Thinking about adding a cam...
 

So, I was thinking about adding a cam to my monte...I don't really care about hp gains or anything, I just love that sound they produce...I've been looking at the GT1 cam from zzp...I was wondering if there would be any major drawbacks to doing this.

imho, the two main drawbacks to running a cam:
The first drawback is that a cam can be a bit deceptive on what the costs look like. The cam itself doesn't cost that much (just over $300 IIRC), but depending on the cam you may need a few more parts that you wouldn't necessarily think of right away (big cams may require everything including new springs, rockers, timing chain, and modified cylinder heads), which can suddenly turn that $300 cost into well over a grand.

The second drawback is that an aggressive cam can be very rough on your valvetrain, causing reliability issues (guys with big cams tend to break timing chains on 3800's).

Looks like the GT1 cam is pretty mild and won't require any additional mods, and shouldn't be too rough on your valvetrain. So, the two main drawbacks don't really apply to this situation.

Aside from that, since you are not concerned about a horsepower increase, the only other minor drawback is that a cam install is somewhat involved for your average shadetree mechanic.

If I were you, I would definitely find some sound clips of the GT1 cam before jumping into anything. Just to make sure that's the sound you're looking for.

-Riggs.

PS. If you do end up running a cam, a custom tune is usually highly recommended.

Thats a good deal of work any money to not care about getting HP out of it.

I mean, I'm not going to complain if I do get a gain lol...I just really love the sound of a cammed engine...I've grown up around muscle cars and since I was little, I always wanted a car that had that lumpy/choppy sound...I know my little 3.8 will never sound like a Chevy big block or anything haha...I've heard a Camaro with the gt1 and I really liked how it sounded....Thanks for the replies...I envy the fact that you have a GXP bumpin...Those cars are SICK.