I picked my motor up at the machine shop yesterday but I already have some concerns. Let me start by saying that the machinist came highly recommended by members of this board and others and is a long time buick builder and racer. The first thing is the cam bearings. I guess I was relying too much on this guys expertise and never really discussed this with him. I just assumed (I know, I know) that he would use the grooved bearings but he used stock ones with holes at 9 oclock. He said that this is all he's ever done and never had a problem! The other thing is that the front cam bearing is marked up. It has noticable ridges in it that you can feel probably from when he test fit the cam. This is really bad right? This should be replaced right? I'm sure he would change the bearings for me (after much debate and not for free) but it took him for ever to do the work thus far. I didn't care because I wasn't in a hurry but now if I'm going to finish the car in time for the bpg nats I can't afford a costly delay. I guess what I'm asking is do you think I could reinstall them myself and if so where can I buy the tool? I've built a few motors but all chevies and I've never done cam bearings but if I can do it myself it would save me a lot of time and headaches. One last issue is that the rear main bearing oil holes do not line up. Can I just remove the bearing and modify the hole in it or do I need to modify the hole in the block? I've spent a lot of time researching and there are a lot of differing opinions out there on cam bearings, clearences ect, ect. Its begining to give me a headache. Who should I listen to? If you can't tell, this is really getting me down.
If you change the cam bearings and such yourself and this motor comes apart is he still going to warranty or stand behind his er your work? Maybe one of our pro Buick motor builders that frequent this board can give you some pros cons or good insight.
Don't touch the bearings yourself. The tool alone would cost too much IMHO. I also doubt the bearing is damaged (meaning unusable) as you describe it from an experienced builder. I would assume you got a standard rebuild, if you wanted higher performance, you needed to tell the guy what you were after. o No:
Keep your chin up! You've not assembled it yet! Don't assemble until your absolutely happy with the work. Be patient. Did you pay him with a credit card? You could dispute the charge with your CC company and hold the machinist hostage - a typical scam in my family until we get our way. Can that marked bearing be cleaned up with a towel-buffing?
Don't worry about the cam bearing. Take some steel wool or a file and take out the high spots. Thats all that should matter. If the oil holes do not line up, that would be the fault of the Bearing Manufacturer, not the machinist. If you take block back to the machinist he will probably just polish the beariing wiht some steel wool. I would definatly give him a call and voice your concerns though. :beer Joe
Mike, Main Bearing hole misalignment is corrected by enlarging the hole in the block. Obviously, this must be done before the block is machined and cleaned. I wouldn't worry about it. I would get the proper cam bearings from TA performance and have the machine shop install them. Make sure the cam to cam bearing clearance is right. Some cams have to be polished down because the journals are on the big side of the specs. Maybe this is why the original cam bearings got nicked up. Take your time, better late than sorry. Good luck.
Re: Don't touch the bearings yourself. No, he knew what I was after. We've had many conversations about the results I want from this motor. He just seems to believe that the stock cam bearings are fine for a 12 second street motor but I'm not comfortable with this and I guess I should have paid more attention to this and demanded he do it my way. If I can get him to call me back (communication isn't his strong point) maybe I can take it back and he could change them while I wait. I don't know, I guess time will tell. I just want everything to be right. What about the oil holes in the main bearing? Any thoughts? Thanks
you can fix the oil holes in the mains ,just put your new bearings in the block out line the hole with a marker take a carbid porting tip and grind the hole to match your marks its ok if you go a little bigger than the marks .. use the grooved cam bearings from TA there the best..:grin:
I'm running an old Lunati SP-4(540-550 lift 253-266 duration @ .050) camshaft. The compression is about 12:1. Not exactly pump gas friendly :grin: but still streetable.
there can be cam tunnel issues with the 455. I experienced it myself. The problem i saw was on my block the front bearing would actually fit too tight and cause the cam too fit waaay too tight. I have been told that the stock bearings are softer than the grooved ones and will conform a little. Maybe that is why he uses them. But if you aren't comfortable with those then definitely work it out before any assembly. I am pretty sure that my new motor has some grooved and some plain stockers both because of tunnel issues. It has been assembled by JW and he took great pains to make sure that it would not eat the bearings. And it worked, no cam bearing damage at all after dyno runs and he did take it apart and inspect them. Brian
I ordered the grooved bearings from TA today and found a shop close to my house that said they would put them while I wait. He's a Chevy guy but I figure if I walk him through it things should be fine. The other shop did tell me that the front bearing was a little tight but he said it would be OK. So Jim Weise mixes bearings? Now I'm getting really confused. Man, I wish I had a Jim Weise here to take care of this. Like I said, this new shop does mostly Chevies but maybe he can help me sort this out. Boy, when I was building Chevies I would just through them together and beat the hell out of them but, I'm still glad I have a Buick.
Yep, Jim has a bag of tricks deeper than Santa Clause when it comes to building these engines. The problem with sharing them here is that they all inter-relate when putting an engine together. If you check his website, he actually made a tool for checking the amount of torque required to turn the cam in the bearings. His engines are detailed right down to the knats a$$. There is reason why my engine invoice is two and a half pages long:eek2: There are a ton of variables to consider. If you get most of them covered, you will likely be just fine. If you are not comfortable with that notion, Tri-Shield is just a phone call away. It means you have to write a big check, and get in line, but for my wants it was the only option. I wanted to have it done exactly right the first time. Then have it backed by someone with a reputation for honesty and standing behind his work. When you consider all of that, the price isn't so high anymore.
I haven't seen my invoice yet, but i bet it is at least a two pager! You got that right , Brent. When you add up the honesty and his awesome attention to every last detail, it is worth the money and wait. Jim still has my engine because as he says, " it's not leaving until I am 100% sure it is right". You won't find that too often. Most shops will send their work back as long as it is "good enough". JW doesn't work that way and that is why he has the rep for being one of the best. I know when mine comes back, I will not have to worry about it giving me trouble since it will really be a street motor. Should be good for a long time. Brian
Just in case you're wondering about the cam tool.... http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/pro_...&group_ID=1584&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog I own one, i guess theres no sense in getting one unless you plan on messing with cam bearings a lot....which i do.
Thanks guys! I went straight to the source and e-mailed Jim. He pretty much set me straight except for what to do if a cam bearing is too tight. I know he's a busy man and I'm sure he'll be in touch when he has a chance. Happy holidays all!
Jim W. would have to answer that one. He told me what he did, but I don't remember what it was. I had a really nasty cam bearing problem (and a whole lot of other problems!), and needed professional help to straighten out the mess! I stopped fooling around and got a hold of Jim and asked him if he could help me out. He is almost finished with it and so many things were done wrong from my local machine shop that it ended up being a nightmare! There were so many things we had to go over, so I don't remember what he did to fix the cam bearing issue. I do know it was not a simple task! Apparently 455 Buicks sometimes have cam tunnel issues that don't really rear their ugly head until you start modifying the motor. I have learned a great deal from everyone, especially Jim Weise on what it takes to make BBB's run hard and live a long life. I greatly appreciate all the help I have recieved from this board! If I find out what the fix was, i will let you know. Brian
