Im starting the teardown tonight and plan on having the car back up and running by the weekend if everthing goes as planned( Knock on wood) Any tips/advice would be great. I already read ls1howto but i want to know how it is first hand. Its only a baby hot cam going in BTW. Im not new to cam installs but i am new to it on the ls1 motor. So far i installed headers/full exhaust, nitrous and an intake myself with no problems so im sure this will go the same way. Guess im just posting here to calm my nerves a lil bit and prepare to get down to business.

 

You've got bigger nads than me to be tearing your engine apart but it sounds like you have some experience. Best of luck to ya! I bought mine already modded.

 

minor surgery , guess im in this one by myself

 

Don't forget that you don't need to remove the intake. I highly recommend you get a ratcheting 18mm wrench. You will find it helpful. If you happen to strip out the allen bolt holding the sway bar on, you can put another 18mm behind it because there is a flat spot on the bolt on the other side to grab on to. Pull belt off, then alternator, then remove the pwr steering lines then the entire pump and bracket assembly, then 21mm on tie rod ends, remove steering rack, Remove spark plugs, wires and then coil packs, valve covers (8mm) then remove the rockers that don't have the valves on them ( 8mm again) spin the motor a little and get the rest of the rockers off, remove the pushrods, then drain radiator and remove lower hose, then upper hose, tensioner and water pump, then radiator, use tie down strap hooked on hood to swing condenser out of the way and hold it. Remove balancer with a 3 claw puller and you should apply a little heat to the balancer before trying to remove it. Then remove the front cover. You don't have to remove the oil pump to do a cam. Simply get the dot on the upper gear facing toward the one on the crank gear and then remove the upper gear and then the blocking plate, spin the cam, insert 5/16" rods to keep lifters up, and remove the cam. Use 5/16" brake line to hold lifters up after you spin the cam. These are the key points that I remember. Oh and the front cover gasket only goes on one way! If you get it backwards, it will leak like a stuck pig and you will have to start over!! Ask me how I know that one!!

 

i did the same thing, it really sucked!

 

Don't follow LS1howto for the crank pulley removal and installation, it could be a lot longer than next weekend before its back together if you do.

 

Yeah, the pulley removal and install is the worst item.
As stated above, use a really good puller and be careful.
Don't even think about pulling on the outer ring, you will killl the pulley.
Measure the crank snout "depth" in the pulley before you remove it, so you will know you have it all the way back on later. It usually is about 0.150" recessed. Spec is 0.94 - 0.176 ").
Mark the pulley position on the crank, and try to install it again in the same basic position (some balencers actually had little balance weights in them for fine engine balancing at the factory).
When installing, heat the pulley in your wife's oven to about 200, and lay an ice bag on the crank. This REALLY helps get it started on straight. DO get a pulley installer, or make one from a threaded rod.
You "can" pull the pulley down with a longer bolt if you heat/cool as stated above,, but that's taking a chance on screwing up the crank threads. after pulling it on to 240 fT/lb, and checking the "depth" per above, then torquing to 37 ft-lb, and turning/stretching the "NEW" bolt 140 degrees, mark the bolt head and pulley with a Sharpie, so you can check it later for any loosening.

Oh, before buttoning up the front cover, slip the balancer on lightly, to help align the front seal, then tighten the cover bolts. Yes, use a new radial seal.

Get the wooden 5/16 dowel rods at Home depot to hold the lifters in place after madly spinning the old cam by hand to push the lifters up into the plastic retainers.

It's all covered in the archives here; piece of cake.

DG

 

Good info blownbluez06. Do i need any other gaskets for the water pump etc? Or are they all those rubber seals like whats around the timing cover? Also should i change the front seal in the timing cover? Car has only 20k on it so the oil pump and timing chain are staying in there. Car is a 2004 if that matters



P.S. I got a nice ratcheting 18mm snap-on combo wrench on hand

 

Hey Mr. Wrench....how does one stretch a bolt without breaking it? Is an new ARP bolt for the stock balancer sufficient?

 

ARP bolt is sufficient. You should replace water pump gaskets and front timing cover seal. They're too cheap not too and too much of a pain in the *** to replace if you messed them up doing your job and find out after you're done!!
I forgot to mention that I bought 2 long grade 8 bolts, cut the heads off, welded them and ground them down smooth to made a giant stud to thread into the crank snout to use as a balancer installer. I've used it a few times and it works great!

 

Whatever you do, don't try to re-use the balancer bolt and make sure you loctite the cam bolts when you install them.

 

All bolts stretch when tightened.

 

i knew that

 

Well i got a late start tonight after work but managed to put a couple hours in. I got everything out up front except for the steering rack and the balancer of course. The Radiator/fan assembly was a pain in my nuts getting out by myself but its sitting right now on the garage floor..i won that battle So tom nite ill see if i can get the rack out and tackle this god forsaken balancer! Bed time!

 

You can easily make a reinstallation tool for the balencer for about $25.00. McMaster Carr sells M16-2 threaded rod in 300mm lengths. You need one of those; 3 nuts; and a bag of M16 fender washers!

I would replace the front seal; its not expensive and if it gets nicked during the project you will start again.... ask me how I know

 

Yeah i think i can come up with a balancer installer from a friend, if not i think im going to make one. Tonight id like to get the rack and balancer/timing cover off and possibly do the valve springs to get that pain in the *** out of the way. Im looking forward to getting this thing fired up.

 

also, if one of the sides get stuck when you are trying to insert the dowels to hold the lifters up gets stuck and wont go all the way in, basically means that you need to grind some off the dowel to make it a tad smaller in diameter. I thought i had a serious issue when one side wouldnt go in. ended up being that the holes were slightly off from one side. a little grinding on the dowel fixed that right up. LDB C5 helped me with my cam install along with some of the other chi-crew guys.

 

How did you get the front cover gasket installed incorrectly? It will only go on one way....it is not symetrical about the axis.

 

The worst item by far is manipulating that damn powersteering rack out of the way and the reinstall is a beotch!

 

It can be done and all of the bolts will line up. It is symmetrical. There is just a little hook in the gasket on one side that will be exposed if you get it bass ackwards. Next time you have one off, give it a try ( not being a smart *** put it back right after you "give it a try" . That's what I get for trying to work on the thing after being up for 24 hours.