How to Install a Comp Cam in a 5.3L LM7 Part 1

[59Fiftyrox]

ive got a 5.3 stock with intake and exhaust, how long did it take u to do this? i have a 2000 silverado do u think ill have to pull the engine?

[subaru733]

sweet truck

[matthew20061]

@subaru733 Thanks!

[cdsnds31]

Thanks for a great install video. Im looking at going with the same setup as you. Any issues after it was together? Also do you know what the part # is off the push rods? If not what would you recommend?

[matthew20061]

@cdsnds31 No issues after it was together. I eventually swapped to a 6.0L but the cammed 5.3 was great. Any hardened pushrods should work probably need 7.4 length.

[blindasbat509]

I drive s 85 Honda CRX, I want to know if I get a can of starter fluid and run a long small hose of the nausle of the can and run it into the air cleaner right above the carb, will it add any power? Iv done some testing with a riding lawnmower, catastrophic fail. Any ways any tips help.

[adamdta1990]

Awesome sound track...you say magnet weird. I have a 4.8 that I'd like to put a bigger cam in. I heard that you can run some kind of dowl rod through the block to keep those lifters in place? Is that at all possible?And are the springs and push rods necessary with a bigger cam?

[matthew20061]

@adamdta1990 Thanks, I'm not sure if its possible I've never done it that way I once heard the truck variation of LS engine don't have those holes drilled. Springs and pushrods are absolutely necessary with a bigger cam.

[MyersFan1and4]

Whats the trick to getting the lifters to stay up? I'm getting ready to put a cam in my 93 5.0 Mustang and if i could leave the lifters in that would save a lot of time and work.

[TheLTXCamaro]

i thought your supposed to take the intake off??? i have an LT1 and wanna swap to LT4 hotcam or bigger PM i need some help

thanks.

[matthew20061]

@TheLTXCamaro An LT1 is a completely different engine, this LS based engine is designed completly different. I'm no expert with LT1's but I believe you pull the intake, remove the lifters and such then pull the cam. Should be similar to any SBC.

[TheLTXCamaro]

@matthew20061 i know about the LS engines myself, there pushrod just like LT and SBC and you wouldnt of had of worried about the lifters falling if you pulled the intake off. haha. but it seems like you did ok in this video. i know that the LS7 lifters are interchangeable with LT1's and SBC engines

[matthew20061]

@TheLTXCamaro The lifters in LS engines are not located under the intake, they are under the cylinder heads. The only way to remove them is to pull the heads.

[4rdt0ugh08]

8:00 song please?! Awesome taste of music. Who cares about that 42 year old red and black leather jacket. This is the best music any one could ask for. I am 15. Most people my age fall for the newest stuff. I absolutely hate that crap.

[ccubsfan94]

i loved watching this and throughout the vid figure out what songs you are listening to. you have one of the greatest tastes in music. classic rock is the best.

[SFLskates]

Noticed you arent using black sockets on your impact gun

[302BRONCOPOWER]

i have a 2003 silverado 5.3 stock engine only have headers and hypertech programer and cold air intake but want install a cam COMP Cams 54-412-11

its the same process to swap the engine or need remove the cylinder heads?

can helpme?

[TheSteelhead15]

I mostly just watched this vid because of all the good tunes plaing in the background and a sweet truck

[poofthe]

American Art... Lovely

[kiteLe06]

so are the new springs necessary with the cam? was thinking about camming my 5.3 (04 sierra) just wondering if i can get away with stock valve springs and rods, or do i run a serious risk of damaging anything, thanks!

[Fxr1212]

stevie ray vaughn only way to go

[beeterolds]

I was thinking about recommending the magnet trick to hold the lifters up but you beat me to it!! your a smart dude! i cant wait to dig into these engines!

[713slipkn0t713]

Classic rock goes perfectly with classic Chevys :)

[pbdiego1]

Meegnat -_-

[Smigjo]

Love the way you say magnet. ^.^ Great video man, really helpful. Good music too

[COMPCams]

Great video. Love the conversion. Nice work.

[matthew20061]

@COMPCams Thanks!

[lilkracker663]

nothing but good music

[cummins92bankspower]

love the music man\

[theboss93268]

how much did all this cost you?

[Hbirdproductions]

How long did this take?

[racehonda9]

diggin the stevie ray in the background man.

