it may be causing me delay buying a Short Block. I do feel bad because of all the help you all have given me trying to help me get the best, strongest engine, and I sincerely appreciate every single bit of advice.