Cam, headers, and torque converter for 5.3

[ThunderBolt]

I just ordered some new goodies for my 5.3 silverado RCSB. The cam I chose is a Thunder Racing 220/220 114 LSA. The tech person I spoke with recomended the 114 LSA over the 112 LSA because it would idle beter and yield more torque down low since my truck is a daily driver. I bought the complete package with springs, pushrods, and retainers; The person I spoke with recomended a dual valve spring from patriot. He said if one spring broke, the other would hold the valve from getting sucked down in the motor thus tearing up the motor. My question: Is a dual valve spring really needed since I will probably only be turning 6500 rpms; thunder racing also sales another cam kit that has the behive comp spring which is a single spring that uses the factory retainers and this kit is about $100 cheaper. The cam is on a 8-10 day backorder so I'm thinking about calling back and getting them just to send the kit that has the comp behive spring. I am also putting a trailblazer torque converter, which I've heard has a stall of about 2800-2900 rpms. The tech person I talked to said this converter would be perfect for this cam. I don't tow anything very heavy; however, I do tow my jetski often. Would this be an ideal set up? I have hooker headers going on with the hooker y-pipe which has the cats deleted. I figured my motor would'nt flow enough for true-duals to be effective over what I plan on doing. Any comments, questions, or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[99sierra4x4]

thats about the exact cam i was looking at, although im keeping my stock converter for now, i dont know if i want a stall or not. also im getting long tubes, but keeping the cats for emmisions testing. i heard it makes great power.

[skeet]

only thing i cam think of is if you wanted the lsa112 you should have gotten it, lots of people have it and they daily drive there truck... a great tuner ( allen nelson ) could fix it right up, since you'll need a tune anyway ... but all in all nice little set up you'll have there

[-HIC-]

I have the 112 and with Allens tune the damn thing sounds stock. I had to ask him to lower the idle in hopes of getting some lope... **** if that does not work I am going to a 224 when I put the new heads in.

[-HIC-]

also the 918 (beehive) springs are fine. Yes if you break one you are screwed, does it happpen? Yes, but not very often. Make sure to bring your engine up to temp before hammering on it.

[99sierra4x4]

not a bad price for a whole kit though.... not bad at all...

[txarkitekt]

On the springs, it is a toss up. The cam you are using is not too radical to use PRCs. If it was a bigger cam or if you were going FI or NOS, I would recommend the PRCs. You should be fine with the 918s. Comp had a bad batch of 918s (the reason why HIC was mentioning broken sprigs), but Comp has since fixed that problem. HIC also mentions a good point: don't rev your motor over 3k rpms when it is cold...once it is at normal operating temps, then you can rev it as high as you want. The springs are stiffer--which means they are more brittle when cold...

Yeah, should have done the 112 LSA. You'll be kicking yourself afterwards. Call TR and have them change it to a 112 LSA. Trust me!

The exhaust should be fine. The Y-pipe on a 5.3L is a 3" pipe...run that back to your muffler (which I am guessing is a single in/dual out), then run dual 2.5" tail pipes.

[ThunderBolt]

I called allen last friday and he recomended the 114 lsa over the 112 lsa; however, I am calling thunder racing back and getting them to send the comp 918 springs. I don't feel like I need the Patriot springs since I'm not going FI or NO2 anytime soon. Does anybody have any experience with gmpartsdirect.com?? I'm looking at ordering a TB torque converter on there and the 05+ electric truck fans. Also, what should I do to my transmission? I was thinking about a shift kit and corvette servos but that about all I know of. Thanks for all the help.

[RedHeartbeat]

GMPARTSDIRECT = anal rape when it comes to shipping and handling charges. Check your competitive pricing at other sites such as CrateEngineDepot and SDPARTS.

[txarkitekt]

Also, what should I do to my transmission? I was thinking about a shift kit and corvette servos but that about all I know of. Thanks for all the help.

Do a Superior shift kit and a Corvette servo. Both a super easy to install and help to extend the life of you tranny. Contact FLT (Finish Line Transmission) or OPT (Oregon Performance Transmissions).