I went through the same situation when I bought headers. I could not decide on whether I wanted to tackle the job myself or pay someone 500-600 to do it. I ended up doing the install myself, which I am glad I did. It was fairly easy to begin with and aside from saving money, I got the satisfaction of doing it myself.

Anyways....on to the cam.

I have a TSP cam package, oil pump, and chain on the way. I can't decide on what to do. I know it's more involved than the headers but doesn't look like anything too major with the right tools. Recent threads like Cobra4B's really give me some drive to do it myself but touching the internals on a 30+K car worries me. A couple of local VERY REPUTABLE shops want 1000 for the install and 500-600 to tune it. I would really love to do it myself for the experience not to mention saving the dough.

I hope you guys help me decide because I want this done soon.


D.I.Y
-Need to buy spring compressor tool
-Need rods to hold up lifters
-Pully puller
-Air compresor and spark plus fitting
-gasket set
-XX hours of work
-XX beers
-The uncertainty of a first time cam swap


SHOP
- pay thru the nose, buy know its done right
- no tools to buy
- no cuts, scrapes, or bruises

i am trying to weigh all my options, and yes I have read the ls1howto plenty of times. Sorry for the long post but I had to get it out there.

PICTURES ADDED

This is what I have. I may get an underdrive pulley as well.



The valve seals I got are all the same. I read that the intake and exhaust are different but you could use the same for both sides. The ones I got are blue. Will they be fine??



I got the LS2 timing set. My question is if this mark is the "dot" which I align with the crank gear. The stock one has a dot, this is a U shape.




Thanks for your help.

Ivan

 

i think a tune should be around 400$ and labor under 800$
But, if in your area the best shop cost a little more than the unknown shop, pay it. I cheaped out ONE time and it costed me a LOT more to get it fixed later.

As far as doing it your self, If you are analytical it might be worth a shot. If you are ADD and get bored easy, dont.

 

The two shops that quoted me the price are sponsors here. I wouldn't take it to any mechanic shop to save a couple hundred bucks. I'm certain I CAN do it myself. I'm just not sure that I want to do it.

 

I say do it yourself. Invest in a few tools and you should be set.
You'll probably still have to pay for a tune but, you will save the labor cost of the cam install.
I paid someone to do mine but, that was only because I did not have a garage to do the install myself or the ability to loose the downtown of the car as it's my DD.

 

I Did Mine Not A Bad Job I Changed Heads At The Same Time You Might Want To Check With Cam Guy About Lifters Your New Springs May Be To Much For Them. Good Luck

 

This motor is very easy to work on, there are a few gotcha's to watch for, but otherwise I really enjoyed installing mine.

 

I, too recently did my own H/C in a pretty small garage. I would advise you not to tackle this if you're pressed for time. There's lots of small frustrations, if you're only average in mech. abilities, like me. If you don't need the car as a DD, it is very doable, and gives you alot of confidence to tackle other mods in the future. The money saved is great, too.

 

Do it yourself... I am sure someone local can let you borrow a spring tool. Once you do it one time you will be ready to tackle bigger projects down the road!!! As long as follow the steps on ls1howto you cant go wrong

 

 

I'd move "know its done right" to the DIY list. I did my own heads & cam install and I know its done right. If I had taken it to a shop, I'd be hoping they did it right, but wouldn't know for sure.

 

If:
- it isn't your essential daily driver (you have other transportation),
- you are familiar w/ the business end of a wrench,
- you have currently have a 1/2 decent set of wrenches (and know where they are most of the time), OR if you only have a 1/4 decent set of wrenches, but you have a local SEARS store or know the Snap On dealer ,
- you can follow LS1HowTo directions, TOGETHER with suggestions from here on the Forum
- you take a little time to research things HERE before you start and as you progress
- You want the set of lifter holding rods that I have (and will forward on to you via "Pay it Forward")
- you need to be pointed in the direction of a crank pulley install tool (and I again can point you)

THEN, yes, you can do the install yourself, and we on this Forum will help you do it.

Let us know what you decide to do. Let me know if you want the lifter holding rods, and let me know if you need to know where the crank install tool is.

 

wen i payed to get my cam installed and tuned it cost me$650 for install and $450 for the tune. imma get another cam and heads and im pondering doin it myself....i ve done the heads myself before but not the cam...well see

 

I'm starting mine this weekend . With everything I've read on here the last six months I'm hoping I'm prepared!

 

I have done it myself several times. I don't trust anyone else for one, and 2 I don't feel like paying someone to do something I can do myself.

http://www.ls1howto.com/index.php?article=1

 

Thanks for the link... Saved it as a favorite for future use.

 

I don't pay anyone to do something I can do myself

 

I may end up doing it myself.

 

 

What do you need the spring compressor tool for. I that necessary if you take the rockers off and pull the pushrods??
just wondering
jason

 

unless you know another way to change valve springs