Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice...
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,577
Likes: 3
From: Southern Maryland Maryland
Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice...
What do you use to ensure the lifters dont fall back into the motor? I am just pulling my old cam and putting a new cam not removing the heads also.
Phillip :eek:
Phillip :eek:
Le Mans Master
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 6,071
Likes: 297
From: Savannah GA
Cruise-In IV Veteran
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (Phil97SVT)
Turn your car upside down! :lol:
No, really just make a quick swap. It pays to have two people that way you can have the new cam lubed and ready to slide in a soon as you pull the old one out. Slide the new cam in gently and you should be fine. :cheers:
No, really just make a quick swap. It pays to have two people that way you can have the new cam lubed and ready to slide in a soon as you pull the old one out. Slide the new cam in gently and you should be fine. :cheers:
Team Owner
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 54,204
Likes: 180
From: S.W. Ohio. . . . . . NRA Life Member
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (Phil97SVT)
when I did this sort of thing years ago; I was able to pull up the lifters and take then completely out of the block. Sometimes I had to place a plastic shim between the cam lobe and the lifter to get enough of the lifter visable to get a hold of it.
If you're gonna reuse the lifters; I read somewhere that its important to get them back into the same position that you took them out of.
Sorry; don't know if any of this is applicable to the new small block design.
If you're gonna reuse the lifters; I read somewhere that its important to get them back into the same position that you took them out of.
Sorry; don't know if any of this is applicable to the new small block design.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Nov 2000
Posts: 7,391
Likes: 3
From: Chandler AZ
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (Phil97SVT)
They are supposed to stay up if you rotate the cam 360 degree's after pulling the gear/chain and before pulling the cam. I have not heard of people dropping lifters down into the motor... but I wouldn't take the chance. We bought a bunch of all-thread, cut it to roughly 9" in length and bought some very strong cylindrical magnets the same diameter as the all thread and jb welded them to to the ends. We then put heat shrink tubing over the all thread so if doesn't come in contact with anything. By putting some large sheet metal panel washers along with wing nuts on the other end we can pull up the lifters and hold them in place at their highest point. If you call me tomorrow at the shop I can email you a pic or two :)
Drifting
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 1,580
Likes: 1
From: Shelbyville KY
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (Phil97SVT)
Talk to C5Noir about this. He used 16 of the little 'pen magnets' with the pocket clips bent out. This way, the bent pocket clip would hold the pen magnet on the block, and the magnet part could grab hold of the lifter and keep it up. Once you are done, just remove the magnets and let the lifters fall back into the bores and rest on the cam again.
This works good, and it allows all lifters to be held up, even if you have one that wont stay up. Search over on ls1tech . com as there are a few threads on this subject right now.
This works good, and it allows all lifters to be held up, even if you have one that wont stay up. Search over on ls1tech . com as there are a few threads on this subject right now.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (Phil97SVT)
I just swapped my cam last weekend but I had the heads off and the rods and lifters out. The lifters fit very snugly in the plastic retainers. If you rotate the old cam before pulling it, you will hear them pop into the plastic retainers in the heads. If you do a quick swap after this you should be OK but I would use the pen magnets just to be safe.
I've heard of a few f-body guys and one or two C5 guys dropping lifters during a cam swap but I don't know if they rotated the cam or not before pulling it.
Better safe than sorry. :cheers: :yesnod:
I've heard of a few f-body guys and one or two C5 guys dropping lifters during a cam swap but I don't know if they rotated the cam or not before pulling it.
Better safe than sorry. :cheers: :yesnod:
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 1,289
Likes: 0
From: Decatur IN
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (Patches)
When you rotate your cam (after loosening rockers, remove pusrods, and timing chain & gear), rotate the cam 360 deg COUNTER clockwise, you will hear all 16 lifters "click" into place. The pocket magnet trick sounds like a good idea for extra insurance.
Ed
Ed
Safety Car
Joined: Jan 2000
Posts: 4,965
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From: Midlothian, VA
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (Ed Potter @ LPE)
PLEASE use this link, better safe than sorry: http://ls1info.com/article.php?sid=185
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Drifting
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 1,763
Likes: 24
From: Austin TX
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (Ed Potter @ LPE)
The plastic retainers held mine for over 24 hours. No I didnt have the cam out for that long, but the next day when I put in the pushrods I had to push down on every one of them to contact the cam.
Eric
Eric
Pro
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 685
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From: Somewhere in the Mid West
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (66ImpalaLT1)
I just did my first cam swap 2 weeks ago. I also rotated the cam 360 degrees twice and the lifters stayed in place long enough for me to do the swap. Of course, having extra insurance is always better. And make sure you take out the rocker arms & pushrods so that there is no weight being subjected on the lifters.. Good Luck! :cheers:
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 23,283
Likes: 906
From: Lake Elsinore, CA
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (Phil97SVT)
230 / 230 .585 .585 110LSA 108ICL 0 deg ground. :yesnod:
Phillip
Phillip
Makes my 112 LSA look tame. Would love to hear that puppy lope. :yesnod: :smash:
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 5,577
Likes: 3
From: Southern Maryland Maryland
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (Patches)
Alot of the MD vette guys have heard my 230 / 114 combo and it does idle pretty nice. This cam should give me a gain across the board as well as an agressive idle.
Phillip
Phillip
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 1999
Posts: 4,345
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From: Shorewood ,IL Mesa,AZ
Cruise-In II Veteran
Cruise-In III Veteran
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (C5-VERT)
110LSA :crazy:
Drifting
Joined: May 1999
Posts: 1,580
Likes: 1
From: Shelbyville KY
Re: Installing new cam tomorrow...need advice... (Phil97SVT)
Hell yeah man, that's a stout bumpstick! Good luck w/ it. Please let us know how it runs after you get the cam in and everythng buttoned up!