Okay Im gonna ask every question I have . What do I start with. I already have the heads off. What are the next steps in removing and replacing the the cam from start to finish from this point? If its not too much trouble. thanks, will
remove all of the following, lifters, fan, shroud, radiator, condensor, harmonic dampener, fuel pump, distributor, timing cover, oil slinger, timing chain, anything foward of the engine that may get in the way of the cam such as grille, cam, 1 thru 4 cam bearings. Install the following, new cam bearings (I sugest TA's dual back groved) you will need a tool to do this, new cam (make sure it works with you're combo) lube lobes and bottom of lifters with supplied grease and journals with oil, new lifters (DO NOT prelube them), put #1 piston at top dead center, new timing chain set, oil slinger, and the rest of the things you removed. Don't forget too pre lube the engine and get the timing as close as posable be fore you fire it up.
If you do decide to replace the cam bearings, I would talk to T/A about what you have and what you are trying too accomplish. You should have someone that has done cam bearings before really help you. Doing them in the car will make it even more of a challenge if you have not replaced them before. I am not trying to discourage you but I don't want to see you get in over your head. It always sounds easy according to the book, so to speak! Really though, a lot of this depends on what kind of cam you are going to run. If you are looking for something mild, I would reconsider messing with the cam bearings if they are in good shape. A little hotter than stock would be the way to go, it sounds like for what you want. That will keep the spring pressures down and keep you away from a lot of other mods that will be required if you start getting too crazy. I would definitely buy a primer tool for the oil pump. They are about 20 bucks and work great! If the motor only has 30k on it and was completely rebuilt CORRECTLY, I would venture to guess that the pump is putting out good pressure and you may not need to mess with it internally. By the way, why did you take the heads off in the first place, was there a problem or are you just trying to get a little more out of it? Brian
One other thing, Will. If you are going to have port work done on your heads, make DAMN sure the shop knows what they are doing. Otherwise you could end up with 2 very heavy pieces of junk! I would recommend that you let us know what city you are in so that someone here can give you some ideas on where to go. I made a BIG mistake on my choosing of machine shops originally and had to send my engine to Jim W to have him help me get it right!And it has taken about all of the tricks in Jim W's bag to get it right again. And has probably sent him to the looney farm doing it! Ask him about it, I think he can have visitors on the weekend! :grin: :grin: Brian
Lisle sells the cam bearing tool I have and use. I've even used it to change a tailshaft bushing on a t-10 in a real 66' GT 350 shelby (6S766). I love it. It was EXPENSIVE if I remember right about 300 $. Use a wheel bearing race driver (it worked for me) to install the front and rear cam bearings, it is much easier this way. Start from the back. Make sure you line up youre oil holes. Most of all take youre time !!! Think twice. Do it fast and sloppy and you will be waiting for new ones in the mail. Dont try calling GM for them.... Discontinued in the early 90's. Big Blocks have 4 the same size and 1 that is not.... Again patients and planning leads to a job well done. My hat is off for the one that did it with the motor in the car. I dont think I would have tried that "hail marry pass" unless I needed the car to drive to work in the am. Break in is paramount. Get a old house fan out to help keep youre car cool for the 20 min running it at 2 k to 2.5 k rpms. Again think twice and do it once. Maybe order 2 cam bearing sets incase you goof up... hey poo happens to the best of us. :beer
Even if you don't replace the cam bearings, Once the cam is installed (no lifters in or timing chain hooked up, you should be able to spin it with no effort at all. Jim W actually devised a tool to measure the amount of force it takes to spin the cam. If you encounter ANY friction at all, something is not right. Buicks also sometimes have alignment issues with the cam tunnel that do not appear when using the original stock cam. Also I would buy the threaded oil galley plugs from T/A or elsewhere that replace the press in ones.They are only a couple of bucks. One side is machined so that it does not resrict oil flow. You can't just put in any old plug, it has to be cut down for one side. You have to tap the holes but it is a piece of cake. No worries then about those popping out from not being staked in. I am talking about the two plugs directly behind the upper timing gear. P.S don't get metal shavings in the motor if you do this mod!
