Thought id ask over here as well. Looking for a cam to fit my stock stahl 3.15 gear 99 corvette with tsp headers and cai. Anyone dealt with BTR before?
He has his old style weekend warriors on sale for 230$ and elgin E1839P for 236$ on ebay. The stage 3 BTR is 218/224 .553/.553 113+3 and Elgin cam im looking at a 286/282 220/224 112lsa. Of the two which do you think is better? There both about the same specs. For the BTR cam he sells the cam kits for 299$ with .560 springs and seals. Im debating on either cam with a set of pac 1218s and chromemoly pushrods. Do you think the .560 springs he sells would be adequate enough for a daily driver weekend racer? I had posted this on another forum but thought id ask here as well.

To install the cam you have to loosen the front cradle bolts and remove the rack and pinion/tie rods ends? I've installed a bullet cam and manley titanium duals but that was in 2011 in my 98 6 speed hardtop z28.

 

You don't mention lift specs on the Elgin. I'm guessing around .560" both I&E. IMHO, don't go too small on the cam, or you'll end up buying another. Never mind, you probably will buy another, either way, lol! Seriously, I'd go with something like a 224°-228°, maybe even a 226°-230°, on a 112° LSA, with around .575" lift, maybe some Comp 26918 springs. I don't use "stages" for reference, just specs. My .02

 

The Elgin E1839P is a 286/282 220/224 .575/.575 112lsa cam and the BTR stage 3 cam is a 218/224 .553/553 113lsa cam. Yes someone recommended not going over a 224r 114lsa cam with the stock 1600 stahl torque converter. Im looking for the best fit for a daily driven 99 c5 4l60e 3.15 gears tsp headers. Im all for the bigger cam 228/230 or 224/228 cams if you think it wont have less power at 1600rpm with the stock torque converter. Those are the two affordable options as i dont plan on changing the converter unless the transmission were to break and had to remove it for repairs. Elgin mentioned his 1838 and 1839 cams supposedly would run with the stock cam. He mentioned the 1840 with 228/230 .585 lift picks up 60 horsepower but am worried about the stock torque converter. Anyone run a bigger cam with the stock torque converter and make good power over the stock converter above 1600rpm? I seen someone locally with a ls2 stock converter corvette with a pretty big cam and he showed me how the cam surges thru when put in park to drive but was able to get it tuned. Alot of the bigger cams recommend a torque converter which i don't plan on changing unless i had issues with the current one.
You think the 918s are better then pac1218s do say from china? How about the 906s 528-kit on a smaller cam? The 906s say .580 lift and seem real nice but may i ask if they require comp retainers and locks as well or work with the stock locks and retainers.

Cam motion has a nice dual spring set for 230$ and summit has a ls dual spring set for 180$
Summit Racing SME-174003 Summit Racing™ GM LS Dual Valve Spring Upgrade Kits | Summit Racing

Let me know this summit kit may be a good kit for gm ls replacements at an affordable price and wont drop a valve all the way if one breaks. I really do like the price of the summit dual spring set but if the 26906 springs fit the stock retainers locks for 95$ saves a bit of coin.

 

Stock Stall + Overlap of more than 3* sounds like a nightmare to me.
If you are not changing stall something like Cam Motion LS1 Stage 3
218/224 116*+3* .595"/.595" (high lift version)
I would contact Cam Motion or Pat G.
Just my .02

 

TSP told me the 224R on a 114 would be the biggest he'd put with the stock torque converter. So you dont think the elgin E1839P 286/282 220/224 .575 .575 112 or the BTR 218/224 .553/.553 113+3 would be fine with the stock torque converter? What does +3 mean its advances to a 116lsa? Those 2 cams can be purchased new cheap for 230$ or 236$. Im on the edge about buying used cams. Id ask either but hate to waste their time. The cam motion you are referring to is about the same as the btr cam but lacking some lift?

 

I agree with Navy that cam, gear, converter will be a nice driver with power youll feel .
I made the mistake of running too tight a converter/too big a cam, undergeared. Car was a pooch

 

Im getting close to purchasing a cam and some 1218s. Any idea if the comp 906s for 96$ the ls6 beehives with .030 lft capacity are ready to use with stock valvetrain equipment? Retainers, locks etc. How often are you suppose to change the single beehives?

You dont think the weekend warrior stage 3 218/224 .553 .553 113+3 is similiar to the cam motion titan 1? I only ask as in his garage sale he has them for 230$ new same 5150 core. I spoke with BTR over the phone he did say picked up the 62hp with that cam and tune but depends on the tuner. It does have lower lift but can anyone confirm a cam with less lift is wont break springs as easily? Most of his BTR cams are for trucks with .550 lift ive seen. His website advertises needs a 2800+ converter but his cams are for 4.8s/5.3s so i believe a cam that size would be fine on a ls1. Any idea amazon and ebay have his BTR weekend warrior camshafts advertised same lift and duration but reads 110+3 lsa? Does this mean its literally a 113 lsa cam? Im just curious hate to buy something thats not as advertised.

