Hey guys,

I've got a 95 Tahoe that obviously lacks in power. Should I bother with advancing the cam or putting in something like a Melling MTC-1 or Federal Mogul CS1014R. I hear that they really wake them up a good bit. Just looking for a bit more power and torque for rolling up hills and towing. I live in the countryside of Tennessee. Would advancing the cam four degrees do the trick or should I just roll up my sleeves and open up the engine? I really don't want to spend too much money...I would rather spend time as I have worked on engines before. Seems that a cam swap or advance is going to be my least expensive choice. I can score a cam, lifters, timing set and lube for less than $100. Would I NEED to change the springs and such If I don't run it past 4,000 rpms? It won't turn that high anyway! I do really appreciate this and look forward to hearing back from you.

Ryan  

I have a '92 Silverado with the same motor. I installed a mild hydraulic roller from Crane and had great results. I'd recommend getting a good hydraulic roller from comp and convert your engine to a roller cam for better power over the factory flat tappet setup. I'd also recommend upgrading the springs, pushrods, retainers, and locks, and also replacing all the valve stem seals.

I used Crane 96802 (Comp has a similar spring) that I set up at 115 pounds seat pressure at a height of 1.850", so there's plenty of spring travel before coil bind, and enough pressure to control the lifters.  

BEEN THERE ... !
Advancing the camshaft adds torque but, now it also detonated more which required better gasoline.
Installed the Melling #22107 camshaft, (stock springs), and everything worked out great - more torque, more power, regular gasoline again.  

Oh yea, my truck 350 had a flat tappet hydraulic lifter camshaft; if you have a  roller lifter then a similar grind hydraulic roller cam would be the choice.