wow, steve's picture above is hair raising -- better not drop that bearing... ok, then -- lets say you get the bearing thru the lifter galley without dropping it - once there how do you get it flipped around and lined up? what about the rear-most bearing? how do you pull that one with the motor installed? are you using a std cam bearing installer to pull it into place? I've got the 455 block on the stand and the cam bearings need replacing. I'd be hard pressed to get those bearings installed from the top with the motor on the stand and the pan off, let alone with the thing installed in a rig. my read was that the motor was still installed, but heads and intake off -- so thats going to be tough with the motor installed too. those threaded plugs need to be threaded into the oil galley, i.e. shavings all over the place, brush cleaners, etc. not gonna happen with block installed. if you're going to boil the block out afterwards then no prob. ....must-have-more-info....
To remove cam bearings from the top of the engine first remove the old bearings by installing a bearing tool and a finger on the back side of the tool and tap it out keeping you're finger on the tool so you don't drop the bearing. Once the bearing is loose using you're fingers rotate the bearing 90* and pull it through the lifter valley. To install the bearings, stick a finger through the back side of the block journal. With you're other hand lower bearing through the lifter valley and hook the bearing with the finger you stuck through the bearing journal and rotate it 90* and turn it so the oil holes are clocked right. I draw a line at the 12:00 on the bearing and the bearing tool so I know it is clocked right. While holding the bearing with you're finger install the bearing tool into the bearing and tap it home. Make sure the grooves line up with the oil hole in the block. This may take some mesurements if the oil hole in the block is not centered in the journal. Remove the bearings from front to back and install from back too front. I also use a home made bearing tool. I like it better that the $200 cam bearing tool I have.
I would also say that if you have a spare block around, try this on it a few times so you're comfortable when it come time to do it in the car.
hey, i have one of those homemade bearing tools! but you're tapping vs. pulling it in via the threads on the bolts? some sort of safety wire on the bolt/puller to keep it from dropping be a good idea? looks like theres abit of flashing removed in the lifter valley openings. what about the back one, how are you getting that one out with the freeze plug installed? great photos
Well I took the heads offcause I thought I had a blown headgasket but this morning the machine shop called I had them tanked and magnafluxed there both full of cracks, One has three or four cracks in the same place in the middle of each combustion chamber. the other has like two one of witch is like 1-1/2 inches long. Im gonna try to find some 69 430 heads to put on. I have some 72 455 heads but I dont want to change lifters and other S&%T. well thanks for all the input hopefully it will go to use some time soon. thanks, will
Hey Mike, One of the first things I do when I get a block is debur the lifter valley. This will still work on block that have not been deburred. You can not remove the back one unless you remove the trany and freeze plug. I tap them in because thats the only way to do it in the car. I use two of the bearing tools. One that drives the bearing and the other sits in the journal before it too keeps things straight.
Both full of cracks? Yikes!!! I would check out the "parts for sale " section or maybe contact Tri- Shield Performance and see if they have or know of a nice set of heads already done and ready to go. Greg Gessler I hear does very nice work on heads, that is another possible source. Yeah, I wasn't really thinking about having to brush out the oil galleys when I suggested threaded plugs. You should carefully check the block deck as it may be out of tolerence. Maybe a set of "orange crush" head gaskets may be more forgiving if the surface is a little off. Definitely ask someone more knowledgeable than me before installing those gaskets! They are l little expensive. Sounds to me like you really should pull that motor and inspect the rod & main bearings. Especially if got coolant in the oil system and ran thay way. You may run into trouble down the road. I would do it for piece of mind. Brian
Will You never did post your location did you? I have a set of 69/430 heads you could have if you were close enough, although they need all the work done on them and may not be any better than what you have in the end. I'm in southern Illinois near St Louis MO. Dave Berry
