where would i get my truck dynoed at? and what is a lift? sorry for all the questions im new when it comes to cams.

 

A milder cam can be tamed with a canned tune. Some of the smaller cams can even get away with no tuning. The large cams will need a proper dyno tune as well as an install. Dyno machine's are easy to come by. There could be one 500 miles from you(not likely) but if you want maximum benefits from engine mods, you must have that done. I would see if maybe there's a shop close enough to you and they could do the work and then put it right on the dyno??? Cams are a big job. Not beginner work! I wouldn't do engine mod work without getting dyno tuned. It's an assurance of safety.

 

Dyno Tuning is a systematic approach to tune engines by determining the actual condition and capability of the engine first and then increasing power and torque by fine tuning after incorporating modifications and adjustments.

Information gathered from a Dyno can give someone the information needed to dial in fuel, timing, transmission shifting, idle control, speed limiters etc. Currently tune writers have control of over 320 diff. parameters to make your particular setup operate at peak efficiency.

 

what would the rough cost be to have a shop put in the camshaft and do a custom dyno tune?

 

Well depending on the cam, you'd need springs, retainers, maybe rods, maybe a dampner, maybe headwork, definitely headers so it's hard to say without knowing specifically what cam you'd be going with.

I figure I install mine myself, and do the cam, springs, retainers, rods only. I'm gonna "cheat" and use the 6.1 stuff instead of the super high comp springs, etc.
I'll have about $500 in parts, then about $600 in the SCT with 3 custom tunes. Cost me about $1100 give or take.
I know the performance shop quoted me $800 labor for a cam job if I were to have them do it, but this is a high end shop, I've seen places charge as little as $500.
So, basically you are gonna spend upwards of $2000 minimum. Odds are you'll need headers for all but the mildest of cams, so add $600-$800 there. Labor will be high, so you are at a huge financial disadvantage if you can't at least install headers. This job can be as high as maybe $7000 or $8000 with a really loped up jobber that requires heads, a blower, etc...

 

damn so what is the hp you would see from a mild cam that wouldnt require so much.

 

maybe 35 HP out of a cam that would only require springs and retainers and could be tamed by a canned tuner...

 

what about the 6.1L cam? I've heard its a direct replacement for the 5.7. Would I still need to change out the springs/retainers with it? Its only $140 and adds 20rwhp. Seems like a lot better deal than a 35hp gain with the other cams that require springs/retainers and custom tunes...

edit: I should add that this truck is a daily driver and I'd prefer more low rpm power (tq) than high rpm power, because this thing rarely sees above 3500 rpms.

 

Obviously, you are not researching any of these questions with even so much as a search of this section before just bouncing things out here.

The 6.1 is a mid/high HP gain cam, and because of it's grind, results in a LOSS of low end torque. Nice cam for a car, maybe even a 4x2 RCSB lowered Hemi, but a VERY poor choice for a QC 4x4.

There is no holy grail kid, you wan't performance, you gotta pay for it. If you learn to do even half the labor yourself, you can cut the cost of your mods by upwards of 50%, since labor is, in many cases 75% of the cost of a mod or even more...

 

Do you have to pull these engines to replace the cam in the Hemis, In my last truck I could pull the grill and radiator and get to everything I needed to replace the cam, Springs, etc... Was actually a pretty easy job with the exception of the details that needed to be heeded.

Do you think the stock tranny and Diff will handle that aggressive of a grind?

Edit.. NM, I see you got AM gears. Still wondering about the tranny, Ya may have to have it rebuilt sooner than later. But hey then you get that new High Stall TC and and have it beefed up, I better stop typing, I am making myself regret that warranty again.