Decent cam choice for a 383 build?

[383Dreams]

Hello everyone! I am hoping to refresh our 97' Silverado 5.7 Vortec, but I am a bit stumped on the cam. I want something to get out into traffic as fast as possible, though rarely will be above 4k rpm, and no towing to speak of. A mild lope would be sweet, but I don't want to have to change the stock torque converter or multi-port EFI. I am planning to up it to a 383 lower end. This is a shopping list I have put together with the help of Jegs so far. Feel free to improve my choices!

- Eagle 383 crank, pistons, rings, rods, bearings: Part Number: 356-B15405L03068: $953.99
https://www.jegs.com/i/Eagle/356/B15405L03068/10002/-1

- Competition Cams Push Rods: SKU # 249-7808-16 : $47.99
https://www.jegs.com/i/COMP-Cams/249/7808-16/10002/-1

- Milodan High Pressure Oil Pump: SKU # 697-18750 : $85.99
https://www.jegs.com/i/Milodon/697/18750/10002/-1

- High-Strength Oil Pump Shaft: SKU # 555-23650 : $10.29
https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/23650/10002/-1

- Fel-pro Complete Engine Gasket Set: SKU # 375-260-1735 : $122.99
https://www.jegs.com/i/Fel-Pro/375/260-1735T/10002/-1

- True Roller Timing Chain: SKU # 220-9-3157 : $107.30
https://www.jegs.com/i/Cloyes/220/9-3157/10002/-1

- A/C Delco Water Pump: SKU # 065-252-711 : $73.99
https://www.jegs.com/i/ACDelco/065/252-711/10002/-1

- JBA Stainless Steel Shorty Headers : SKU # 578-1832S : $423.99
https://www.jegs.com/i/JBA/578/1832S/10002/-1

 

[Dale Stevens]

Good choice on 383. Need to know what heads (make and CC) and compression. Dale

 

[383Dreams]

Stock Vortec heads, mpfi, and ignition. I am unsure what the final compression will be after the 383 bore. I had my eye on the Lunati CAM V262HR12, but they said it was for an LT1 and wouldn't fit a vortec...

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

Might interest you but I have run a LT1 and LT4 cam in a Vortec. Dowl pin is too long if its a true LTx cam. Not to confuse the 90s LT1 and LT4 with the more current ones.

 

[JeremyNH]

I'm in the same boat on cams. I've started my 383 build which is only to the point of a short block now. I've been researching cams for a bit and have come to believe that for trucks it is best to look for a marine type cam, get the grind, and then look for it's incarnation on a stepped nose cam for service in a L31. Boats need good torque at all rpm ranges which is the duty sought for a truck cam is my thinking. With regards to the LT1/LT4 question I think it is just semantics. All LT1/LT4 blocks used hydraulic roller tappets with step nosed cams whereas many 86+ blocks still used flat tappets through 1995. After-market step nosed cams were originally marketed to LT1/LT4 owners and were used to clearly differentiate them. With the move to LS there simply wasn't any impetus to break it out more. So LT1/LT4 just means sbc OE hydraulic roller step nosed cam. That's how it is for Howards and Lunati anyway. With Lunati I think you want this:

Voodoo Hydraulic Roller Cam - LT1, LT4 262/270

Hydraulic Roller Cam. Great choice for stock to mildly modified engines, works well with OEM style injection, great inboard /outboard marine cam for economy and skiing. Good mileage and torque increase. ; Advertised Duration (Int/Exh): 262/270; Duration

www.lunatipower.com

There is a member on the Forum (Erik the Awful) who has that cam and says it runs well in MPFI with a tune, poorly in TBI, and definitely a truck cam. It says LT1/LT4 but with Lunati it's either that or retrofit roller and with a cam retainer you don't want a retrofit roller.

One thing on your list is to maybe consider the Cloyes 9-1157 (Street True Roller) vs 9-3157 (Race True Roller). It's less than half the cost and far more popular. Race parts on race engines street parts on street engines imho.

 

[Frank Enstein]

Good heads and 1.6:1 rockers will make it run well.

I'm using a stock Vortec cam w/TPI in Frank.

 

[JeremyNH]

One other thing is the oil pump. I'm putting AFR 912s on my motor and for those heads AFR specifically recommends against high pressure and/or high volume oil pumps. They say oil floods the stem seals otherwise and causes smoky exhaust. More isn't always better.

 

[Vikingdude]

One other thing is the oil pump. I'm putting AFR 912s on my motor and for those heads AFR specifically recommends against high pressure and/or high volume oil pumps. They say oil floods the stem seals otherwise and causes smoky exhaust. More isn't always better.

If you do go with a high volume pump, my (very uneducated) understanding is you need additional clearance machined into some parts, which can cause some issues at low rpm/street conditions

 

[L31MaxExpress]

I run stock volume, high pressure big block pumps in all my small blocks and have for years. People who claim a high volime pump is going to somehow drain the pan or put all the oil in the top-end are dillusional at best. The oil is still going out of the same metered orifices in the lifters and out the same holes in the pushrods. Its not magically pumping 2x the oil with a few more psi. Flow changes with the square root of pressure increase. Double the pressure does not equal anywhere close to double the flow. It just builds full pressure at a lower rpm and opens the bypass sooner.

 

[L31MaxExpress]

I'm in the same boat on cams. I've started my 383 build which is only to the point of a short block now. I've been researching cams for a bit and have come to believe that for trucks it is best to look for a marine type cam, get the grind, and then look for it's incarnation on a stepped nose cam for service in a L31. Boats need good torque at all rpm engines which is the duty sought for a truck cam is my thinking. With regards to the LT1/LT4 question I think it is just semantics. All LT1/LT4 blocks used hydraulic roller tappets with step nosed cams whereas many 86+ blocks still used flat tappets through 1995. After-market step nosed cams were originally marketed to LT1/LT4 owners and were used to clearly differentiate them. With the move to LS there simply wasn't any impetus to break it out more. So LT1/LT4 just means sbc OE hydraulic roller step nosed cam. That's how it is for Howards and Lunati anyway. With Lunati I think you want this:

Voodoo Hydraulic Roller Cam - LT1, LT4 262/270

Hydraulic Roller Cam. Great choice for stock to mildly modified engines, works well with OEM style injection, great inboard /outboard marine cam for economy and skiing. Good mileage and torque increase. ; Advertised Duration (Int/Exh): 262/270; Duration

www.lunatipower.com

There is a member on the Forum (Erik the Awful) who has that cam and says it runs well in MPFI with a tune, poorly in TBI, and definitely a truck cam. It says LT1/LT4 but with Lunati it's either that or retrofit roller and with a cam retainer you don't want a retrofit roller.

One thing on your list is to maybe consider the Cloyes 9-1157 (Street True Roller) vs 9-3157 (Race True Roller). It's less than half the cost and far more popular. Race parts on race engines street parts on street engines imho.

My TBI cam was much bigger than that but I was tuning the 7427 PCM myself. Even ran TPI on the TBI PCM. My 383 TPI cam was 232/240 @ 0.050 on a 108 LSA and ran great with a tuned 7427.