I've got a spare double roller timing chain (new) left over from my Camaro build. Is it direct-fit, or will I have to shave the cam lock?

 

i heard they will fit, but issues with oil pump and spacing w/ some
get a LS2 chain, GM updgraded it from the LS1 of course

 

I don't need one, I have one left over from my Camaro build. I never used it on that car.

 

Yes they will fit. This is a Crane model 144984-1 double roller chain. It has RollMaster stamped on it so I assume that is who makes them for Crane. Only problem I had was the spacers they sent with the kit. They were what I thought was pretty soft aluminum and actually crushed somewhat when installed. I ended up making me a set of spacers out of steel a little thicker than stock. I made mine .175 thick which gave me a little extra oil pump to chain clearance. I have a CAD drawing of the spacers if you need to make spacers.

 

Exactly the same set I have! I'll take a copy of those drawings Speedy, thanks! Nice engine bay, BTW.

 

Is that a QTP timing cover setup? Is so, how are you liking it and what alternatives are there on the market?

 

This is the QTP cover. I have to say it is a really heavy duty part, it is cut from a solid block of aluminum. Over all I like the part, it is heavy duty! But it did require some work to make it fit good. I ran into some problems with the cover but nothing that I didn't get worked out. My biggest problem came from the bottom inside where the cover hit the pickup tube, and the bolt holes that come up through the oil pan was misplaced. It took a LOT of grinding to make the oil pickup clear. Had to drill out the oil pan holes to get the bolts to fit into the bottom of the cover. And they destroyed the oil seal when they installed it, I had to buy another one. The cover in the photo has been bead blasted inside and out, and clear coated on the outside. The cover is pretty rough when shipped. It had lots of burs left inside. It took very little work to make the cover work with the double roller chain kit. With just a little update to their CNC code that could be a perfect two piece cover.

The only alternatives I have seen are the ones where the cut a factory cover in two and weld on flanges. There is a few places doing that. The QTP cover does not bolt together, they just glue up their seam. They have a small over lapping lip that they glue up. It looks fine to me, I don't think there will be a problem with leaks. I have not run this cover much so I don't know for sure but I don't think there will be any problem.

If you buy one, expect quite a bit of touch up work to make it fit well. What I would recommend is as soon as you remove your old cover, remove the gasket, put the new cover up against the block and shake it around a bit and see what hit. If you bead blast the cover first it makes it very easy to see where it hits. Start grinding with a die grinder where it touches. I had to grind a huge notch out of the bottom to clear the oil pickup. Don't worry, the cover is VERY thick down there, you can cut a lot. Keep trying and grinding until it fits. Once you replace the gasket you will have at least .050 clearance between the cover and any internal parts. If your installing a double roller chain then put your spacers under the oil pump, leave your pickup tube unhooked at first, and repeat the above steps until the cover fits without hitting. Then hookup the oil tube and repeat the process again until nothing hits.

If I had to do over I would buy another of these covers, they are nice covers, just takes a little work to get them to fit really well. I may try to make my own two piece cover now that I have a TIG, just to see if I can do it. I may be able to make a cheaper cover but I don't think I can make a better cover. The QTP cover is not cheap, but when you look at the size of the block of aluminum it takes to cut that cover from, it is a huge block, and how much machine time it would take to cut all that aluminum away. I think the price if a fair price.