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Cam Swap 2015 6.0


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I'm looking to upgrade the cam in my 2015 2500hd 6.0 I saw Texas speed and performance sells VVT cams. Has anyone used one of there cams in a newer 6.0? If so what one did you use. Did you have to remove the heads to get the cam out? What else needs changed or added. I know a cam phaser will be needed. Will the lifters need changed. I don't think they do bc the engine does NOT have AFM.

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I did a cam in a 2015 6.0 2500 today. I left both heads on. Removed the rocker arms and pushrods. Spun the cam a few good times to push the lifters out of the way, didn’t remove the oil pan either. Used a snap on boroscope to look at the cam and crank timing marks, had someone hold the cam forward with a long screwdriver so I could reinstall the actuator on the end of the camshaft. This cam was being replaced because some of the lobes were damaged and it was ticking.

 

 

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I did a cam in a 2015 6.0 2500 today. I left both heads on. Removed the rocker arms and pushrods. Spun the cam a few good times to push the lifters out of the way, didn’t remove the oil pan either. Used a snap on boroscope to look at the cam and crank timing marks, had someone hold the cam forward with a long screwdriver so I could reinstall the actuator on the end of the camshaft. This cam was being replaced because some of the lobes were damaged and it was ticking.

 

 

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If the lobes were damaged shouldn't you have replaced the lifters??

 

I have played with a few LS motors and they really respond to a performance cam. The problem with a 2500 HD is you want to retain the low end torque so you have to stay on the lower end of a "Performance cam" They make plenty of smaller cams for trucks and once my warranty is up I just may do this as well. I think TSP sells 3 versions of VVT cams. They are really meant for Camaros with the 6.2 LS3 but can be put into a 6.0. With a 6000+ lb truck meant for towing I would be hesitant to go with their largest one. Stage 1 is probably what you want if you tow at all. With a tune, headers and mild cam I think you could pull 40 + hp from the 6.0. Ask TSP they will give you good advise. I am guessing you may have to swap valve springs for the higher lift of the cam.

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I planned on using a stage 1 cam since I do pull a trailer every so often. I already have black bear tunes which was a huge improvement. I called TSP once and the guy I talked to didn't seem to know much about the L96 engine. I'll have to call them again.

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You will find it tough to find someone who will spec you a usable cam in a pulling truck... most want to spec you something with massive lift and duration numbers you don't need... then try and get the idle back with a stupid wide LSA. I really don't know who has he best cam choice guy... I just spec my own lol.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 10/9/2017 at 12:55 PM, Sledge8 said:

If the lobes were damaged shouldn't you have replaced the lifters??

 

I have played with a few LS motors and they really respond to a performance cam. The problem with a 2500 HD is you want to retain the low end torque so you have to stay on the lower end of a "Performance cam" They make plenty of smaller cams for trucks and once my warranty is up I just may do this as well. I think TSP sells 3 versions of VVT cams. They are really meant for Camaros with the 6.2 LS3 but can be put into a 6.0. With a 6000+ lb truck meant for towing I would be hesitant to go with their largest one. Stage 1 is probably what you want if you tow at all. With a tune, headers and mild cam I think you could pull 40 + hp from the 6.0. Ask TSP they will give you good advise. I am guessing you may have to swap valve springs for the higher lift of the cam.

I would guess much closer to 60+hp with cam, headers, tune.

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  • 3 months later...

A close friend of mine is a GM performance fiend, ex GM mechanic, and now owns his own repair shop, which will do performance builds. He built a Camaro that ran in the Race the Base, race in Cold Lake Alberta. Extremely smart guy when it comes to GM performance.

I was talking with him about my truck (2015 sierra 2500, 6.0L) his recommendations, cam change that deletes the VVT, tune, and exhaust. (He feels the magnaflow I have with the stock exhaust would be fine).

This would get into the 400+ft/lb torque range on regular easy.

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  • 1 month later...

My cam is on it's way.  216/224, .585 lift on both on a 114 lsa.  It's a vvt cam so advance to 8 degrees on the bottom and have 6 degrees of retard by around 5500 rpm.  Should pull alright.  I will be surprised if anyone else knows what that all means haha.  

 

Yes I am putting in a phaser limiter and otherwise on the engine it's speed engineering 1 7/8 primary long tubes into the stock 3.5" exhaust with my borla xr1. Of course springs (PAC 1218s), hardened push rods and I think bronze bushings for the rocker trunions. Probably add e fans while I am in there and some kind of an intake tube.  

 

I am tempted to pull the heads in favour of a set of 243 cathedrals.. way better head for torque than the rectangle ports these come with.  But I will try this as is for now... might do an lsa blower down the road.

 

It's all fun... this is my company truck.. I don't legally own it (i own the business but still) and it will have to fire up cold in minus 30 bs and whatnot... should be good times lol.  Once winter comes again I am trading my 05 Sierras LQ4 (also company lol) and doing a bit of a build... wilder than this but still reasonable haha.  

