Does anyone make a template to drill your LS1 LS6 block to install a chain dampner ? Not that I have found and trust me I have worn google out .....guess necessity is the mother of invention

( pay no attention to the holes already in the block ....thats how I reverse engineered the template )

 

yes I know there is the Trick Flow adapter thingy....but I did not want to use that....I have searched for a long time and have never found anyone who makes a template...I have a 2000 block I want to install a dampner on....the block shown here is on off my 2002 car
Reverse engineering this was a real pain...I dont own a 3D printer so I had to pay $$$$ for a big pile of plastic mistakes

 

Just curious....how much money do you have wrapped up in your plastic plate there?

 

Now that you've obtained a template, why not dimension it, or pay a shop to dimension it, and start making them? I'll bet you could at least recoup your investment, and maybe even make a few $$$

 

I have really lost track of how much I have spent on 3D printing ....some mistakes were of my own doing ...others were in the difficulties in getting the hole locations just right....being off by .100 does make a difference....being off means a bolt wont go in the template hole....times that by 4 bolt holes
the top holes as you can see are referenced off the middle cam plate bolts...the dampner holes are not equal distant and the left hole is not level with the right
its nice in finally using my CAD degree for something useful

 

I have thought of that....I have not pulled the engine out of my car to test my proof of concept yet....but will soon as I am doing a host of upgrades that require the engine to be out
I have settled in the final dimensions ...I designed it in Solidworks
I have also thought of having the templates 3D metal printed ....but have not contacted any printers yet for price....and of course...I put this out to the world and china copies undercut me by 50%

My research involved many postings here on the Vette forums....posts from long ago ....seems at one time people were very interested in how to get a chain dampner on blocks without the holes

 

Seems like the easiest path would be to buy the bracket version like Melling sells for $45 and a $13 set of transfer punches from Harbor Freight(if you do it on the cheap). Bolt on the bracket, and find the appropriate transfer punch for the threaded through holes on the bracket. Reusable, dimensionally correct, and it's metal.

 

that bracket and the trick flow are based on the LS2 style dampner...which is more commonly available....but the LS1 and LS2 dampners have different bolt hole spacing ....and you cant drill a LS1 LS6 block for a LS2 dampner....not enough room on the block pad....interesting you mention transfer punches....I did not have a set a first ....but finally got a set...even using those it did not get me perfect hole centers....still had many revisions after using them

 

Ok, but the holes are still on the same horizontal centerline, no? So the horizontal is referenced off the cam plate bolt centers. So if you did a scan of the bracket to generate a 3D model, you would just have to move the center to center for the appropriate LS1 style damper. Else you could go old school and have a shop do an FAI. Lot's of ways to get there..

 

In the later LS1 blocks, they may be drilled for either bolt pattern. I don’t recall if it applies to 2003 and 2004, or just 2004.

Fun fact: The head bolt lengths could also be different depending on the build date of the 2004 model LS1.

 

the only holes on the same horizontal centerline are the cam plate holes ....besides the bolt hole spacing being longer with the LS2 dampner ...I dont know much about them...some have said the LS2 style is superior to the LS1 style.....why ...I don't know....I have not invested in getting a a LS2 style dampner to compare them ....my mockups are complete so I need not do anymore revisions on my current design

 

I dont know much about 03 and later blocks....I know that most ( all ? ) 02 blocks came with drilled and tapped holes.....dont know anything about 01 blocks.....seems 97-00 blocks had no holes ?

 

Yeah, you missed the point....but no biggie. If that piece of plastic works for you...that's all that matters.

 

I never said you'd get rich making and selling them. I stated to help recover some $$$ you invested. By the time China figures it out, you'd (hopefully) break even, or even make a few bucks......

 

At one time I had the dimensions. But that was a computer hard drive crash ago. I don't see them on this computer but will check another one. Its unlikely though that I'll find them. I did get them from someone on the forum but I didn't drill the block. Decided I was not going to be able to do it accurately enough with the motor still in the car.

I did get the TrickFlow bracket but wasn't thrilled with going that route. That was in 2012. The car sees ~10 HPDE's per year and there has never been any issue with the damper, bracket, chain, or anything else associated with that cam swap.

Rob

 

In hindsight...I could have designed it differently and not have had such a pile of useless plastic rejects ....but I dont think trying to copy that bracket would have gotten me faster to the final result

 

but I DO wanna get RICH ...lol....one of the reasons I got my CAD degree was not to pay someone to design my many invention ideas

I have the feeling...20+ years later since the LS engine introduction...that the ship has sailed for the need of this template....15 yrs ago I am sure people would be beating down my door and demanding I take their money so they could install a dampner....but early worn out dampner less blocks are yanked out of engine bays and replaced by LS3 or later blocks....and old blocks become beer cans

 

I found....way into my designing and after many rejected templates... here in the forums....a front of the block blueprint....the only trouble with it was that all references in that blueprint were off the camshaft and crankshaft centers...great on paper but not so great trying to get dimensions using a pair of calipers to measure bolt spacing as I was using in my reverse engineering....I first thought my block was drilled wrong since the left bolt hole for the dampner was higher then the right...and I was going to put them on the same centerline to correct that...but the blueprint showed me it was a GM thing and correct...then I found my bolt hole centers that were working ...were not exactly the same as the blueprint...but it all worked out in the end

 

Most definitely would have. PM me if you want to know how.

 

LOL I do hear you about the beer cans. BUT-NEVER say NEVER. Being from the old school, I'd never say that an all aluminum 350 V8 is no longer a desirable commodity! Most of the LS1/LS6 engines weren't scrapped or worn out. The cars they came in were either wrecked, or salt in the rust belt got 'em. The engines live on in street rods, or Fords . Those might be the exact type guys that would want a damper....