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It would be crazy not to replace valve springs!

 

I just had my motor rebuilt,I went back in with all new internal parts. Oil pump, cam, springs, timing chain. Springs only had 40k on them but englandgreen suggested changing them, so I did.I thought about a new water pump but if it goes replacing that should not be a problem.Just my .02

 

I agree with the valve springs. Would also be a good idea to lap the valves, and absolutely change the valve seals. Inspect the cam journals for wear, and replace if needed. Also inspect the valve guides for wear.

Since you don't have any weights in the old balancer, you got lucky, and the orientation of the balancer will not matter.

In addition to a new timing chain, it would also be a good idea to install a timing chain damper and new sprockets.

While you have the oil pan off, take off the windage tray, and clean up any other gunk you can get to from under there. Clean the oil pump pickup screen and tube. No need to get the block tanked.

Also for your clutch job, you should definitely install a remote bleeder. spin the torque tube with it out of the car and feel/listen for any roughness in the bearings. Don't forget to mark the orientation of the front and rear spindles with respect to the driveshaft when replacing the couplers. Make sure to match the balance of the new flywheel to the old. Don't forget to replace the pilot bearing too.

 

Ordered a new balancer and LS6 springs last night. Sprockets come with the new timing set. Cam and bearings replaced (see cam pics in other thread) along with lifters. New clutch comes with flywheel and is balanced as a unit. Should be neutral balance. Cleaned up both pans and tray. Will clean block tonight. New pilot already ordered.

Thanks for replies.

 

Be careful. More likely than not, the stock flywheel is not neutral balanced. It probably has weights in it to externally fine tune the balance of the engine. You need to get the new flywheel balance matched to the old flywheel, not neutral balanced.

 

listen to SaberD! I was not aware of this when I installed my clutch and I do have a slight vibration at 2400 rpm.

 

Posted on the LS1 forum:

This, of course, is just my opinion....

By the time the cam is out, most of the hard work is done. Why go to all of this trouble and not do the job right? The cam, head gaskets, lifters, water pump and intake / exhaust gaskets all have to be replaced...spend a little more and complete the job.

Regardless of the cam, the valves, guides, seals and springs ALL have the same miles. Guides get worn, seals get brittle, springs relax. Time to replace them. Time to have the machine shop check the heads and do what's required.

In order to get the cam out, you had to remove the oil pump and timing set, which are also worn. To be fair, the oil pump and timing set can easily be inspected for wear and reused, if within "spec," but they are both pretty inexpensive. Some folks might replace them for "peace of mind."

The stock harmonic balancer is a known failure-prone item. This is the perfect opportunity to replace it before it fails and kills something else when it does.

When that lifter / cam wore down, those metal particles went somewhere....did ALL of them go to the oil filter / come to rest in the oil pan? Hmmmm....if the block isn't COMPLETELY cleaned, you will always wonder. As a matter of fact....are some of those microscopic particles lodged in your main and rod bearings right now...slowly grinding away...waiting until you get the cam and lifters replaced until they really get to work wearing those bearings out......

Remove the block, remove the rotating assembly, have the crank checked, have the block checked....if nothing is wrong, have the bores honed, have the crank polished, put new rings, rod and main bearings in. At the very LEAST, it will give you peace of mind in knowing the condition of the engine. Having the inspections / honing done is cheap insurance insurance....if the crank or block needs to be turned under / bored over, it is time to have it done. If it needs it and you don't do it....well, things will never get better in your engine, and sooner or later, one way or the other, there will come a time when it will fail.

It's unfortunate that the cam / lifter failed; but if you piecemeal the repair, it will almost certainly come back to haunt you.

IHTH,
KoreaJon

 

There is a post on the forum on how to balance a new flywheel compared to the old flywheel. There are weights that have to match the same number of weights in the old flywheel. I remember reading it here somewhere. They said it was important for it to be the same as the old one.