Edited by SierraHD17
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Those duration numbers @ .050 lift? Quite a bit unfamiliar with the valve train on the L96, but in old small block spec's, that's a lot of lift. We must have an all roller valve train, rockers and lifters? Seems a short duration high lift cam, great for low end, I think. Are you aiming at keeping things under 6,000 rpm, really don't know lot about the intake and fuel pumping system, it can handle the extra out put here no problems? I'll try not to ask to many stupid old timer questions, but I'm watching this and trying to learn how to work these engines beyond the typical bolt on's. One would imagine a 425 horse, 400 lb ft of torque with stock pistons engine should be with in easy grasp, and probably get about the same fuel milage. And then re-gear as you're doing in another thread, sounds perfect. When tuning with your guy, just tell him cam specs and gears, weight of truck?

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Tuning will probably be a local guy I know and then me spending hours fixing it lol.  Better than  from scratch I guess.  Yes the numbers are at .050" lift and I dont talk in anything else.  I'm going to spin it over 6000 as I already turn it to 6000 now.  With this cam and long tubes at the crank it should be 460 to 470 hp and then whatever for torque.  The factory intake, throttle body and injectors will hold up to more than I will make.    These cylinder heads make great power numbers up at an rpm that don't matter in an HD truck... hence why this engine is a great swap into something light.  I have to do something to this truck as it's pretty pathetic stock and currently my same mod 05 is still a way better and more powerful truck especially off the bottom. 

 

 The cylinder heads used on the L96 are pretty useless for low end anything so that's why I chose to stay with a VVT cam in hope of not losing any off the line power and making way more mid range and higher.  The 17 hasn't moved in over a month and I have zero desire to drive it until I get the work done to it now.  Once this shutdown is over with I will book it somewhere for the gear swap and go from there.  I started it about a week and half ago to make sure the battery wasn't dead lol.  Maybe once it's all done it will be better... if not... sell it and buy something else lol.

Edited by SierraHD17
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After years of running a popular import, gasp, I'm pleased with the capability of this truck, it's not fast, but I feel it's powerful enough for me to tote my 1000 lbs of tools around, and be able to throw the 4 wheeler in the bed and drive to wherever. That said, I love dinging around with engines, watching with interest to see where you end up with just the cam and headers. Running some kind of intake I assume. When tuning, that's where you can firm up the transmission ? Stock torque converter with lock up handles this extra power? Have never run a canned tune or had a tune done on a modern fuel injected vehicle, all of this and more can be done once you're in there, correct? That's where the gains and drivability are to be made in todays computer era, I have to resign myself to this and learn it, love it, live it. Thanks man, don't mean to be so questiony.

 

Sorry to thread jack Jesse James.

 

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There is piles of information online if you want to just Google it.  It's easier to just research LS's yourself if you are starting from ground zero like you are.  I don't need to write a novel reiterating what is already out there for those that are interested. 

Edited by SierraHD17
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I dunno, man.  I learned a long time ago not to mess with anything I need to run the next day.  I've got an old tractor, a 65 GTO, and a 72 K10, I wrench on them all the time.  But no matter how careful you are, eventually you are going to do something wrong and have downtime or, more likely, get halfway into a job and realize you need some part you can't get for a few days.  Then you are hosed if you really need your truck.

 

I look at my 2016 2500HD in the driveway and of course I want to lift it, tune it, put a supercharger on it, paint it like Bigfoot and drive over Hondas in the parking lot.  I mean, I'm old, not dead for crying out loud.  But thankfully, at least one of my other pieces of junk is always broken so I work on that instead.  As a consequence, my new truck always starts right up and goes where I point it, because the guys at GM that built it are a heck of a lot better at this stuff than I am!

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42 minutes ago, i82much said:

I dunno, man.  I learned a long time ago not to mess with anything I need to run the next day.  I've got an old tractor, a 65 GTO, and a 72 K10, I wrench on them all the time.  But no matter how careful you are, eventually you are going to do something wrong and have downtime or, more likely, get halfway into a job and realize you need some part you can't get for a few days.  Then you are hosed if you really need your truck.

 

I look at my 2016 2500HD in the driveway and of course I want to lift it, tune it, put a supercharger on it, paint it like Bigfoot and drive over Hondas in the parking lot.  I mean, I'm old, not dead for crying out loud.  But thankfully, at least one of my other pieces of junk is always broken so I work on that instead.  As a consequence, my new truck always starts right up and goes where I point it, because the guys at GM that built it are a heck of a lot better at this stuff than I am!

It's why I have more than one vehicle lol... missed the part where I haven't driven it for a month apparently.  It could sit forever and not really matter lol.   It will honestly be no less reliable with what I am doing than a stock truck is anyhow.  This truck is too pathetic and boring to be left as is... I didn't buy it to just drive the old one all the time because it's a better unit as is. 

 

Edited by SierraHD17
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