7.4/454 Cam Upgrade Selection

[Motrhedx81]

I need a little help picking a cam. I'm planning on replacing pretty much all of the valvetrain. I have a 2000 K3500 CCLB 7.4/454 with 200k miles and there's and odd misfire that I can only explain by something funky going on in the valvetrain.
https://www.gmt400.com/threads/2000-k3500-454-7-4-runs-rough-sucks-and-blows.58914/

I have it narrowed down, currently, to a couple of GM cams, the 454/502HO or the ZZ502. I like what I see in the specs, and the price is good but you do have to change the distributor gear.
454HO = p/n 24502611

Chevrolet Performance 24502611 Chevrolet Performance Hydraulic Roller Camshafts | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Chevrolet Performance Hydraulic Roller Camshafts with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Camshafts at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

ZZ502 = p/n 12366543

Chevrolet Performance 12366543 Chevrolet Performance Hydraulic Roller Camshafts | Summit Racing

Free Shipping - Chevrolet Performance Hydraulic Roller Camshafts with qualifying orders of $109. Shop Camshafts at Summit Racing.

www.summitracing.com

I've looked the Comp 01-412-8 or 01-415-8 but may be a little milder than I want. They have a 113 LSA, and I've read that 110 LSA gets better low-mid rpm torque. The available Comp cams with 110 LSA get a little wilder specs. I also talked to Straub but his setup gets expensive.

I'm planning on using Comp parts; springs lifters, adjustable studs, etc.

I've searched the interwebs and GMT400 and see good general reviews on both GM cams but no comparison of the two. My truck is just a truck for doing truck things so I'm looking for performance in the 1000-5500 rpm range. I like a little lope in the cam but know that too much makes streetability worse and raises the rpm power range. I am also planning on doing the 0411 swap in the near future.
I like the thought of the ZZ502 cam but I'm afraid it may get into the range of big tuning and torque converters.

I appreciate any words of wisdom and experience you all have.

 

[Supercharged111]

I'd take the 454HO cam for truck stuff, the ZZ502 cam is getting more into car stuff. If I had the ambition, I'd do the HO cam, a dual plane intake, and an aftermarket EFI system to my plow truck. That would make it rev happily to 5000+. As it is, the stock 454 intake manifold begins to choke at 4500 so you're not gonna want a cam that goes past 5000 if keeping that. How do you plan to tune it?

 

[Motrhedx81]

I'm not really sure about tuning plans, haven't gotten there yet. With the 0411, I'd like to get HPTuners and play with it myself, but I'm a complete newbie to tuning. I'm in central KY and don't know of any tuners around the area.

 

[Supercharged111]

Not tuning it would be r3t@rded. There's more power on the table with a tuned stock engine than there is sticking a cam in an untuned engine. That it's not easily accessible is not a reason to not tune. If it comes to it, it's worth a long drive to get the thing uncorked. I would think it'd run and drive fine with that HO cam. I put a 212/218 in mine and the thing still acts pretty much stock. The PCM only commands like 16 degrees of advance at WOT and doesn't add any fuel beyond stoich until you're foot to the floor for 60 seconds or more so that's what you'd be adding a cam to right off the bat.

 

[BeXtreme]

I sent my stock cam to Delta Camshaft in Tacoma, Wa. They ground the stock one to a stock/tow type profile for $140 shipped and it was ~2 week turnaround because I told them I wasn't in a hurry.

It's 117 LSA, 204/204 duration @.050 and .510/.510 lift. Advertised duration on it is 262/264 @ .006, so somewhere between a Comp Cams Extreme energy XR252HR and XR258HR.

You can call and talk to the guy that will be grinding it and tell him your application and what you are wanting to do with it and they can grind it to match whatever you are doing. I reused stock rockers, converted to adjustable valvetrain, and measured for new hardened pushrods. Used 454HO dual valvesprings.

 

[Motrhedx81]

Thanks for all the feedback. I ended up going with the 454HO cam. It was available at Summit, cheaper than comp cams, and I like the specs. I probably would've liked going with the Straub cam but that is a bit more expensive am I'm trying to stay in a budget-ish.
I also bought a full comp cams valve train.
One catch with the HO cam is that you have to get a specific distributor gear; GM p/n 10456413. I takes away a little bit of the savings but I found one for about $80 with shipping.

 

[Schurkey]

One catch with the HO cam is that you have to get a specific distributor gear; GM p/n 10456413. I takes away a little bit of the savings but I found one for about $80 with shipping.

1. What diameter shaft is that distributor gear intended for? What diameter shaft is in your distributor?
2. Don't you already have a steel cam in that engine? Therefore, don't you already have a compatible distributor gear (provided it's in good condition.)

 

[L31MaxExpress]

1. What diameter shaft is that distributor gear intended for? What diameter shaft is in your distributor?
2. Don't you already have a steel cam in that engine? Therefore, don't you already have a compatible distributor gear (provided it's in good condition.)

I have an 8100 with the 454 HO aka 502 cam. Used a stock gear on it. The 8100 has an oil pump drive stub shaft like a Gen2 L99, LT1 or LT4, FWIW. The GM roller cams are 5150 and use a mellonized gear.

I am sticker shocked on that 454 HO/502 cam though. It was a $178 cam at dealer wholesale when I bought it. It is a very torquey cam in an 8100 with long tubes. The nice part about that cam in the 8100 is it was stock base circle and worked with the non-adjustable valvetrain and stock pushrods. Not a huge fan of stock rockers but the alternative gets $$$$ quick.

 

[Motrhedx81]

On the dist. gear, I'll have to do some looking at what my distributor has already. I'm just now to the point of tearing the engine down. I bought the gear based on what the cam info said, and didn't really do anymore research than that. I have wondered if I really needed it though.

... update ... the distributor I have is the Delphi CZ20005, that I installedabout 3 years ago. I haven't found what type of gear it has on it yet.

 

[Motrhedx81]

Valvetrain parts list that I went with...
Cam: GM 24502611 (454HO cam)
Lifters: Comp 900-16
Pushrods: Comp 7815-16
Springs: Comp 911-16
Retainers: Comp 748-16
Locks: Comp 612-16
Rotator eliminator: Comp 4779-8 qty 2 (I was originally told 4698-8 but these don't fit the 911 springs)
Rocker stud: Comp 4514-KIT (adjustable conversion)
Timing set: Cloyes C-3216
Dist gear: GM 10456413


I'm still using the stock rockers.
I may not have needed to go with the adjustable rocker stud conversion but I went ahead and did it.
I also may not need to change the dist gear but I couldn't find any specs on my distributor so I'm planning changing anyway unless the shaft diameter doesn't match for some reason.