I am interested in doing a stage 2 cam in my c5 corvette soon and wondering if there are any other recommendations for mods to do on the car at the same time to improve the engines “reliability” and save on having to take the engine apart twice. IE heads, lifters, etc. the engine at the moment is stock besides LT headers and a CAI

 

Reliability index for cam swaps
A. Never touch lifters, cam lobes, or parts going inside the engine with bare skin contact
B. Pre-oil the lifters/rockers and rollercam using synthetic new oil with clean new disposable gloves
C. Follow service manual procedure for torque specs, gaskets specification, surface prep. Additionally ensure Surfaces need to be dry dry dry and clean clean clean
D. Use a proper cover centering tool for front main centering , the front main seal should be changed and the seal often comes with a round plastic piece you can use a a centering tool.
E. If the opportunity permits, inspect/replace Oil pump pickup O-ring see note1
F. Measure pushrod lengths and write it down, investigate any wild differences, know the difference between modern LS7 lifter height and OEM lifter height and be rdy with thick walled correct length pushrods as needed for whatever lifters you are using. For examples Rockauto sells 12 different types of lifters and they all have variables in their pushrod length requirements to some extent even if only by random manufacturing stats
G. Be sure to inspect R&R rocker tips/pushrod tips near the front of the engine where oil flow is least likely to occur on cold starts during long idle conditions for high mileage engines those rockers may experience abnormal wear , pushrod ends will appear matte and crystalline rather than glossy smooth mirror finish like the rest.
H. Check rockers for smooth action and listen for bearing noises while working them in your hands, make sure they are all intact and smooth in your hands with disposable clean gloves and clean oil
I. cam swaps often mean tuning sessions and tuning sessions mark up and kill spark plug lifespan so be ready to tune the engine then change the spark plugs afterwards.Do not touch plugs with bare skin contact for best resulting longevity and appearance
J. new OEM balancer bolt , and new melling oem style oil pump for high mileage service, and maybe a timing chain. But I often keep the oem chain if it looks good even for 800rwhp automatic trans setups because there is a certain confidence in the original chain that I sometimes find lacking in various replacements.
K. I recommend Do not use cheap valve spring compressors use the correct professional tool that doesn't involve the rocker threads in the heads at all
L. I do not recommend serving the head, no machine shop should touch the heads. if there is a head issue get another head, don't try to fix a head its not worth the risk.
Take a factory good used head over a machine shop head any day.
M. Make sure use the new cam gasket (see video) plate
N. For reliability keep spring pressure around 130lbs seat and 320open. Like PAC1218. Keep lift no more than about 0.580", use a slow ramp camshaft like TFS-30602001 . Slow ramps, light springs, make good reliability and good valve control at high rpm. PAC1218 and TFS30602001 are good to 800rwhp turbocharged in daily drivers there is no need for more spring or cam until perhaps 1k+rwhp applications.


Thats all I can think of off the top of my head rn

here is video of my first ls engine cam swap experience(I've done 9999 sbc/sr/rb/2j/3s/etc... cam swaps but never an ls before this)


note1
Oil pump pickup O-ring replacement in additional service is recommended for high mileage engines 150k+ miles. The old o-ring seals are known to get old and damaged some how. During this service, buy additional pickup hold-down attachment (aftermarket Oil Pickup extra clamp part with bolt is a common upgrade).
B. Also, BEFORE cam swap, you should check the engine's oil pressure at the back of the block behind the intake manifold(or similar suitable location near the back of the cam after the barbel if possible) and write down the oil pressure cold and hot. and take a video of the mechanical oil pressure gauge cold and hot. Before doing the cam swap to compare with after the cam swap to ensure its been done without blocking the oil flow or changing oil flow somewhere downstream. Many items such as lifters and rockers pushrods contribute to oil flow conditions, also the position of the cam over the journals and load direction of the cam during use, proper breakin of the cam (not the lobes, other things) will influence the oil pressure somehow sometimes in some engines. The common LS 02-07 oil pressure for 4.8-6L displacements OEM oil pump style new is usually about 54psi highway cruise 2500rpm, 35psi mildcam-fast idle 650rpm 5w-30.
Oil pressure video after cam swap as well in a 5.3L 02' engine

 

The type of modifications you are considering typically will not improve reliability. If you are concerned about reliability, leave the engine internals alone.

