Small Block & Big Block Chevy Specific - LT1 cam in a GEN I engine?

I found a cam for a LT1 that is what I want to put in my GEN I 383. The question is, what will it take for it to work? I know its possibly for a LT1 cam to work in a GEN I engine but what do you need to do for it to work? Thanks.

The lt1 cam wont have the distributor gear. Why cant you just have comp cams or similar grind a cam to the specs of the lt1 cam you desire?

I have a pic of the LT4 Hot Cam and it has a dist. gear on it. So, I would assume they all do consider a lot of people like the Hot Cam in the TPI cars. It would just save me the trouble of calling Comp and waiting for 20 mins.

Here's the linky:
http://www.cis.udel.edu/~davis/z28/buildup/cam/

The lt1 cam wont have the distributor gear. Why cant you just have comp cams or similar grind a cam to the specs of the lt1 cam you desire?

WRONG.

It will have the gear to drive the oil pump! You can use a LT1 cam in a Gen 1 motor, just have to use retrofit roller lifters.:)

Hmm.. guess i didnt realize they kept that gear on there for the oil pump.

WRONG.

It will have the gear to drive the oil pump! You can use a LT1 cam in a Gen 1 motor, just have to use retrofit roller lifters.:)
Got ya! Knew you could, you have to grind or press in the dowel pin to .30 from the .6xx it is. Didn't know about the retro roller lifters.....why couldn't you use regular stuff?

Because most gen 1 blocks (except some from 86-94 or so) weren't set up for roller lifters. So you have to use the retro-fit roller lifters that have the tie bars to keep them from rotating in the lifter bores.

And those retro-fit lifters are EXPENSIVE. I'm running a retro-fit roller setup on my gen1 383....those damn lifters alone cost more than my stroker crank & forged rods. :cry:

Exactly, thats why if I was doing a gen 1 roller motor it would be based off a OE roller block.

The question is, what will it take for it to work?

Retrofitting the lifters, shortening of the dowel pin, and a good tune.... ;)

Retrofitting the lifters, shortening of the dowel pin, and a good tune.... ;)

So if you have a roller cam equipped SBC then all you need is to shorten the dowel pin for the WP drive.

^ Pretty straight forward, and common swap for the LO3 guys.... ;)

BTW, very nice car '91Z..... :)

Because most gen 1 blocks (except some from 86-94 or so) weren't set up for roller lifters. So you have to use the retro-fit roller lifters that have the tie bars to keep them from rotating in the lifter bores.
Well, I already have a roller block so that's why I was wondering. My GEN I engine came out of my 1990 truck and it has the provisions already for the roller assembly.

I talked to Thunder Racing today, they'll just get comp to grind me the same cam I want but in a SBC GEN I style for the same price.

I don't think the EFI cams work well with Carb setups. If you're running an EFI with a TBI setup, you should be fine still. The dowel press and roller lifters is all that needs to be done. You can always use the stock setup from roller blocks on non-roller blocks. Like if it has the provisions for a roller setup, but not tapped out, like the center collums. Drill and tap them and put the spider plate on it. Or you could, between the lifters, drill and tap a hole and use the tie bars. Drill a hole through them, and use a bolt and a spring to keep them down, but able to move up like the spider plate allows.

The retro kits are pretty pricey though, so that's the bummer part.