Going rates for Ls3 cam jobs

[morepowerjoe]

That's exactly what a friend of mine was quoted for a cam and all the goods to go with it at a local shop here in Austin. I think there was a time when you could find money hungry shops two to three years ago but that's not the case anymore. There are so many people out there right now doing ls and lt
performance upgrades and the shops are stupid busy I think that price is about right in the ballpark.

[LS3_BILL]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt this was high.. at that point I'll try doing the cam myself since I'm mechanically inclined.. 5500 covers a whole LSA blower kit.. thank you everyone for the replys..reply... this is also in the south east...

[acammer]

Originally Posted by LS3_BILL

I'm glad I'm not the only one who felt this was high.. at that point I'll try doing the cam myself since I'm mechanically inclined.. 5500 covers a whole LSA blower kit.. thank you everyone for the replys..reply... this is also in the south east...

Hey Bill - for what it's worth, depending on parts, that's not outrageous at all. If you're doing a full cam package with quality parts including fresh, upgraded lifters (highly recommended) then you'll have about $2k in parts. $3k to install and tune is high by some standards, but it depends on the quality of the results for sure - both are important steps, but particularly the tuning is where you'll get some tremendous variance in results. Some guys will make a couple tugs on the dyno with their "usual" configuration and call it good, and never even take it down the road. Others will work to really maximize the combo, both for power and for driveability, which takes more time.

You details show Long Island - if you're up here in NY I can recommend a semi-local (couple hours away) shop that'll treat you right and I can guarantee a top quality result. If you want to do the install yourself and are looking for a top quality cam package and remote tuning option, we offer those things here at GPI, and I'd be happy to get you setup. In either case, or even if you just want some more info, feel free to reach out via a private message or email to andrew@gwatneyperformance.com.

[PhantomBlack]

Originally Posted by 1JEWLDSSRS

Well I paid about that for my L99 cam swap with an LS3 conversion and AFM/DOD delete AND a Melling high volume oil pump! Oh, and a stall converter with trans oil cooler!!

1jewldssrs where did you get your work done? Can you DM me the shop name if you don't want to post it here?

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Here. It has been about 4-5 years ago. When and if you call talk to Josh. He is the owner/tuner.

https://www.lashwaytuning.com/

After the LOD intake manifold install I took her to a local shop for a re-tune because they would pull it past 6800 on the dyno. We ran her out to 7500 at this new, local shop and picked up about 15-20 more hp. Not that it mattered, but we did.

The owner of this shop is Cal Heartline.

https://hartlineperformance.com/

[PhantomBlack]

Originally Posted by 1JEWLDSSRS

Here. It has been about 4-5 years ago. When and if you call talk to Josh. He is the owner/tuner.

https://www.lashwaytuning.com/

After the LOD intake manifold install I took her to a local shop for a re-tune because they would pull it past 6800 on the dyno. We ran her out to 7500 at this new, local shop and picked up about 15-20 more hp. Not that it mattered, but we did.

The owner of this shop is Cal Heartline.

https://hartlineperformance.com/

Thanks JEWLD just trying to explore all shops in FL before I commit to one for my next build.

[The_bald_eagle_machine]

In South Florida, Redline Motorsports quoted me $4500 for a basic cam kit install and tune. He wanted to use his "custom grind" cam kit. That was for an NA LS3 cam. that was 2 years ago, so I would assume the price would be roughly the same. Howard is really great, but don't expect to be able to watch the dyno, or walk into the shop. They are very closed door there.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by The_bald_eagle_machine

In South Florida, Redline Motorsports quoted me $4500 for a basic cam kit install and tune. He wanted to use his "custom grind" cam kit. That was for an NA LS3 cam. that was 2 years ago, so I would assume the price would be roughly the same. Howard is really great, but don't expect to be able to watch the dyno, or walk into the shop. They are very closed door there.

Agreed with this, Redline is a great shop. One of my Camaro friends had a stage 3 FI Whipple kit installed there, and he's happy. I have heard a lot of good stuff about Howard and his work. I was originally going to drive down there to have mine retuned after the LOD install, I chatted with him, but decided to not drive 3 hours down and 3 hours back for that, and found a great shop local. Cal at Heartline races a CTSV hat runs 8 secs in the 1/4 mile, and he travels the country doing custom tunes for several race teams. But yeah, Redline is a great shop.