 

im well are of that. I probably could have worded it better but what I meant is what mods are recommended to do at the same time to maybe help reduce the reliability impact. For example, if upgrading to headers, you wanna probably upgrade cooling.

 

your awsome dude thank you !

 

Having done a stage 2 myself, I would have done heads if I were more informed back then and the biggest one is changing the clutch and rear diff to make up for the low end torque loss when just trying to drive casual. I have Long tubes, X pipe Hi flo cats and mufflers and it is very loud. When trying to drive casually from a stop in first gear is basicaly pointless now.

 

As far as Kingtalon's recommendations, all good, except I'll add 1 thing to "M" (?). Regarding the cam plate at the front of the engine, I went with the German Mahle plate. Why? Because they still make the plate that's like the original, which is compatible with the 4 OEM hex head cap screws. Most (all) new GM plates now use flat head cap screws. They can be a real bear to remove. Don't ask!!

 

Definitely don’t skimp on lifters, and highly recommend having heads ported. You have a pretty potent cam for a driver so helping the airflow is a perfect compliment. You can add headers, intake later with ease. But, pulling the heads later is a PIA.

Think about replacing the knock sensors since you’ll have access.

Buy a set of picks and spring clamp pliers for removing hoses. Saved me headaches.

Go on summit and buy their best:
Pushrod measuring tool
Balancer puller
Balancer installer - cheap out and regret it…
Summit SFI balancer
ARP crank bolt
Assembly lube

Amazon has good sets of thread chasers. You’ll need those, but never force them. Be patient. Never use taps or dies. Thread chasers clean and straighten threads, whereas dies remove material.

Make sure to have an inch pound torque wrench, low range 3/8” torque wrench, 150lb 1/2” torque wrench, and line up an auto parts store to rent a 250lb torque wrench. You’ll need a complete set of torque specs, and diagrams for torquing heads, intake etc.

Now would be a good time to replace your belts, pulleys, and tensioners.

Since you’ll be removing the radiator, you will have easy access to thoroughly clean the radiator and condenser fins.

Have various bungy cords and 3/4” pvc on hand to create engine bay hangers for things like the power steering pump, ecbm, etc.

Take a LOT of pictures and label everything! This saves a lot of headaches later.

Watch videos and then watch them again. One of the most frustrating jobs is removing and reinstalling the hoses and wire attachments on the back of the intake manifold. Learn as much as you can.

Get a few “green” scotchbrite pads and wd40 for cleaning the carbon off the pistons. Be very cautious when removing the head gasket remnants. You can use a razor blade, but ONLY PULL IT ! Pushing the edge will gouge the aluminum. Clean until surfaces are smooth, but there may be dark spots remaining, but don’t worry about those.

Remember you are working with aluminum, so adhere to all torque specs!

If you need more info, screenshots, diagrams, pm me.

 

Old post…Easy way to remove steering rack

Good day in the shop. Got the rack and balancer out, but did have a power steering fluid shampoo in the process. With the rack on the floor I was able to get a socket on the stuck pump fitting and it came out fine. No damage to the threads. Whew!

That out of the way, the rack slid right out. I rolled it about 90°, moved it about 1 1/2 feet to the passenger side, then pivoted the other end toward the front of the car and it went out with no interference.

Leaning over the DS fender



Used the OEM Puller on the balancer and the Summit crank brace to get that bad boy on the ground. The crank brace worked like a charm, but I had to grind the sides of one of the stems to fit through the balancer.


The summit brace is a must.

Heres the puller I used…

 

To add to the vette4fl razor blade recommendation, if you do use steel blades, be sure to use NEW blades. Ones that bounce around in a toolbox drawer may have burrs on them, and could score and gouge the surfaces. Jegs and Summit sell plastic blades that won't gouge aluminum. FWIW

 

If…When I pull the heads next time I am definitely going to try the plastic blades.