[pony74]

Do u what hold in the cam in a chevy 305. I'm rebuilding a 85 monte carlo ss and I just put in a new cam. But I'm not sure what's goning to hold the cam in place. ......also I like how u say magnet

[orangesilverado01]

how much did u pay for the cam i want put it in my 2001 4.8l which cam do u recommend reply back

[muszyngr]

good video, learning a lot, thank you for taking the time to shoot it for us while trying to work on your engine, I was wondering about the lifters myself, you would think they just drop down, like the magnet trick, if it works it beats removing the intake

[isidroarreola]

About how much HP gain on a silverado ss 6.0 with comp cams. I'm thinking about getting for my truck.

[isidroarreola]

Off subject . But benching your own body weight isn't impressive. I can bench 2.4x my body weight.19yrs 155lbs drug free.... just sayin

[muszyngr]

@isidroarreola - yeah right you can push off 372 lbs off your chest, maybe with a good bounce and a spotter

[Navajas440]

5.3's are a pushrod block ? Did not know that. Anyway, Between the 5.3, and 6.0, Why did you go with the 5.3 ? Obviously you know something I don't. Was there just a 5.3 staring you in the face and the 350 needed a rebuld and the price too tempting ?

[albokidnj]

is this a push rod engine? One camshaft? Correct?

[matthew20061]

@albokidnj Yes that is correct, its is a pushrod V8.

[firechicken76]

Your really pushing it with those springs, they are only rated to 600 lift. Nice setup though, reminds me of my 88 trans am w/ an ls1/t56.

[SinistrChevy]

look at the gen x 205 heads, i had a set on my old 02, world of difference man

[Jay42580]

at 2:45 in the vid that is a bad as song love that song.....

[sosotightt]

haha i hear that stevie ray vaughn - crossfire in the back ground =]

[MegaPotato18]

@SaUCeBoSs96 a cam is like your appendix. it does nothing, so remove it out of your engine if you like, its only weighing it down.....lol

[orlandotelevision]

how much horsepower do you think you will get from that cam?

[matthew20061]

@orlandotelevision I'm not sure how much more power its making as I never dyno tested it before or after. But after the cam swap the truck easily ran a 14.3 flat could have been a bit faster, I only ran it twice. Trucks getting a 6.0L with heads/cam this winter.

[slowride55]

@matthew20061 Why drop in a 6.0 when you already have a completed truck?

[Navajas440]

@slowride55 Maybe the 02 Silvy was totaled, That's the only reason I can see him doing it. It's been the rage since EFI!

[cutlassrkt]

@matthew20061 thats pretty fast. Is it an auto? If so whats the stall of the torque converter? And what gears in the rearend?

[matthewt2010]

@orlandotelevision It's not uncommon for a stock 5.3L to make a little more than 300 hp. After the cam, a tune up, and duel exhaust (assumed) they commonly make around 350 hp. Pretty good for a little 5.3, if you ask me!

[Navajas440]

@matthewt2010 1 horse per inch is impressive yeah. Like if you can bench your own body weight.

[matthewt2010]

@Navajas440 Definitely! That's the outstanding positive attribute of the LS engines- high power with light weight. Sure the torque may not always be at the levels of the big blocks back in the height of the muscle car era, but these are so versatile that they can be tuned for torque. Throw a turbo on there and you'll be getting some sick torque/horsepower numbers.

[Navajas440]

@matthewt2010 So the 5.3 is LS based ? what about the 4.8 and 6.0 or even the 8.1 ? I'm a little rusty on my GM lingo, I'm a Mopar fan but since I've owned a Buick Regal (85' 3.8) in a narrow minded Ford family, I've been a fan of both GM and Mopar. I just think Ford's are overpriced and overrated. I'm surprised as hell that GM still uses pushrods, I know the Ford 4.6 and 5.4 are overheaded cams, not sure about Chrysler's 5.7, 6.1 or the new 6.4 Hemis.

[matthewt2010]

@Navajas440 Yes, the 5.3L in this in this video is from the LS series. There are two generations of 4.8L (Vortec 4800 and Vortec 4800 LY2), two generations of the 5.3L (Vortec 5300 and the fourth generation Vortec 5300), a 5.7L (LS1) model, two generations of the 6.0L (Vortec 6000 and LS2), and a 6.2L (L92) and 7.0L (LS7) models. They are better known by their nick-names which I gave in parenthesis. There are others that use all the base blocks, but vary with different performing heads.

