L33, L59, LM4, LM7, LQ4, LQ9, LR4, LS1, LS6
238/242 duration @ .050” with .595”/.595” valve lift and 112 degree lobe separation angle
Increases top end power while sacrificing some low end torque
Very aggressive cam for a street driven 5.3L and is better suited for 6.0L or stroker engines
Valve spring upgrade is required to accommodate the lift of this camshaft
3000 rpm stall converter is suggested to maximize performance
The LS engine family is arguably the most popular engine family on the planet these days. You’ll find these compact pushrod V8 engines in everything from hot rods and muscle cars to classic trucks and more! Their swapability into just about anything, their simplicity, and large source of original applications means the LS engine family is easy on the project budget and that there are numerous upgrades and performance parts available for them.
Many of the LS engine donor sources are GM truck applications. While performance is solid from the factory, GM’s trucks are designed for work and daily chores like hauling the family. As such, GM engineers designed the LS “Vortec” engine series in these trucks for a long life at relatively low engine rpm with an emphasis on torque. Obviously, these engines will run in your LS swap project as is, but one of the best “bang for the buck” upgrades you can do to your truck LS engine before it lands on those LS swap mounts in your project is an LS cam swap to something with a little more lift and duration. Elgin’s line of Sloppy Mechanics performance LS camshafts is the hot ticket for a Chevy 5.3 cam upgrade, especially if you’re considering additional performance upgrades like gears, high stall torque converter, or even a turbo!
We have a little secret to tell you. There are only a few companies out there that actually manufacturer their own camshafts from raw materials to finished product. Elgin Industries has been an automotive parts manufacturer and OEM supplier for over 100 years! Their ISO14001 facility handles these Elgin camshaft LS swap cams so you know the quality is there. Modern design coupled with high quality materials means these Sloppy Mechanics performance cam profiles make serious power without worry.
The E-1841-P is considered Elgin’s “Stage 3” cam profile and is their most aggressive cam profile suitable for big-inch LS strokers and those looking for a very noticeable cam chop. The cam profile features .595-inch lobe lift with a split pattern duration of 296-degrees intake and 299 degrees exhaust. This equates to duration at .050-inch lift of 238/242. A lobe separation angle (LSA) of 112 degrees is EFI and carb friendly but may not create sufficient vacuum for accessories like power brake boosters and air conditioning. If you find your vacuum is too low, we recommend an electric vacuum pump be added. Suitable for naturally aspirated LS engines, this Elgin E1841P Sloppy camshaft it will be just at home in a 5.3 LS turbo build or your 6.0L LS stroked to 427ci. We recommend an aftermarket torque converter with a stall speed in the 3,000 rpm range and steeper (numerically higher) rear gear ratio. This cam’s power comes on in at the top end and will sacrifice some low-end torque.
Adding this Sloppy Stage 3 camshaft to your LS is as straight forward as any other cam swap for the LS platform. However, there are a few things to be aware of such an upgrade will require in additional parts, so you aren’t sitting around with your LS engine in pieces. For starters, due to the increased lift of the Elgin camshaft Sloppy Stage 3 a valve spring upgrade is required. We highly recommend the PAC ovate beehive spring kit for this application. Additionally, if you are working on a Gen IV LS with a cam gear retained by a single bolt (early Gen IV and all Gen III use a more traditional 3-bolt cam gear retention) you will need to convert to a 3-bolt cam gear to install these Elgin cams along with new cam gear retaining bolts.
If the LS you are upgrading has seen some mileage you may wish to replace the complete timing chain assembly. We offer several 3-bolt cam gear timing sets for the LS engine family to choose from. Furthermore, it would not be a bad idea to inspect and replace the rocker arm trunnions on your LS engine as well. Besides addressing the high mileage wear on the factory trunnions, adding our LS rocker arm trunnion upgrade kit provides an upgraded steel trunnion (versus the OE powdered metal piece) with fully sealed roller bearings. The trunnions are secured within your rocker arms via snap rings, so you don’t have to worry about the dreaded LS trunnion failure that ends up with your LS ingesting the trunnion’s needle bearings causing a catastrophic failure.
For LS applications that utilize the factory Active Fuel Management feature (AFM is often referred to as Displacement on Demand, and mostly found in trucks and SUV models) you will need to disable the AFM system to install this Elgin stage 3 LS cam by replacing the AFM-spec lifters with traditional roller lifters. To do so you need to remove the cylinder heads, so we include new head gaskets, torque-to-yield head bolts, timing and water pump gaskets, lifter trays, and a non-AFM valley cover to complete the conversion. We offer two AFM delete kits, our Gen IV 5.3L AFM delete kit and our Gen IV 6.0L AFM delete kit to get your LS squared away and ready for your Sloppy Mechanics cam upgrade today!
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