I am planning on buying a '93 firebird with an LT1 motor in it.  I would very much like to hop up the motor a little without losing streetability or several thousand $'s.  Would anybody here be able to tell me what an LT4 HOT cam would do for me?  I wont mind a rough idle, as long as it dosnet die at a stoplight.  maybe a higher stall converter and deeper gears?  

Cheaper to supercharge it.or

You can do what a cam does by adding higher ratio roller rockers, this way ya dont have to rip front of motor apart to get t cam, i dunno if the LT1 has roller rockers or not. Id work on Exhaust and Intake. Find out what gears are in the ass end. If they are highway gears like 3:08s or something, drop some 4:10s or 3:83s.

Most ppl hit the motor first, but honestly with good suspension and brakes ya can make up for motor (other than drag racing. lol)

Ya could chip it

Id get bigger throttle body

Id get underdrive pulleys (unless ya goin to run big ass stereo system).

as far as gears go i wouldnt go more than 373's in the rear. 373's with a 2200  stall is a good streetable combo IMHO (it has the 4L60E auto right). a shift kit is a good choice also, easy to install.

with a decent cam and stronger springs you should notice a difference but nothing drastic. i think i picked up around 40hp with my cam swap with springs and injectors in my 94 Z. i wouldnt go too overboard with a cam unless you plan on upgrading heads and programming the computer. get some 24lb ford fuel injectors, and a 52mm throttle body. should be very streetable and still have decent mileage,

i also recommend dropping the stock exhaust (single cat) and going for a dual cat setup from a 1996 (will have to remove oil cooler if equipped) gm picked up 7hp with this swap in 96, i picked up 15, camaroZ28.com has a nice trading post and you could probably  pick up this setup fairly cheap.

in any case i highly recommend swapping  the rearend for something stronger, the 10 bolt rear is the weakest  link in the F-Body, it doesnt handle high horse power very well and WILL go out.

Quoted: Cheaper to supercharge it.or You can do what a cam does by adding higher ratio roller rockers, this way ya dont have to rip front of motor apart to get t cam, i dunno if the LT1 has roller rockers or not. Id work on Exhaust and Intake. Find out what gears are in the ass end. If they are highway gears like 3:08s or something, drop some 4:10s or 3:83s. Most ppl hit the motor first, but honestly with good suspension and brakes ya can make up for motor (other than drag racing. lol) Ya could chip it Id get bigger throttle body Id get underdrive pulleys (unless ya goin to run big ass stereo system).

it does have roller cam/rockers. if it is the 4L60 auto i think they are like 273's or 342's  in the rear (i could be wrong). it all depends on setup of car, convertible or coupe.

+1 on the brakes and suspension, it is a heavy ass car and lacks stopping power.

ETA: tearing front of motor apart to get to cam isnt that big of a deal, getting to the front of the motor  is the problem, not sure if it can be done in the car, i did mine on an engine stand when i assembled the 383ci rotating assembly. not recommend, according to gm the motor is supposed to come out the bottom of the car on a lift, i will say i've pulled it out the top 3 times and it can be done with some patience.