I want to upgrade the cam in my lt1. How difficult is it? Any tips on what to and not to do? How much of the motor will I have to take apart to get to it? Is it prone to oil leaks afterwards?

Thanks!

 

I would think that it is very safe to say that this would be for the ADVANCED do it yourselfer. If you're good with wrenches and can adequately devour technical writing, you could take it on based solely on your experience and skill level.

If you've never done anything besides changing plugs and oil, this is probably not the project for you, but if you've done a good bit of wrenching and you can understand how to degree the cam and set the valves, then it could be doable.

 

Check out this cam install writeup!!

http://hashmarks.com/techtips/hot_cam.htm

 

 

Excellent write up!
If just the write-up intimidates you the cam swap may be more than you want to tackle on your own. If your determined to get in there on your own...I say go for it...it isn't all that hard....just takes time and $

 

You can do it.

Basically have to pull the timing cover off the front of the motor and the intake manifold, including getting all the associated wares in the way to be out of the way, take out the pushrods remove the lifters take out the old cam, lube up the new cam properly, install it, reinstall lifters, pushrods, put the timing gears/chain back on correctly, reinstall the cover (common sense and patience for getting the seal right) maybe put new seals in the cover while you're there, put the opti, wires back on correctly, deal with the damper snout and damper both ways, reassemble the accessories, adjust the valves, fire it up, break it in, change the oil and drive. thats a nutshell descrip, STL's description is much better but all the other folks I know in SLC are pretty danged smart and you can probably do it.

 

I've changed the camshaft in my 94 two times. The first one took ~20 hours, second one around 10. I've seen a few people take weeks to complete the job. If you decide to do the swap just make sure you give yourself enough time to complete the task before you have to have the car back on the road.

 

the shops say atleast 13 hours for a c4

 

Not hard, just time consuming. But we don't know your experience level.

 

I did one in way less than 13 hours. Just remove parts to get at the cam, and put them back on. Make sure you get the dots lined up (I put it together once off by 1 tooth...bad things ensued.

 

I'm a pretty sharp fella when it comes to reading and understanding the directions given for auto work. I can turn a wrench pretty well. I've delved a bit into my C4 a bit (just changing the water pump and my opti involved taking a fair amount of stuff apart), so I'm not stupid when it comes to auto work. My main concern is what It's going to take to get the cam in and out. In other words, is there enough room after I get the front end of the motor apart to do it, or do I need to get my radiator and/or condensor out of the way too. I'm going to check out that link above too.

-Matty

 

The radiator will have to come out. You can move the condensor far enough forward without removing.

 

I'll be doing this soon too. Does anyone have a ballpark figure on what to expect to pay a shop to do this.

 

If the shop charges $65 per hour labor and the book says 13 hours flat rate. Then $845. That is just for a cam change-out. If your cam needs better valve springs, retainers etc or a new cam chain is being installed, they might add shop labor to do those.

 

interesting that you should ask; I'm just wrapping up my own cam swap.

First step, print out a copy of "GM Hot Cam Installation" by Jim "Tail Lights First" Mason at http://www.hasmarks.com/techtips/hot cam.htm;

Second get a copy of "How to Rebuild Small-Block Chevy LT-1/LT-4 Engines" by Mike Mavrigian published by HPBooks; it is by far the best book out there.

Third, be realistic. As difficult as it is to get to almost everything on an LT engine, you're going to find a reason to replace almost everything you take off. I'm talking specifically the water pump, distributor, spark plugs, spark plug wires, timing chain, lifters, oil pump ...at a minimum.

Plus all the assorted filters, gaskets, fluids, and hoses that you'd have to replace anyway.

Make a list. Price it out. Maybe you can live with the cam you've got.

Or, if you're like me, start acquiring the parts slowly, over time, and when you think you have everything you need (trust me you won't), then start your project, or take it to a shop, at least you wont get a bill for (all of the) parts.

Basically the project was not that hard. I used the GM "hot cam", bought seperately from summit. I got the factory lifters and lifter hold down spider and valve springs from the dealer. Had I to do it all over again, I would have gotten the whole thing in one kit from Summit.

I used a GM extreme duty timing chain also from Summit.

As an act of faith in all things GM, I assembled the timing chain and cam, as instructed, without degreeing the cam.

If you decide to do this yourself, and I think an average mechanic can do it him or herself, just remember that the project, is in reality, just a series of small projects; don't let yourself be overwhelmed.

Let us know what you decide.

There are plenty of people here ready to help.

 

Excellent bit of info. You think the way I do (and probably most everyone here).....If I've got it all apart, might as well replace it all too. I'm thinking I'll do just that. I'm in no big rush to do it right away, so I'll just get all those little things together and have a few weeks set aside to tinker and get it all done. Thanks for the help guys. This has been quite helpful.

 

Just be careful when you put the new cam in that you don't nick the cam bearings. Use plenty of cam lube on the lobes and oil the bearing surfaces. Generally good to run engine at fast idle for awhile when first started so that everything gets broken in with plenty of oil. Don't allow it to idle for the first few minutes. You don't want to do this job again!

 

The hardest part is getting the balancer hub off.

You'll probably have to lift the motor a tad for the cam to clear the brace in the front of the engine compartment.

 

Do it yourself. You'll be glad you did. See the link below for my writeup.

http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...lp-needed.html

 

Since you have a 92 with a hyd roller, there will be no break in for the cam. You will probably have to jack the engine up and loosen the C beam bolts on the rear of the trans. It's a tight fit getting the cam past the front crossmember. I have done several, just take your time and pay attention to detail. And if you have any questions about your opti, that is also the time to freshen it up too.