Heres what elgin told me but did say they were a camshaft factory and not an engine builder. I had inquired about the ebay sellers advertising the sloppy regrinds for 90$-120$ that i believe are knock off regrinds.
If it’s not advertised as Elgin, then it’s probably not Elgin.
We are an actual factory, we cannot sell retail.
Thank you for your inquiry. We do get a lot of questions about LS Engines, and this email includes many answers. Here’s a Link to our LS Flyer. For cams, the E-1840-P / Sloppy Stage 2 is the most popular. Adds 60 hp to a 4.8/5.3 with only swapped springs, should need a converter, tune required. The 1840 in a 6.0/6.2, will work great with turbo, supercharger, nitrous too. We have several customers making 1000+ whp with this cam. Supposedly the 1838 & 1839 will work with a stock tune. There’s lots of feedback that the 1838 is a great daily driver with very similar off-the-line throttle response, plus added top end power. The 1200 series cams are OE GM grinds with descriptions included below.
E-1838-P : C : Sloppy Stage 1
E-1839-P : C : Secret Sauce X
E-1840-P : D : Sloppy Stage 2
E-1841-P : D : Sloppy Stage 3
The 1800 series cams have a stock base-circle, so a stock length push rod is fine if all other components are also stock.

Im thinking the E-1839-P 286/282 220/224 113lsa .575/.575 lift cam would be perfect for a 99 corvette with stock converter. from what elgin told me. On a six speed im sure it would run ok untuned not too sure on an auto you would have to get the rev limiter raised and shift points. The cheapest i found one for 236$ and the BTR weekend warrior stage 3 for 230$. I think either would add 30-40hp untuned plus more with better tuning. Its for my daily driver corvette. Just thought id copy repaste what they had told me as it helps with the knock-offs and other questions.
BTR and elgin are reputable cam companys. I'd contact pat g but is expensive if get a cam motion titan 1 and set of dual springs from cam motion for 230$.

 

Justin, I think that the 110+3 means a 110° LSA installed 3° advanced, iirc, which I may not!! If I do remember correctly, a 110° LSA wouldn't be high on my list if running 3.15s and a stock converter. Just my .02......

 

You bet on ebay or amazon BTR weekend warrior stage 3 cam kit is listed as 218/224 .553/.553 110+3 where as on BTR's website its listed as the same specs but as a 113lsa. Im not sure if hes taking into account the 110+3? TSP told me the biggest would be the 224r on a 114lsa not 112lsa for the stock converter that he'd recommend. So does that mean the 110+3 cam is a 113? I hate to get a 110 lsa where its harder to tune or not advertised specs correctly. Reason im looking at his are on sale for 230$ which is nice but the elgin may be a better cam with the 113 .575 lift and within specs of the cam size im looking for.

I believe it was amazon or a different ebay listing for the weekend warrior stage 3. This ebay has listed as a 113lsa Weekend Warrior Stage 3 BTR Camshaft Kit 4.8 5.3 6.0 6.2 LS Brian Tooley LS1 Cam | eBay Still curious what the 110+3 actually means or does long term in terms of lsa. Says it picked up 62hp with a tune same as BTR Brian had said on the phone but wasnt sure if he meant on a 5.3 engine or ls1. Still curious of the two cams which would be better for the corvette. Could make the mistake and loose 10-20hp getting the wrong cam.

 

Justin, I'm like 99% sure that the 110, or 114, or whatever # you choose is the LSA, and the + number is how many degrees advanced you either install it. Call whoever grinds the cam, and ask them. If they don't know, find a different cam grinder. It's been awhile since I've studied cam specs. FWIW, I would personally go with a 112 LSA, installed 4° advanced. My .02. Good luck

 

Been awhile for me too, so I may be full of it, or this is how it goes…

The LSA is the lobe separation angle, or the angle between the intake vs exhaust lobes, without reference to the crank timing.

Wheres, the “ + “ is referring to the advance timing degrees built into the intake lobe. So, for example if the cam is listed at 114 +2, it means the intake lobe has a built in advance timing of 2*. It gets more difficult to understand from there, but suffice to say the cam timing advance is machined into the cam, you just install them straight up to the crank and timing gear marks.

 

You might want to take a second to look at the expected horsepower profiles at the lower end, like from idle to 2500, as you have a somewhat tall rear (3.15) which will make the car feel sluggish if all the power is shifting further up in the band.
If you do go with the biggest cam, I would consider switching the rear to a 3.42 to put you in the right band range.

 

I did end up purchasing an elgin 1839 cam from amazon. Its a smaller cam but i hope it works. The 216/220 may be better.