Swapping Heads and Cam
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,586
Likes: 2
From: Bardstown Kentucky
Swapping Heads and Cam
I am doing a swap to a set of ported heads and a new camshaft. Is there any pointers on how to do this? What major components have to be removed? I am guessing the radiator must be removed... Thanks for any help!
The Bomber
The Bomber
Race Director
Joined: Jan 2002
Posts: 12,261
Likes: 85
From: O'Fallon Missouri
Racer
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 456
Likes: 3
From: Sumner Texas
Bluebomber,
Does this engine use any oil at all? Does this engine have less than perfect compression? Is this a high mileage engine?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then I would highly recommend that you rering the engine while you have the heads off. Due to the increased cylinder pressure from camming it up, it will be HIGHLY likely that the engine will start experiencing blowby if the rings/cylinders are ANYTHING less than perfect. I have see engines that did indeed look good in all the categories that I questioned that STILL would start seeing problems after camming.
The C4 is one of the very few modern cars that is blessed with an oil pan that comes off very easily with the engine still in the chassis. With the heads off it would be VERY easy to pull the pan, ream the ridge, push out the pistons, clean the grooves, and put some CAST IRON rings on them and push them back in. If the rod bearings look less than perfect, go ahead and replace them too.
In this chassis pulling the heads is about 80% of the work of a rering job and it would really be a shame to get it back together only to find that it then needs a rering and then think of how close you were to having done it.
Good luck and enjoy your mods,
Does this engine use any oil at all? Does this engine have less than perfect compression? Is this a high mileage engine?
If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then I would highly recommend that you rering the engine while you have the heads off. Due to the increased cylinder pressure from camming it up, it will be HIGHLY likely that the engine will start experiencing blowby if the rings/cylinders are ANYTHING less than perfect. I have see engines that did indeed look good in all the categories that I questioned that STILL would start seeing problems after camming.
The C4 is one of the very few modern cars that is blessed with an oil pan that comes off very easily with the engine still in the chassis. With the heads off it would be VERY easy to pull the pan, ream the ridge, push out the pistons, clean the grooves, and put some CAST IRON rings on them and push them back in. If the rod bearings look less than perfect, go ahead and replace them too.
In this chassis pulling the heads is about 80% of the work of a rering job and it would really be a shame to get it back together only to find that it then needs a rering and then think of how close you were to having done it.
Good luck and enjoy your mods,
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,586
Likes: 2
From: Bardstown Kentucky
Thanks for the suggestion... I have been debating that since purchasing the parts. The cam is mild at .544 .576. It's a mild package really, just a lot of porting and machine work has been done. Even then going to the bigger cam could produce some problems. For the money it would cost I would be better off to rering it while I am in there.
Thanks for talking me into it!
If the budget works I would like to stroke it while it's down. Know where I can get a god forged assembly?
The Bomber
Thanks for talking me into it!
If the budget works I would like to stroke it while it's down. Know where I can get a god forged assembly?
The Bomber
