Beef97

Yep I'd be interested in seeing that also.

RogerRamjet21

Anyone with the instructions care to post them for us?

orripid

I have a ton of step by step photos I made when doing my cam swap. I can post them online and give you the link. Super easy to follow with my photos and all my Google docs on torque specs and specific info on each section. You will be a pro with these instructions.

Bigpoop

YES please post link !!!

OregonMike

Thanks in advance orripid

orripid

I will get this ready over the weekend

zrultima

interested following

JayzBentC6

orripid

I decided I will post it all on a website this week. Give me 5 days, Im super busy with work right now,
I will put all my google doc notes up there and all step by step pictures and instructions, including the best tools and pullers to get for pulling the balancer and the crank sprocket, al tools were purchased from amazon

Dutch08

ds_nuts_450

hey I'm looking to do a cam install myself first time doing it it a 2008 base corvette can you help me out with some directions

black.z51.c6

C6 Cam Install



This has been a long time coming. Not enough people try to swap a cam on their own.. A cam swap is not difficult, it can get frustrating at times, but the savings of $800-$1,500 should be enough to calm yourself down. I’ve swapped many cams in C5’s, this was my first C6. At least 80% of the job is the same, there were a few minor obstacles I ran into, but reading this first, you shouldn’t. I did my best to use as many non-specialty tools as I could to help out the DIY’ers. Even though I had most of them, I still used other proven methods. My car is a manual 6.



I will be sure to update these instructions as I do more swaps, as I said, this was my first C6 swap and I wrote this from memory.

This is the way I swapped my cam, some others might do it in a different order, but all the same parts have to be removed no matter how you do it. I’m not claiming my way is the best or worst, but it’s a way….



Ok, the first thing we need are tools:

This is what I used (again, I usually use more, but wanted to go as light as possible)



Sockets sized from 8mm to 19 mm ½ 3/8 and ¼ with ratchets and extensions

Metric open end wrenches, gear wrenches are better. Again 8-19mm

t45 Torx bit

Torque wrench good up to 37 lb/ft

8 mm Allen wrench

Long breaker bar

Pulley remover

Pliers

Screwdrivers

24 mm socket

Valve Spring removal tool

Pulley installer/threaded rod

16 pen magnets, 16 clothes pins

Camshaft, springs, balancer bolt, gaskets, push rods.





The night before the install I put my car up on 2X12’s. 5 on each side, I prefer it to jack stands. No real reason, other than I feel safer. You will have to remove one of your tires later so don’t put your jack away. I also placed an old cardboard dishwasher box under the car since I knew I would be spilling coolant and power steering fluid. The reason I did this the night before is so that I knew I’d have the entire next day if needed.



[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/7b4a50b6-ce89-4518-a78c-ad9154631ddf[/img]





First and always first is to disconnect the battery (10mm)

On the passenger side on the bottom of the radiator there is a drain plug, place your bucket underneath it and remove the plug with a pair of pliers. I let it drain overnight, but you can simply continue to work if you did not set up the night before, either way is fine.



Now remove your Air intake system, whether it’s stock, Vararam, Honker, etc. It all needs to come out, every single part of it. Place the intake the furthest point away from the car you can, it will go back in the car last, this way you can keep the parts in order for reassembly. As you remove parts line then up next to the intake in the order they were removed.



Now remove the throttle body 4 10mm bolts.



Remove the 4 10 mm bolts that hold down the radiator and cover. They are on each side of the car. Place the bolts in a plastic cup and label it accordingly. I have done many cam swaps and I always lose bolts, I used this cup method and this was the first ever swap I did where I had all the bolts. Its sounds antiquated and rudimentary, but it works.



Next you have to get the radiator shroud out or there, there are several screws and clips under the car to deal with. When you have the shroud ready to be removed, be sure to unplug the temperature sensor first, it is located on the passenger side near the bottom.

[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/4c598617-b0ea-45f3-abd5-a93bb6f2d59d[/img]

With the shroud removed you are now ready to remove the radiator. First find all the hoses that run from it to the engine. Disconnect from the engine, leaving the hoses attached to the radiator. There are also a couple of wire holders that have to be opened; some wiring is attached to the radiator for support. After you disconnect the wire holders, unclip the large fan plug that attached to the radiator. Now your radiator should be ready to be removed. Before removal, you will have to un-attach the radiator from the condenser. Be careful with the condenser, it is expensive to replace, it is connected to the car with an aluminum hose, do not disconnect or bend it in any way. The condenser sits on the radiator with 4 little hooks; you should be able to simply slide the condensers up a couple of inches, out of the hooks. Once the condenser is detached, carefully remove the radiator.



