I decided to do a camshaft swap on the engine before installing it. I figured now or never. The stock cam was swapped for a Thunder Racing TR224 cam. Specs of the cam are 224/224 duration, .563 lift and a 112 lsa. It should be good for about 30-40 hp increase with a little lope idle. Look up TR224 on YouTube for some examples.
Since I changed the camshaft, I also needed to change the pushrods and valve springs to a more stout set. Thanks to LS1howto.com for good directions on the install.
Some pictures of the swap:
Pretty clean for a used truck engine.
Installing the cam.
Note the two wood dowels in the block. These are for holding the lifters in place when removing and installing the cam.
Valve spring swap:
Got this valve spring compressor tool from a LS1Tech forum member for $33. Simple and it works. I used the "top dead center" method for keeping the valves from falling into the cylinder. You rotate the engine so the at any one time two pistons are at the top of the cylinder. The valve will only move slightly towards the piston when the spring is removed. You just need to do only two cylinders at a time and make sure that they are the correct two.
New springs installed:
Custom Oil Pan:
I also had to install a new oil pan to clear the Miata steering rack and crossmember. A F-body pan can be modified and used but I decided to use a custom pan from V8 Roadsters. It is designed for performance driving with full baffles to help prevent oil starvation under heavy cornering. It also uses a remotely mounted oil filter.
Baffles:
I had to cut the factory windage tray to clear the pan:
V8R pan installed:
Intake Manifold:
Since the tall truck manifold is, well, too tall, a car style intake manifold has to be installed. I went with an LS6 intake manifold along with a cable actuated throttle body to replace the truck setup. Plus it should flow a little more air, and work well with the new cam.
So close:
Next step is to order a clutch/flywheel kit and mate up the transmission. Then its time for a test fit. Soon....very soon...
