here are a tremendous number of variables to consider when it comes to choosing a camshaft. This makes a story like this difficult to assemble because we just don’t have the space to take all the details into account. A 160-page book might do the job, but we will nevertheless take our best shot.

For the sake of brevity, this story will address choosing a streetable, flat-tappet hydraulic camshaft for the classic small-block Chevy. Many of the variables for this selection will carry over to other Chevy engines like the inline-six, big-block, and even LS engine but we’ll focus just on the small-block for this story. Plus, if you choose to go the hydraulic roller cam route, the same cam timing variables also apply. In order to whittle away at the complexities, we’ve created a simple chart that lists the most important items in order of importance. We’ve placed usage at the top of the list since that is the fundamental application that will direct the rest of the decisions. So, let’s dig in.

n the 1960s, many of Lola Cars’ most successful racing machines were powered by Chevrolet small- and big-block V-8 engines. Company founder Eric Broadley recognized early on the advantages of building his lightweight British racers around potent, reliable American V-8s. Despite being a relatively young constructor, Lola quickly earned a winning reputation, thanks in large part to the performance of its Chevy-powered cars.

The Lola T70, introduced in 1965, was designed from the outset to accept large American V-8 power. In 1966, driving a Chevy-powered T70 Spyder, John Surtees captured the inaugural Can-Am championship, winning all but one race that season. Lola T70s claimed five of the six Can-Am races that year in a dominant showing against rivals like McLaren and Chaparral. These machines also proved their endurance capabilities; a Team Penske Lola T70 Mk3B, backed by a 5.0L Chevrolet, scored a celebrated overall victory at the 1969 24 Hours of Daytona. Throughout the late ’60s, Chevy-powered Lolas regularly challenged factory teams, such as Porsche, Ferrari, and Ford, underscoring Lola’s ability to blend British engineering with American horsepower.

e humans are great at adapting; it might be one of our greatest gifts, but it also might be one of our biggest blind spots. How the heck does this seemingly random insight have anything to do with stopping your Chevy muscle car? As it turns out, quite a lot.

When hopping into a 50-plus-year-old Camaro you just snagged off Facebook Marketplace, your brain tells you to expect less than perfect–especially in the stopping department. Technology has improved in newer cars, old parts wear out, and the reasonable expectation is that driving a classic car will come with compromises. Or maybe you just bought an absolute gem of a Chevelle restomod at an auction. It’s fitted with all the latest and greatest parts from reputable aftermarket brands, so you expect it to be the best it can be. After the first testdrive around the block, you might notice the brakes are a little more “touchy” than you’re used to. Or maybe you rolled past the first stop sign because they took more effort than you expected. But, after a couple of weekend cruises, you’ve all but forgotten that there might be something a little off about your Chevy’s brakes.

All is fine and dandy for a while (remember, we are quite adaptable), but then, a couple months later, you’re driving through a school zone and you see a kid start to run into the road after a ball. You go for the brakes as quick and hard as you can. If your Chevy’s brakes were too touchy, you’re about to lock up two or more tires, which equal lack of control and longer stopping distances. If your brakes were too hard, you might be doing a two-foot stand trying to slow the car down, with little control over the outcome of the situation.

here are few things that can make a muscle car come alive like a manual transmission swap. That visceral feeling connecting man with machine is unmatched when compared to the experience, or lack thereof, found in an automatic trans car. Rowing through the gears and rolling onto the throttle while the rearend skates around ever so slightly after every gear is selected is just not nearly as enjoyable when you take the human element out of the equation. That slush box slipping through the gears leaving no clear clue as to what gear it’s in at any given moment not only leaves a lot of excitement at the door, it lacks it altogether. Yet, while there’s a place for an automatic transmission, there’s just no comparison when it comes down to the driving experience.

Our buddy Danny Nix has been laying down some miles on his 1989 Camaro RS, but when the front transmission seal started to leak recently, he decided it was time to replace the tired 700-R4 with a more modern TREMEC TKX five-speed manual transmission. As he hunted around for options, mulling over whether to build out the swap with individual parts or purchase them all as a kit, he found his solution with a PerfectFit kit from Silver Sport Transmissions (SST). Their kit not only provides everything from the transmission, bellhousing, clutch, and pressure plate, but also provides options such as mechanical versus hydraulic clutch and close- versus wide-ratio gearing options. A fabricated crossmember is included to support not only the rear of the transmission but also serves as the mounting point for the torque arm on Danny’s third-gen Camaro. All the small parts that might be subject to question when building a full kit independently are also included, taking the guesswork out of the equation, even down to the fluids.