C5 Tech Corvette Tech/Performance: LS1 Corvette Technical Info, Internal Engine, External Engine, Tech Topics, Basic Tech, Maintenance, How to Remove & Replace
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:

cam swap question

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old Nov 22, 2015 | 01:43 PM
  #1  
DannyBlake10's Avatar
DannyBlake10
Thread Starter
Instructor
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 241
Likes: 1
From: Lancaster California
Default cam swap question

ok for those of you have have changed out the cam in our cars.

I've got everything torn down. radiator out
water pump off
I'm down to the balancer and timing chain cover

my rack is in the way to pull the HB
am I better off removing the steering rack or unbolting the motor from its mounts and lifting it up a bit?

or is there another method for this?

thanks
Reply
Old Nov 22, 2015 | 01:48 PM
  #2  
Uhhtaken's Avatar
Uhhtaken
Instructor
 
Joined: Oct 2013
Posts: 161
Likes: 7
From: Jacksonville,nc and Williamsburg,va North Carolina and virginia
Default

I would just go ahead and move the steering rack out of the way. Its not too difficult and gives plenty of room to get the balancer off.
Reply
Old Nov 22, 2015 | 02:00 PM
  #3  
DannyBlake10's Avatar
DannyBlake10
Thread Starter
Instructor
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 241
Likes: 1
From: Lancaster California
Default

ok
its just the two bolts and the tie rod ends from the spindles?
do I need to take the hoses off?
Reply
Old Nov 22, 2015 | 02:24 PM
  #4  
Stroker87's Avatar
Stroker87
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 2,725
Likes: 149
From: chicago area IL.
Default

two bolts, steering shaft, tie rod ends and hoses

its not as hard as it sounds, just make sure to reconnect the hoses before you put every thing back in place (i learned the hard way) and refill the PS fluid then bleed it

good luck with that balancer though I broke 2 pulleys and spent about 4 hours before mine came off that was the WORST part of the whole job for me!
Reply
Old Nov 23, 2015 | 10:05 AM
  #5  
DannyBlake10's Avatar
DannyBlake10
Thread Starter
Instructor
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 241
Likes: 1
From: Lancaster California
Default

damn, I was kinda hoping it would move enough out of the way without needing to pull the hoses

sounds good
thanks
my fun for the thanksgiving weekend!
Reply
Old Nov 23, 2015 | 06:06 PM
  #6  
M_T_0's Avatar
M_T_0
Drifting
10 Year Member
 
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,923
Likes: 5
From: San Antonio TX
Default

replace the balancer while you are at it, the stock LS1 part is notorious for failing out of the blue, let alone after it is taken out and reinstalled.

and yes the hoses are a bitch to do after it is bolted up

Last edited by M_T_0; Nov 23, 2015 at 06:07 PM.
Reply
Old Nov 23, 2015 | 08:30 PM
  #7  
vettenuts's Avatar
vettenuts
Team Owner
25 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
Photogenic
 
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 22,025
Likes: 192
From: At the beach in little Rhody
Default

Careful how to leave it while working. If the hose connections are pointing the wrong way you will lose all the fluid. I also replace the o-rings on the PS lines when I remove the rack. There is also a specific method for tightening the tie rod ends. If you move the tie rods as you move the rack, you can shift it to the passenger side and then down and right out of the car on the driver's side. Gives you a lot more room to work.
Reply
Old Nov 24, 2015 | 10:29 AM
  #8  
Stroker87's Avatar
Stroker87
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 2,725
Likes: 149
From: chicago area IL.
Default

I left mine in the car just moved it to the passenger side (one car garage not enough room to slide it out all the way)
Reply
Corvette Stories

The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts

story-0

Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

 Joe Kucinski
story-1

150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

 Joe Kucinski
story-2

8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

 Verdad Gallardo
story-3

Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

 Joe Kucinski
story-4

Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

 Verdad Gallardo
story-5

Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

 Brett Foote
story-6

Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

 Michael S. Palmer
story-7

10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

 Joe Kucinski
story-8

5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

 Michael S. Palmer
story-9

2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

 Joe Kucinski
Old Nov 25, 2015 | 09:52 AM
  #9  
DannyBlake10's Avatar
DannyBlake10
Thread Starter
Instructor
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 241
Likes: 1
From: Lancaster California
Default

its got an ATI super damper on it

but sounds good
should hopefully have my cam in this weekend and all put together minus my heads (waiting to get them back from porting)
Reply
Old Nov 25, 2015 | 11:47 AM
  #10  
StingrayRebel's Avatar
StingrayRebel
Acct Suspended APR 2026 by request
 
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 10,367
Likes: 1,272
2020 Corvette of the Year Finalist (performance mods)
C5 of Year Winner (performance mods) 2019
Default

Originally Posted by Stroker87
I left mine in the car just moved it to the passenger side (one car garage not enough room to slide it out all the way)
I always do this, you can leave it in the car and move it all the way over to the passenger side then up at an angle to clear the timing cover... if you want to totally remove it you will have to lower the cradle in order for it to clear where the steering shaft and hose connections are at... you probably already know this but don't turn the steering wheel once you remove the steering shaft... you can easily damage some of the wiring inside the car if it turns too much, slightly side to side is ok but no more than 1/4 turn in my opinion... the first time I had my steering wheel locked down because I was paranoid but now that I am aware of it I don't do that anymore... the steering shaft will only go back on one way so no need to mark that
Reply
Old Nov 30, 2015 | 10:43 AM
  #11  
DannyBlake10's Avatar
DannyBlake10
Thread Starter
Instructor
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 241
Likes: 1
From: Lancaster California
Default

yea the wheel is locked anyway and it wont unlock until the battery is reconnected so I couldn't move it if I wanted to, even with the key in