Now remove the throttle body 4 10mm bolts.





[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/9c938a82-b8f7-48e4-8f02-c0ba1ea1a586[/img]

Look at all that room to work! It’s only going to get larger.

Notice the wire ties on each side of the condenser; they are holding it as far away from the motor and as high as possible. There is just enough room to slip the cam out. But that won’t be for a while….



Now remove both belts, Accessory and AC. You will use a 15mm wrench for this.



There are still 2 hoses connected to the water pump, take them off. Coolant will spill out of the pump.



Remove the water pump, it is held on by 6 10 mm bolts. Again, coolant will spill out. If you are replacing the thermostat, now is a good time.



It’s time to remove the alternator so we can get to the power steering bracket. First unplug it, then use a 13mm wrench to remove the wire from the back. Now using a 15 mm wrench remove the 2 remaining bolts holding it on. Once you remove the bolts, the alternator will slide out.



Now for your first pain in the *** task, removing the power steering bolts. Some are easy to remove, but 2 of them are tricky and one of those 2 is a complete pain in the ***. The bolts are all 15 mm. You will see when you try to remove it what I am talking about but one of the bolts can only be turned about a quarter turn at a time. It may take you 15 minutes to remove the pump, don’t get discouraged. Once you have the pump fully disconnected you must either find a buddy to hold it, or tie it up in the air for a few minutes while you continue.

Now go below the car and find the 2 10 mm bolts that hold the power steering cooler to the crossmember, remove them. You will also find a wire connector attached to the line, remove it as well.

Now go back up top and using a 13 mm wrench disconnect the steering linkage from the gearbox, there is a boot covering it, push the boot up and remove the bolt. After the bolt is removed, grab the linkage and push it back towards the firewall to dislodge it from the steering box.

Next, using an 18 mm (flare) wrench disconnect the power steering lines from the rack (pictured below) if you do not have flare wrenches, standard ones work too just be careful not to strip the nuts. They are very tight and space is limited, I put on a glove because when the nut breaks looks you will bang your knuckles. Pull the lines out of the rack. Fluid will begin spilling so its time to work quickly.



(Pic shows steering box, 2 power steering lines in rack, and steering linkage. Notice the power steering pump still in the way.)



[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/7f30dff7-9347-4a4a-aa57-42d24b5c4f7b[/img]



Ok, now this is where I got a little pissed off. In the C5, the power steering lines were simply fished under the rack. In the C6 they were under the rack and also mingled behind some of the break lines, it took a few minutes to untangle them to get the pump completely out. I’m not sure if this is normal, or the factory somehow goofed it up. Hopefully someone will chime in and let me know if they cam across the same predicament. At any rate, carefully remove the pump, cooler and lines, they are all attached together. Be sure to get a good look at how it was in there because you will forget. For the record, when I reinstalled my pump, I put the lines back in like they are on the C5, not the way I found them.



Next remove the 2 end links, you must use an 18 mm wrench and a t45 torx bit.

[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/e991c0a7-43dc-4bb8-a12c-c58ce828b9c3[/img]



Next unbolt the tire rods from the wheel spindles, use the same 18 mm wrench and t45 torx bit. It is easier to remove the wheels to take off the tie rods, but I did not, it is up to you.









Now unbolt the sway bar 4 13mm bolts

[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/949d956b-e863-4e53-9bcb-a41d84a7ea05[/img]



Next, you must remove the passenger side tire. Remove the 2 remaining 18 mm bolts holding the rack in place, they are on each side of the rack bolted to the crossmember. You have to hold the bolt while you remove the nut or it will spin. The bolt on the driver’s side is a bit tricky to get to. Loosen and remove both bolts. Next, just to make things easier unbolt the ABS control block from below, 2 10 mm bolts. Now the rack is ready to move. Pull the rack up a bit just to unseat it, then move it a few inches towards the passenger side until you have enough room for the steering box to clear the ABS stuff and rotate the entire assembly ½ turn. More fluid will spill out of it. Now you should be able to lift up the drivers side of the rack and guide the passengers side out of the wheel well. Keep in mind the only reason for moving the rack is to get to the balancer. You can completely remove if it you want but I just move it enough so I’m able to remove the balancer pulley.

