NickC493

I talked to a mechanic today to get a price on the install of a hot cam. He said he would have to take the motor out, because the oil pan must be removed. I trust this guy, but I was just try9ng to see if he didn't want to mess with the job.

VMAX451

You need to remove the oil pan to get the front cover off, but you can do this with the engine in the car. Actually, you could just loosen all the oil pan bolts and just let the front hang down out of the way.

Strick

For him, in the long run, it might be easier to take the engine out. Then it would be easier to use all the standard tools that might be too hard to use with the engine in the car. Besides, he might be able to do a better job with the engine out. Anything else you want to do if you chose to take it out? You could clean/paint the engine compartment, maybe paint the engine, lot's of possiblities.

Zix

You can do it with the engine in the car and just angle the engine up to get the cam out, however doing it this you're more likely to have an oil leak because it can be difficult to make sure everything seals properly. The preferred way to do it would be to take the engine out, this is, however, more labor on your part.

MongooseLT4

I installed mine with the engine in the car....if I did it again I would pull the motor I can't see it being any harder than the way I did it.... If you want to keep in in the car, you need to loosen every oil pan bolt, the front is not going to come down without the rear bolts being undone also. Good luck :cheers:

SPD DMN

I can do a cam swap in my car in 10 hours from start to finish. If I pulled the motor to do the cam swap it would take me twice that at least (and yes I have pulled it several times).

red-y

One of the issues to consider is contamination to the main bearings when pulling the cam. There is a high probability that this will happen. It is therefore recommended that the engine be pulled and the main bearings be replaced with thicker bearings. The LT1 has a very light main bearings and are easily damaged if any debris gets to this part of the engine. On the LT4 this is not the case for some reason GM used a better main bearing.
Contact MTI on the forum for expert advice. Good luck !
:seeya


[Modified by red-y, 7:24 PM 5/29/2003]


[Modified by red-y, 7:26 PM 5/29/2003]

tjwong

Go here and check out this detailed cam installation tutorial into a C4
http://www.hashmarks.com/techtips/hot_cam.htm

And yes you need to remove the oil pan, and to do that you will have to raise the engine off of its mounts about 3/4 of an inch. You will also need to raise the engine in order for the cam to clear the front cross member as well.

CentralCoaster

You don't need a cherry picker because you don't have to raise the engine to remove the pan. Turn the motor over to just the right spot so the crank counterweights are pointing upwards. (both #1 and #2 way down at equal heights in the cylinders... with some deep thought, you could determine at what crank position this occurs at).

I have an L98, so it could be different clearances, I could be wrong.

SPD DMN

True you can get the stock pan of without lifting the motor on LT1's as well. You do have to lift it about 1" in the front in order to get the cam out though. I have done it where I disconect the passenger side motor mount from the bottom and lift it that way with a hoist. it gets plenty of room to remove the cam that way. It may be just as easy to unbolt both motor mounts and lift it as a whole.

Chris

CentralCoaster

Ah. Of course. But couldn't you also drop the back of the motor down too to angle it up? I guess that could possibly be even more labor intensive though: removing the driveshaft and loosening the torque beam.

I haven't actually done a cam yet. But I did look closely at the prospect of it while doing my intake and timing set recently.

NOT-MEE

vette 92 wanna do mine

SPD DMN

:D If I wasn't traveling so much I would surely help you do it. I am only home about 4-6 days a month right now.

Chris

NOT-MEE

first i need to do my intake cuz im leaking oil i hate that smell I havent owned a tpi that wasn't inder warrenty before so it will be first time doing it im going to just do it one day anytime you have when possable to help a brother out would be apreaciated.
Hell ill even buy the beer and feed ya ect.

Brian

SPD DMN

Gotta pull the intake to do the cam. I do not know the TPI motors like I do the LT1's, but I could still help ya.

tjwong

No you may not have to lift the engine to remove the oil pan. But for me seeing how the bolts was out of the motor mounts to lift the motor to get the cam out anyway. I can assure you that it was definitely easier to get the pan out and to get it back in with an inch or two of added clearance.

96GS#007

:iagree: :yesnod: Maybe L98s are different, but on LT1s and LT4s it's a matter of loosening two nuts and throwing a floor jack under the sucker. Takes what?...5 minutes on a bad day?..and gives you more room to work. I fail to see the downside to this approach.

:leaving:


[Modified by 96GS#007, 9:50 PM 5/31/2003]

DRAGRCR1005

when you pulled your motor did you remove the trans before doing it or were you able to swing the motor out enough to clear? how long did it take for you. did you use a lift? :flag

SPD DMN

Yes I pull the trans first (ZF). No I do not have a lift and I do all my work on 3 to jack stands. I do have my own engine hoist though.

I have heard of people leaving the ZF trans in there when pulling the motor, but I find that just senseless and adding much more difficluty to the process of putting it back in.

The first time I pulled the motor I was with two other frends and we did an engine swap over a span of about 20 hours. That was simply pullnig mine and putting another one right back in. Would have taken less time if we had not fiddled with trying to install the tranny with the wrong size throwout bearing. 2+ hours wasted trying to figure out why it would not slide in.

I can have the motor out myself in about 8 hours I would estimate. That is with taking my time, pulling all the accessories off of it, organizing bolts, stopping for food and beverage, and dropping the tranny. :cheers:

CentralCoaster

The downside, is this way you'd need to lift the engine from above (ie.. you need a cherry picker). I was thinking that you could drop the pan, pull the front covers off the motor, set the pan back on there, and use that to raise the motor off the mounts.

On my 85, it's a lot of work to remove the oil pan. I have to remove the starter, flywheel dust cover, oil cooler lines, and all those stupid wire harness clips that are attached to the oil pan bolts.