[The_bald_eagle_machine]

Originally Posted by 1JEWLDSSRS

Agreed with this, Redline is a great shop. One of my Camaro friends had a stage 3 FI Whipple kit installed there, and he's happy. I have heard a lot of good stuff about Howard and his work. I was originally going to drive down there to have mine retuned after the LOD install, I chatted with him, but decided to not drive 3 hours down and 3 hours back for that, and found a great shop local. Cal at Heartline races a CTSV hat runs 8 secs in the 1/4 mile, and he travels the country doing custom tunes for several race teams. But yeah, Redline is a great shop.

My buddy AJ worked at Lashway for awhile and I heard nothing but problems from that shop. Supposedly Josh is a pretty good tuner though, I tried scheduling an appointment with him and didn't have great luck. My buddies still go over there and drag race on the street though. They hold underground drag racing on that street every weekend I think. Which is sketchy because the end of the road is a super busy 4 lane street and the starting line is the entrance to a neighborhood.

My opinion of Redline was that Howard was very knowledgeable, I think the guy personally owns 4 or 5 5th gens. BUT the closed door policy wasn't really appealing to me, I want to go to a shop where I feel welcome and the tuner communicates with me. I think if money is not a concern, and you want one of the best in the industry. Howard is great, even Jannetty will tell you that he is a great tuner.

I personally had my supercharger build tuned at Jeffs tuning and performance in Ocala. He was a really awesome dude, answered tons of questions prior to my appointment, he had an open door shop and talked to me inbetween every pull and described to me what he was doing and changing. I felt like my car was in good hands and he told me upfront what to expect and he delivered. Lots of customers showed up during my tune and they all spoke highly of Jeff and overall I had a great experience there.

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by The_bald_eagle_machine

My buddy AJ worked at Lashway for awhile and I heard nothing but problems from that shop. Supposedly Josh is a pretty good tuner though, I tried scheduling an appointment with him and didn't have great luck. My buddies still go over there and drag race on the street though. They hold underground drag racing on that street every weekend I think. Which is sketchy because the end of the road is a super busy 4 lane street and the starting line is the entrance to a neighborhood.

My opinion of Redline was that Howard was very knowledgeable, I think the guy personally owns 4 or 5 5th gens. BUT the closed door policy wasn't really appealing to me, I want to go to a shop where I feel welcome and the tuner communicates with me. I think if money is not a concern, and you want one of the best in the industry. Howard is great, even Jannetty will tell you that he is a great tuner.

I personally had my supercharger build tuned at Jeffs tuning and performance in Ocala. He was a really awesome dude, answered tons of questions prior to my appointment, he had an open door shop and talked to me inbetween every pull and described to me what he was doing and changing. I felt like my car was in good hands and he told me upfront what to expect and he delivered. Lots of customers showed up during my tune and they all spoke highly of Jeff and overall I had a great experience there.

Yeah gotta agree, Josh is a really good tuner, but the fact that he didn't want to do what I asked of him with the LOD install, just wanted to do only what he wanted just turned me off, after his tune I was determined to go elsewhere, and I found my local shop here at Heartline. He is one of the sponsors of all the Cadillac attack events that that happen around the state. I remember your friend AJ, he was working there when we did my cam swap. I talked to him once that week I was there. Eric Bently was there as well, I beleive he was the shop owner at the time. Had I know about Redline before I met the Lashway boys, I would have went there instead. But oh well, it's all history now and my Camaro is an animal on the street!! And I'm happy. Cal's shop also is an "open door" shop. Heck I even helped him strap my Camaro to the dyno the day we did it. He explained everything he was doing along the way, as well as having an waiting room facing the dyno room and a big monitor so I could see all the dyno info as he was making the pulls. Truly enjoyed the experience there, and not so much at Lashway. Eric was cool, but Josh just didn't have that "personable" attitude for customer service. But I di have to say, they built me a great running engine!

[PhantomBlack]

Thank you for all of this info 1JEWLD and THE BALD EAGLE! I actually exchanged a lot of emails with Howard a few months back. He answered all of my questions and made me feel comfortable leaving my car in his hands. And now after reading all of this it just confirms it. Can't wait to drop it off for the new upgrades!

[1JEWLDSSRS]

Originally Posted by PhantomBlack

Thank you for all of this info 1JEWLD and THE BALD EAGLE! I actually exchanged a lot of emails with Howard a few months back. He answered all of my questions and made me feel comfortable leaving my car in his hands. And now after reading all of this it just confirms it. Can't wait to drop it off for the new upgrades!

You are welcome sir!! Good luck on your build journey..

[pyroguy]

Good luck in your cam swap. I paid $3,600 for mine on my L99 in 2019. You should be $2k-$2.5k for a LS3.