Great to know though.
saves me a lot of time no having to completely remove it
Thanks!
Reply
Old Nov 30, 2015 | 11:18 AM
  #12  
Stroker87's Avatar
Stroker87
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 2,725
Likes: 149
From: chicago area IL.
Default

lot of guys like myself have the column lock bypass mod so yeah it is good to put it up for guy who need info
Reply
Old Nov 30, 2015 | 12:47 PM
  #13  
Johnny wangwang's Avatar
Johnny wangwang
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 54
From: Raleigh NC
Default

Originally Posted by neutron82
I always do this, you can leave it in the car and move it all the way over to the passenger side then up at an angle to clear the timing cover... if you want to totally remove it you will have to lower the cradle in order for it to clear where the steering shaft and hose connections are at...
You don't have to drop or lower the cradle to pull the steering rack. Ive done it a few times without ever having to do either.
Reply
Old Nov 30, 2015 | 06:30 PM
  #14  
Paul 75 L82's Avatar
Paul 75 L82
Le Mans Master
20 Year Member
 
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 5,245
Likes: 25
From: Blue Ridge Georgia
Default

I pulled the rack but it was hard for me, not easy. Next time I might lower the cradle.
Reply
Old Dec 2, 2015 | 09:20 AM
  #15  
DannyBlake10's Avatar
DannyBlake10
Thread Starter
Instructor
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 241
Likes: 1
From: Lancaster California
Default

yea looks like I can get it out with just moving the rack to the side

are there any other benefits of the column lock bypass other than being able to steer the car with the battery disconnected?
Reply
Old Dec 2, 2015 | 11:31 AM
  #16  
Johnny wangwang's Avatar
Johnny wangwang
Burning Brakes
 
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,051
Likes: 54
From: Raleigh NC
Default

Originally Posted by DannyBlake10
are there any other benefits of the column lock bypass other than being able to steer the car with the battery disconnected?
Yes. Being able to drive the car over 2mph and not being stranded when it goes bad!
Reply
Old Dec 3, 2015 | 11:43 AM
  #17  
Stroker87's Avatar
Stroker87
Melting Slicks
10 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 2,725
Likes: 149
From: chicago area IL.
Default

Originally Posted by DannyBlake10
yea looks like I can get it out with just moving the rack to the side

are there any other benefits of the column lock bypass other than being able to steer the car with the battery disconnected?
as Johnny mentioned i very common for it to fail so doing the mod is just to avoid getting stuck when it does cheap and easy insurance
Reply
Old Dec 7, 2015 | 08:21 AM
  #18  
DannyBlake10's Avatar
DannyBlake10
Thread Starter
Instructor
15 Year Member
Conversation Starter
All Eyes On Me
 
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 241
Likes: 1
From: Lancaster California
Default

huh, yea I think I'll look into that
Reply
Old Dec 7, 2015 | 01:49 PM
  #19  
sean.b's Avatar
sean.b
Drifting
15 Year Member
Liked
Loved
Community Favorite
 
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,720
Likes: 38
From: Colorado
Default

looks like it was covered, but I went with the rack movement. Make sure it doesnt rotate, either, as it'll screw up the wheel position sensor, which isnt trivial to work with.

and yea, i drained all of my fluid. that car was down to curb weight when i was done. i made a mess!

dont forget to use heat on the pulley bolt. its not so bad if you heat it first.
Reply

Get notified of new replies

To cam swap question





All times are GMT -4. The time now is 03:54 AM.

story-0
Top 10 Most Explosive Corvettes Ever Made: Power-to-Weight Ratio Ranked!

Slideshow: The 10 most explosive Corvettes ever built based on power-to-weight ratio.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-20 07:23:03


VIEW MORE
story-1
150 hp to 1,250 hp: Every Corvette Generation Compared by the Specs That Matter

Slideshow: From C1 to C8 we compare every Corvette generation by the numbers.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-12 16:54:12


VIEW MORE
story-2
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time

Slideshow: Some Corvette pace cars became collectible legends, while others perfectly captured the look and attitude of their era.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-11 09:50:51


VIEW MORE
story-3
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)

Slideshow: Ranking the top 10 Corvette engines by torque output.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-05-05 11:58:09


VIEW MORE
story-4
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!

Slideshow: A Corvette pace car nearly matching IndyCar speeds sounds exaggerated, until you look at the numbers.

By Verdad Gallardo | 2026-05-04 20:03:36


VIEW MORE
story-5
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!

Among a rather large group of them.

By Brett Foote | 2026-05-04 13:56:44


VIEW MORE
story-6
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!

Slideshow: the top 10 things Corvette owners want in the C9 Corvette

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-30 12:41:15


VIEW MORE
story-7
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know

Slideshow: 10 Important Corvette 'firsts' that every fan should know.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-29 17:02:16


VIEW MORE
story-8
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2

Slideshow: Should you buy a 2020-2026 Corvette or wait for 2027?

By Michael S. Palmer | 2026-04-22 10:08:58


VIEW MORE
story-9
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor

Slideshow: 2027 Corvette lineup vs the world.

By Joe Kucinski | 2026-04-24 16:12:42


VIEW MORE