The computer does not control the cam, butthe computerhas to know the right amount of fuel and spark advance to provide to keep the engine happy with the new cam. Without proper programming (tuning) the engine will not run at full potential or may even make less power than with the original cam.

 

so what exactly is the difference when it says computer capable and not computer capable

 

[&:] the cam itself is not computer controlled its the ability of the computer to compensate for the strange readings it will be getting from its sensors due to the changes in the combustion process that a cam or other changes will produce. GM has a good adaptive program but it has its limits. in other words the computer is programmed for only so big a variation or change and once outside of that something will cease to function( engine , cats etc.) the comuter compatible cam is designed to work within the programmed parameters of the stock computer. all cams can be made computer compatible you just get to buy a new computer that matches the changes. I seem to dispense this advice often here but i cannot stress it enough especially with computer controlled cars .the engine MUST be thought of as a package, all the parts should be chosen to work well togather. a big fat cam on a stock headed, stock compression motor will not yield the far superior results that a well thought out matched component motor will. on our old carbed engines such changes may not have worked well, on the computer controlled cars we'll melt down cats, detonate a hole through the pistons among other costly oopsies. this is a far more expensive arena to play in and the overall picture of engine function must be considered. in most cases you cannot just change one part its gonna take several to avoid shelling out the bucks for repairs instead of a cool new part kurt

 

well i dont want to put a huge cam in or anything i will be putting heads on too i just want to figure out what heads and cam will go together, like i said i tryed emailing comp cams but their application had questions i didnt know how to answer

 

[&:] you keep mentioning just heads and a cam and you dont seem to be getting that that is not possible using the stock computer program. edelbrock makes nicely matched components that you seek but i can almost guarantee they WILL NOT work with the stock computer. you are attempting to make changes that cant be accomodated by the factory computer. or you can order a cam from almost any supplier to match your compression ratio and work done to your stock heads(larger valves, port work, etc) but any cam and almost any work done could very well yield negative results if the stock computer is retained. the parts work togather, you cant do things to increase airflow(heads and cam) without increasing fuel rates to match(read: new injectors, computer etc) i do not believe there is a cam available that will provide a real HP increase and use the stock computer. there just isnt much in between on the newer cars!! you can spend a couple dollars for the easy upgrades but the next step is big bucks. i suppose you could just ignore our advice and flop the cam and heads on the motor but when it dont work the only thing youll get here is a big fat cup of we told you so. if you want to strip it down and make a carburated motor then we have room to work. any aftermarket parts you seek are designed to move more air through the motor and the stock program just wont allow for it kurt

 

well sorry i am going to get the computer tuned, there is a local shop that does that, i just wasnt sure if you could use any cam with any heads, im contimplating on the lt4 hot cam kit, what about push rods, i wanted to get new ones so i dont have to worry about anything, what size is best ?

 

[&:] if you use the lt4 cam id heartily suggest lt4 heads as they're designed to work with that cam. you realize that with this swap(lt4 cam, heads and probably computer AND injectors) your basicly creating an lt4 which produced the exact same torque but a whopping 30 more horse power(trying to be funny here). the bottom end of these motors are nearly identical. i do believe there are far cheaper ways to get a mere 30 plus HP. the pistons are cut differently so you will end up with a lower compression so i wouldnt even count on the 30 HP as the final upgrade. id probably use the lt4 pushrods if you make the swap. believe me im not trying to burst your bubble on creating more HP. i suppose for the cost you might find a complete donor lt4 to stick in your car but damn thats a lot of money for 30 HP. ever thought about nitrous???

 

no i really just want a n/a car, the edelbrock performer heads claim 24hp but the lt4 heads say potential of 430+ what does that mean ?what about trick flow heads they dont say what it puts out

 

[&:] alih by n/a do you mean naturally aspirated?? both fuel injection and carb are naturally aspirated motors. nitrous, super and turbo charging are forms of super charging. remember ive stated several times that an engine MUST be thought of as a package and all the parts have the ability to produce varying amounts of HP. it is but an air pump and the parts you put into it will depend on your goal and your budget. by the way what is your budget as this may help what parts to get to get the best bang for your buck. if you are indeed switching over to a carb then the sky is the limit for mods, how fast do you want to go??? all aftermarket heads will provide more airflow and thus more HP potential. the lt4 heads are capable of flowing enough air to support around 430 HP but only as part of a package(carb, cam, increased compression, etc) now if you super charge any one of these the HP levels will obviously increase. the different manufacturers HP numbers are probably based on natural aspiration and a volumetric efficiency of the engine around 85-95 percent. i would think that edelbrocks head HP number is a simple swapping of the heads and nothing else. with a matched cam, heads and intake i would expect around 75-100 HP increases with similar increases for other head, cam and intakes from other companies, trick flow also makes good matched sets of heads and cams. HP costs $$$$ and you need to determine how much HP you want in order to select a good working combo of parts kurt

 

[X(] i suppose i should clarify one of the statements in my last: the sky is the limit for HP gains for both carb and fuel injection and both will depend on budget. the carbed version will be cheaper to reach similer HP levels