what is the best cam for a 1990 l98 carb

**mikesgarage** · 12-05-12, 09:29 AM

I have a 1990 c4 corvette l98 with a 650cfm Holley.
I was wounding what is the best cam for the car

**Schrade** · 12-05-12, 10:33 AM

Welcome onto the boards there...

SO glad you asked for opinions. If it was mine, I would get the original intake restored (parts can be had cheap from F-Parts. They specialize in Y body, F body parts.

It's SO much easier when you have original baseline specifications and parts, AND FSM for $50 on e-Bay.

L98 is a good motor if tuned properly.

**mikesgarage** · 12-05-12, 02:03 PM

Before I owned a vette I worked on a few of them n never liked how the intake design.
I originally bought this car with the carb on it but they chopped the butterfly valve.
Idk if the computer works well or why they changed it to a carb?
I did some research online and there was a few thread saying the carb system was better on giving the motor more air. Plus I love the classic carb.
I was woundering if there was a really good cam out there thst would be best for the car?

**Tuna** · 12-05-12, 02:37 PM

Originally Posted by mikesgarage

I was woundering if there was a really good cam out there thst would be best for the car?

What else are you planned to do to the motor?
What intake is on it now?
What heads?

What sort of performance improvement are you looking for?

What HP and TOR are you getting now?

There's no "one best" cam for any engine until you know what you want out of it.

**Hib Halverson** · 12-05-12, 02:44 PM

First, the idea that an L98 will run better with a four-barrel carb is pure B.S.

The intake manifold you're using kills low-end torque because of its shorter runners. In addition, throttle response, even if the carb is tuned perfectly, cannot equal that of a port injected engine. Fuel mileage will never be as good. Fuel distribution will be degraded. Given the proper size carb, depending on the intake manifold, the engine may or may not perform as well at WOT. That the car is licensed for the street means you're in a state with no emissions testing so no point in covering the carb's effect on emissions.

As for the "best" camshaft for an L98....it depends on 1) what's the intended use, 2) what other mods have been done and 3) what axle ratio is in the car.

**Schrade** · 12-05-12, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by mikesgarage

Before I owned a vette I worked on a few of them n never liked how the intake design.
I originally bought this car with the carb on it but they chopped the butterfly valve.
Idk if the computer works well or why they changed it to a carb?
I did some research online and there was a few thread saying the carb system was better on giving the motor more air. Plus I love the classic carb.
I was woundering if there was a really good cam out there thst would be best for the car?

I put my $$ on it was changed to a carb, because the previous owner didn't care about getting TPI tuned properly, and because the shadetree hacks that he went to couldn't tune it either (but they could probably take HIS $$)

betcha'...

Like HH posted above there, there's WAY too many factors to tell you what cam is best. That's even if you say you want a regular daily driver that's goo with gas.

L98 covers ALL that, except for hammer-on-the-floor racing. And THAT costs lots of green

**mikesgarage** · 12-05-12, 06:31 PM

I didn't do much mods to the car.
Performance chain, edelbrok intake, 650cfm Holley, no cats dual exhaust with flow master series 50 mufflers, took out the smog pump, HEI distributer.
I have the aluminum heads.
I don't know my rear gearing yet.

Im looking for some real power out of this motor.
I was trying to figure out what steps I can take to get the power I'm really looking for.