How difficult is a cam swap?
Racer
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 281
Likes: 0
From: overworld
wow all this makes it sound hard. honestly its not. the ls1 is easy to work on. if any of you have worked on lt1s or l98s im sure youll agree. a cam swap is time consuming only becuase you have to remove that much to get at it, but the rack is the hardest part to remove. even then you only need to move it over. it does not have to come out of the car. if you look at that link to ls1howto.com they show you how to just slide it off to the side. this is much easier than removing it. the condenser coil does not have to come out of the car, but you will have to have a second set of hands pulling it forward so you can get the cam out and back in. some cars are harder than others. changing the springs is a pain if you dont have the best tools design for the ls1. taking your time and having experience you can do it in 9-11 hours. i dont rush my cam swaps period. im not in a race with anyone.
Last edited by Ram Air Formula; Feb 4, 2005 at 10:09 PM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 8,840
Likes: 43
From: State of Confusion.
Originally Posted by runamuk
Removing the rack on a Vette is not a big deal, it may sound like one but all you have to do is:
1. raise the front of the vehicle and remove both front wheels/tires.
2. remove the sway bar (6 bolts)
3. drain your power steering reservoir (I used a turkey baster) and disconnect the 2 hydraulic lines going to the rack and remove the 1 bolt going to the steering column.
4. loosen the 4 nuts holding the lower cradle to the frame
5. disconnect both tie rod ends from the spindles
6. remove the 2 18mm nuts/bolts securing the rack to the cradle and then pull it out thru the drivers side wheel well.
Did I miss anything?
I think that pretty much covers it, 1 person can do the job but when it comes time to reinstall it is easier with 2 people just to align it up with the mount bolts.
1. raise the front of the vehicle and remove both front wheels/tires.
2. remove the sway bar (6 bolts)
3. drain your power steering reservoir (I used a turkey baster) and disconnect the 2 hydraulic lines going to the rack and remove the 1 bolt going to the steering column.
4. loosen the 4 nuts holding the lower cradle to the frame
5. disconnect both tie rod ends from the spindles
6. remove the 2 18mm nuts/bolts securing the rack to the cradle and then pull it out thru the drivers side wheel well.
Did I miss anything?
I think that pretty much covers it, 1 person can do the job but when it comes time to reinstall it is easier with 2 people just to align it up with the mount bolts.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 7,370
Likes: 8
From: Slave to the evil empire
Cruise-In V Veteran
St. Jude Donor '04
Originally Posted by LuvmyC5
Very Nice directions! Also make sure that the wheels are pointed straight ahead when you do this.
