In the pic below.....I am amazed at how clean the innards are on this 106,000 (assumed) mile big block. I am "freshening up" with a new comp 268 cam / lifters / oil pump / fuel pump ....etc.

Two questions....
1. What is the orange internal piece inside the valve spring....and why is it only on some - not all of the spring assemblies ?
2. If I install the new comp cam and lifters > Do I need to install new valve springs?

Thanks for any discussion and info.

 

it looks like the orange thing you speak of is a painted damper, all it does is act like a bump stop, as for the new valve springs, if you get significantly bigger cam possibly, you would have to talk with a professional engine builder or maybe call the cam company, if and when you get springs you may want to look into beehive springs, heres some info if you dont already know about them http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5485

-alex

 

I'll guess that the orange you are seeing is what is known as a dampner spring. It is a flat wire spring inside the main spring.

Why some have orange and some not, it may be possible that a couple of springs were changed in those 106,000 mls.

With a new cam, install the new springs specified for the cam. You will be glad you did. The old springs are worn and have lost a lot of their tension. If you measured their open and seat pressure, you would see that.

Also, if the newer cam has more lift than your stock unit, the matching springs will accomodate this. Replace the valve keepers and valve stem oil seals as well. The valve guides are well worn with this amount of milage, the seals will ease the oil usage. An easy job once you are this far into the upgrade.

Take a good hard look at the rocker arms and *****. The rockers are prone to breaking right in the middle of the big slot for the stud. Check the ***** for any galling and replace as necessary. A little inspection here will go a long way to only doing this job once.

When assembling, liberally (not in the political sense) coat the cam, lifters, and rocker ***** with assembly lube. This will help break-in on these high pressure (steel on steel) parts.

Be prepared to change the oil and filter shortly after the cam break-in period. Usually about 1/2 hour of running at a fast idle. The assembly lube contains moly that will clog the oil filter.

HTHs.

Bob

 

I appreciate and need the advice, as I want to do the refurbushing once....not twice. I've never replaced springs before and am a bit intimidated at this point. The orange "thingy" I am speaking of is inside the flat inner dampner spring. It appears to be solid sided cylinder shaped "can". Some are orange and some are black. I just didn't know what they were. Here's a better picture.

 

What your looking at are the valve stem seals!!

 

110%

 

Yes those are seals. If some aren't there, they probably broke up over the years and are in your oil pump pickup now!

Plan on installing new seals and yes, you should install new springs. The original ones are tired and were never designed to work with a more aggressive cam. Big Block chevy valves are heavy and springs have a tough time as it is.


JIM

 

The original 70's BB's came with umbrella seals on the intakes.