[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/2f8d5d1f-ffa3-44e1-ab67-0e1144873ee8[/img]



Notice the rack is still there, I’ll just continue to work around it.

[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/fc09f750-2582-4ea8-b91b-879ff09114bf[/img]

It may take you a while to move the rack; it takes some practice to know just how to move it.

At this point, it’s a good time to do some clean up, nothing else will be spilling. Wipe off the coolant and power steering fluid that is probably on a bunch of engine parts.



It only gets easier from here….



Now we need to remove the balancer but first we have to make sure the motor cannot spin. Hopefully you have a 6 speed car, put the car in 4th and put on the parking break as tight as possible.



If your car is an auto you will have to remove the starter and stick a screwdriver in the flywheel so it cannot turn.



Now using a 15/16 socket or 24 mm and the largest pry baryou can find, loosen the crank bolt. It’s very tight but it will come loose.



Next, using your pulley remover, remove the pulley

[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/01074ed6-3594-4f8b-9a23-38f0eec279ba[/img]

Once the pulley is completely removed, unplug and remove the cam sensor 2 10 mm bolts.



Now it’s time for the real fun, we’re almost there…remove the 10 mm bolts holding on the timing cover, there are 10 of them and 2 are located under the oil pan.



Now pry off the timing cover……PAYDIRT!

[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/a7771bf8-6a89-45f6-bf13-4dff0ba0fa8d[/img]



Almost cam swap time! Remove the 3 10 mm bolts in the cam sprocket, let the chain fall on to the plastic damper (damper was not on C5). Put the cam bolts back in the cam and thread them in a few turns

Remove the oil pump bolts 10 mm, one is located below the pickup tube. Now slide the oil pump off and remove the damper 2 13 mm bolts. Now you can take the chain off.



Time to go back up top.

Disconnect all of the spark plugs.

Remove the coil packs 5 10 mm bolts on each side.

Now remove the valve covers 4 8 mm bolts each.

Remove all 16 rockers 8 mm bolts.

Pull out all 16 pushrods.

Now it should look like this

[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/fe2513a3-1293-40dd-8108-2f40e5a6c7cf[/img]



Now the tough part, swapping the cam itself. Before we can remove the old cam we must make sure the lifters do not fall down into the pan. Since they ride on the cam, once it’s pulled out they want to fall. Thunder Racing makes a (JPR) tool to insert into the block that will hold up the lifters, others have used 5/16 inch rod or tubing. I usually use the tool from Thunder, but today, I’ll use the pen magnet method.

First I went to Harbor Freight and bought 16 pen magnets, they were $1.99 each.

I inserted each of them into the push rod holes until I heard them snap on to the lifters. After they were all attached to the lifters I spun the cam by hand using the bolts that are sticking out if it very quickly so all of the lifters would be pushed up. Then using clothes pins, I secures each magnet in place. I’ve never used this method before, but it works. After all the clothes pins are in place, spin the cam again to make sure none of the magnets move, if they do, adjust the clothes pins accordingly. When you are sure all of the lifters are high enough and not touching the cam move on.

[img]blob:https://www.corvetteforum.com/fea2dff5-cc6a-45f1-a204-c27977c1e4c5[/img]



Now, all that is holding the cam in there is that plastic retainer late, remove, it is held on by 4 10 mm bolts.

Now…Very carefully remove the cam. Do it slowly, you will have to slowly rotate it a little bit to get it out, it may take a minute or two, but it will come out. Now swap the bolts into your new cam so you have something to grip and slowly insert it, carefully turning it, the further you get it in the more difficult it becomes to insert, be patient, it will go in. The cam is in, big relief. It’s all downhill from here. Reinstall the retainer plate using loctite and torquing the bolts to 18 lbft. Take the magnets and clothes pins out and put them aside.



Now we can reinstall the timing chain. This is the most important part of the swap, goof this part up and its all over.



First thing you want to do is spin the crank so the timing dot is at 12:00. You can put the pulley bolt back in to do this. (Remember to take the car out of gear)

Now put the cam sprocket back on, it only goes on one way, and finger tighten one bolt. Now place the timing mark on the cam sprocket to 6:00 and remove the sprocket. Now put the chain on the bottom sprocket, line up the cam sprocket dot to 6:00 again with the chain on it, and try to install it on to the cam, remember, the sprocket only goes on one way, you have to make sure you line up the bolt holes and the pin sticking out of it. It may take a couple of tries, but the bottom line is that you want to make sure when you bolt the cam sprocket on permanently the dots should be lined up perfectly. If it takes you ½ hour deal with it, don’t get frustrated. When they are lined up perfectly, find a friend to verify that they are. Next spin the crank 2 full turns so that the dots line up again, and again, make 100% certain that they are. If you are sure than move on.