[dckc75]

were did u buy ur ls engine

[71dusterkid50]

@dckc75 He said he got it out of a 02 silverado

[DieselMechanic09]

Did you say that the back passenger side lifter is worn out? Well I have a 5.3 also, and I believe I have a bad lifter on the same side and same location as the one you said was worn out. I wonder if this is common on the 5.3 engine.

[matthew20061]

@DieselMechanic09

Well the lifter isn't wore out its just the plastic cup the lifter push's up into no longer holds it very well if you know what I mean.

[c0uchsl0uch]

tom sawyer !!!!!!!!!

[MYDRAGGIN84]

nice truck and motor i do the same put tools by the battery a bed habite i got and i always for get were i put my sockets

[CHEVYCAMARO4GEN]

If only the video was more specific like the video been longer without the pauses it would be perfect, well ama subscribe hoping more videos in the future. thanks for posting

[curtknows101]

This is not an old school engine!!! To access the lifters you actually have to remove the heads!!!! On older engines like the mentioned cougar you only have to remove the intake for lifter access and you have to remove the lifters to swap cams!! If your not experienced in the workings of an engine you definetly need to be or have someone who is help you or you are going to get a lot of fast hard experience!!!! And experience is something you get just after you need it!!!

[MastermindAlaska]

Think I might have to try one of these LSr cams in my trucks LQ4 6.0L.

I calculated the overlap from the advertised durations and its only 45 degrees, that's incredibly low for a cam that size. Those lobes must be crazy aggressive. Are you sure comp 918's are sufficient?

Brilliant installation video too, very well done.

[matthew20061]

@MastermindAlaska Ya it's a great cam seemed to really wake up that 5.3L, if I was to do the valve springs again I would probably go with a better spring but at the time my budget only would allow for 918's and I was told they would work fine with it. Idle is smooth as well with a bit of a rumble! Thanks for the comment!

[MastermindAlaska]

@matthew20061

Now that I know they are capable of handling that cam though I think I may go with the budget minded 918's as well. I don't really plan on spinning the engine past 6k so I imagine they'll be fine. What's the lowest stable rpm, and where does it start making decent power?

[PrimitiveStrikeForce]

This is the thumpr cam right?Saw this in car craft-took the redline from 5600 to 6800 rpm

how many hp are you putting down?

[matthew20061]

@PrimitiveStrikeForce No this is Comp Cams LSR Series Cams PART #54-455-11 265LR HR12

Its definitely a strong cam and runs great, truck did a 14.3 in the 1/4 mile with it other than that I have no HP numbers since its never been on a dyno.

[dnl5649]

goes from the cam to the timing gear. is there marks on the cam? mine didn't have anything. i had to look at the old cam and spend hours trying to find what goes where on the new one. also i painted a line across the timing gear, chain, and cam

[matthew20061]

@dnl5649 The cam had a small dot like notch on it so the timing gear could only go on one way for this type of engine. A 77 cougar is a completely different engine so I'm not sure what to say.

[dnl5649]

your up early.

i'm not too familiar with newer stuff so i dont know what your talking about. i was working on my 77 cougar and a lifter dropped down the the crankcase. that was hell trying to reach in there and find it, in grease oil grime and who knows what else!

how did you know which bolt does where on the cam. i mean how did you know which of the 3 bolts

[dnl5649]

if the hydraulic lifters stay up, they are gummy and greasy. they normally would fall back down.

always take off your intake. you don't want to have to pull the motor and disassemble it to get a lifter out of the crankcase

[matthew20061]

@dnl5649 LS Engines have a "plastic "lifter cup", and when you spin the camshaft the lifters go up deeper into the plastic holder and friction alone keeps them from falling back down" quoted from "LS1Howto/com"

[dnl5649]

@matthew20061 thanks for posting this vid, you have taught me some tips that will make my next cam install faster. where did you get your cam?

[WandererDenali]

You make it look easy think you inspired me to install a cam myself.

[ghtowagon]

I always put the CLY to TDC.. I also have this cool crane compressor that does two springs at once. It makes valve spring changes a snap. They used to make them for gen 1 SBC's and LSX's.. I think the dont know b/c crane's whole company is wishy washy now