Stock camshaft options

[JPVortex]

Hey y’all I have an L59 5.3 suburban that needs cam and lifters done, as some of you guys have probably seen from previous threads. Now I’m trying to go extreme budget, the truck isn’t worth much and I just want to keep the thing going without ticking and misfiring from a probably wiped cam lobe.

With that being said, I went on Facebook marketplace to find a used cam. Found one that looked somewhat promising. It’s a 1721 cam with only 7k miles on it. Only problem is, it’s a stock cam for a 6.0 LQ4 out of a 04 Chevy 3500, not a L59/LM7 5.3

Specs seem very similar on the 2, think I could get away with the LQ4 cam in the L59 without major issues or major tuning needed?

The lift on the L59 cam is .464 and lift on the LQ4 cam is .456

Let me know what you guys think and as always thank you very much.

 

[OR VietVet]

I am not a machinist and have only built 6 engines in my career. Substituting a cam because it is "close" sounds iffy to me but hopefully other members, with more precise info, will chime in. I think an exact match is better and less expensive, in the long run.

 

[JPVortex]

I am not a machinist and have only built 6 engines in my career. Substituting a cam because it is "close" sounds iffy to me but hopefully other members, with more precise info, will chime in. I think an exact match is better and less expensive, in the long run.

Yeah kind of going back and forth about it. If tuning is required it’d be a bad decision, as I’d end up spending more money on tuning than I would for the original spec cam.

This is pictures of the cam, some heat marks here and there, but I don’t see scoring of any kind across the lobes with the image zoomed in.

 

[OR VietVet]

I will stick with my suggestion.

 

[JPVortex]

I will stick with my suggestion.

Think I’ll agree with it, haha. Theres this cam on marketplace for a 5.3 but it looks a bit worn out to me. I don’t see any crazy pitting but definitely heat marks.

 

[OR VietVet]

What is the price difference between used and new? Want to do all that work with a used cam and cross your fingers?

 

[JPVortex]

What is the price difference between used and new? Want to do all that work with a used cam and cross your fingers?

Quite a bit. The first cam I sent is $100, second is $50. Cam is over $250 on RockAuto. can’t do anything near that cheap unless I get the most Chinesium cam off eBay.

 

[OR VietVet]

The $100 to $150 price difference is not worth the chances, IMO.

 

[JPVortex]

Yeah maybe not. This is what the eBay special looks like, tempting lol. Im on a very tight budget.

 

[OR VietVet]

Tight budget? You have yet to reassemble. There is still unknown costs coming.