Next, it’s time to replace the valve springs. You will need a special too to do this, since the tool will come with instructions, no need for me to show you J



After the valve springs have been replaced, insert the pushrods, lay the girdle under the rockers and install the rockers. Use loctite and torque them to 22 lbft. After all 16 are installed again do 2 full rotations on the crank to make sure no valves are hitting the pistons. It will be more difficult to turn but not impossible. If you cannot turn it, check your timing marks.



Reinstall the valve covers and coil packs.



Now your are sure that your valve timing is perfect, remove the cam bolts one at a time and reinstall then using loctite and torquing them to 26 lbft.



Next, install the plastic damper.



Now slip the oil pump back on, it only fits on one way so you may have to spin the gear in it to get it to line up with the notches on the crank. Remember to place the tube from the pickup tube back into it, be careful not to damage or kink the o-ring.

Tighten the bolts to 18 lbft using loctite.



Find your timing cover. Turn it upside down and using a screw driver push the seal out of it. You should be able to firmly press the new seal in by hand.



One the bottom corners of the cover you will see some white goop, rub it off, you want the bottom as clean as possible for the install. Now apply red RTV sealant across the bottom of the cover, focusing on the corners, that is where they tend to leak the most. Do not over do it. Now put the timing cover back and finger tighten all 10 bolts, do not tighten completely. For some swaps I only put RTV on the corners, but after one leaked, I do the entire bottom.



Reinstall the cam sensor and plug it in.



Put you pulley back on the snout and using a pulley installer or a piece of threaded rod, install the pulley, make sure it is all of the way on, the end will not be flush with the crank, bit it will be close. Now the timing cover should be perfectly centered so it is the time to tighten all of the timing cover bolts to 18 lbft with loctite. Remember 2 of then are on the bottom. Once the cover is installed put a lot of loctite on the new pulley bolt and thread it in. The proper way to stretch the bolt is to torque it to 37 lbft then turn it ad additional 140 degrees…Good Luck. I just tighten the damn thing as much as possible using the breaker bar again. (remember to put your car back in gear or lock the flywheel)



Now just reinstall everything in the opposite order.

Steering Rack 74lbft (It will take some time to get it back into place)

ABS control Block 24 lbft

Tie Rod Ends 35 lbft

Sway Bar Ends 53 lbft

Sway Bar 43 lbft

Power Steering Pump, thread one bolt in just to hold it in place, remember to fish the lines the same way you removed them. Also, check to make sure the o-rings did not fall off of the lines. It will be a PITA to get the lines threaded into the rack, be patient. Also do one at a time, you can only turn one while the other is disconnected, the one closest to the drivers side fender. Reinstall all 4 power steering pump bolts and tighten, remember, one of these bolts is a pain.

Now install the steering linkage back into the steering box, loctite and torque the bolt to 25 lbft.

Install the alternator, plug it in and attach the red wire to the back of it.

Install the water pump tighten the bolts twice using loctite to 11 lbft and then 22 lbft. Reconnect the hoses to it.

Reinstall both belts (15 mm wrench)

Drop in the radiator, making sure the hoses are routed the correct way and be sure to attach the wiring harness that plugs in to it as well as the wire that it routed to it.

Slip the condenser back into it.

Install the radiator shroud remembering to plug in the temperature sensor.

Install the radiator cover

Reinstall the throttle body; connect the connections and your air intake.

Add some Dexcool and power steering fluid

Make sure your spark plug wires are attached.

Now look around to make sure you didn’t forget anything, or forget to connect anything, look everywhere. If you have any extra bolts try to figure out where they are from.

Reconnect eh battery, and fire it up. Watch your oil pressure, is it does not immediately go up to 40 psi something is wrong and shut it down.

When you first start it the engine will be noisy as hell until the lifters fill up with oil and it circulated everywhere. As it heats up things will begin to smoke until all the oil/fluid and coolant is burned off.

Let it idle for a while checking the coolant level and adding as necessary.

When you are sure the coolant is circulating take it for a spin.

It may want to die at idle, this is normal and why you will need a tune.

black.z51.c6

I have a few pdf files about cam swaps on c6’s. Email me at providence403@yahoo.com and i will send what i have over. Put c6 cam in subject