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Anyone willing to help me with my cam install on my T/A?

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Old 02-08-2009, 01:33 AM
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Default Anyone willing to help me with my cam install on my T/A?

As the title says, I am looking for any of you guys to help me with my cam install. I had my good friend helping me out with it originally and now he seems to be backing out on me and is leaving me with it. My car is off insurance until mid-March but it needs to be done before then, plus I want to be able to move it in and out of my garage if needed, and right now I can't with the belts off and radiatior out. I just simply do not have the tools and more importantly the knowledge to finish it myself.

So far the only progress I have made is draining the coolant, taking the radiator out, taking MAF off, and started to take the coilpacks off. The cam package I bought is the MS3 cam with dual springs and pushrods.

So please someone post up and help me out! I am located in Saylorsburg, PA 18353. I do not have a way of moving the car to another location, I do not have a tow vehicle or trailer, it is able to be done at my location though.


So PLEASE someone post up and help a fellow LS1 owner out!
Old 02-08-2009, 05:06 AM
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start learning. you lack tools and own a car?
Old 02-08-2009, 08:17 AM
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The only special tool I think you probably are going to need is a valve spring compressor if I can remember right everything is else is just basic tools.
Old 02-08-2009, 08:25 AM
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where is saylorsburg?
Old 02-08-2009, 08:29 AM
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Originally Posted by RamAir02TA77
The only special tool I think you probably are going to need is a valve spring compressor if I can remember right everything is else is just basic tools.
he'll need a crank pully puller as well.
my advise would be to do some reading and have at it. its not difficult. the hardest part will be to change the oil pump if your going to do that...if not, than its pretty straight forward. i wish i could help ya but your kinda far for me to drive and my wife allready gives me **** for being in the garage too much. we're all here to answer questions though if you get stuck along the way. good luck.
Old 02-08-2009, 09:19 AM
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Thanks guys, I do have the entire how-to from ls1howto printed out and sitting next to the car. I'd just feel a hell of alot more comfortable with someone who truely knows what they are doing there too.
Old 02-08-2009, 09:20 AM
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Originally Posted by SSdreamz
where is saylorsburg?
Saylorsburg is located up in the Pocono Mts. I believe I am a good 2-2 1/2 hours from York.
Old 02-08-2009, 09:28 AM
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If your looking for a shop to do it i have a trailer and will pick it up. Let me know.
Old 02-08-2009, 10:46 AM
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It's not that hard man, it's just intimidating. I purchased, rented, borrowed any tools i didn't have. Before starting I had no automotive knowledge past changing my own oil. Follow each step to the T and you'll be ok.
Old 02-08-2009, 02:48 PM
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The title should read - Someone want to put my Cam in for free while I supervise.
Old 02-08-2009, 03:44 PM
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Originally Posted by slowhawk
the title should read - someone want to put my cam in for free while i supervise.:d

lol :d
Old 02-08-2009, 04:08 PM
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Dude, if you dont know how to get the belts and radiator out how are you going to work on the valve springs, prevent lifters from dropping, install the cam stuff without advancing it and all of that?

Spend the few extra hundred bucks to have a shop do it so your not buying a motor because it is very possible to notch your pistons and bend your valvetrain. If you dont have the cash then wait....your asking for trouble man.
Old 02-08-2009, 04:29 PM
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HE IS ASKING FOR HELP!!!! NOT FOR EVERYONE TO SAY DO IT YOUR SELF.

[QUOTE=Joe "Preachers Sheets" DIESO;11011494]Dude, if you dont know how to get the belts and radiator out how are you going to work on the valve springs, prevent lifters from dropping, install the cam stuff without advancing it and all of that?QUOTE]

HENCE THIS THREAD!!
Old 02-08-2009, 05:02 PM
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Originally Posted by twokss
HE IS ASKING FOR HELP!!!! NOT FOR EVERYONE TO SAY DO IT YOUR SELF.

Originally Posted by Joe "Preachers Sheets" DIESO
Dude, if you dont know how to get the belts and radiator out how are you going to work on the valve springs, prevent lifters from dropping, install the cam stuff without advancing it and all of that?
HENCE THIS THREAD!!

OMG I LOVE CAPS! Seriously though, these guys are giving him real direction. While we would all love to have a bunch a friends come over and help install a cam or something, some times it just isn't possible. If you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, put it back together and have a shop do it. Besides the years of experience that any of the vendors have, they stand behind their work. You can easily drop a lifter, or have PtoV issues. GL trying to get cash from some random person you meet on a web forum for any sort of damage to your engine. If you think cam install prices are bad, wait till you see how much a new motor + install will be.

Not that i recommend it, but some shops even finance...

I still think you can do it yourself, have confidence. Despite the jokes i got from friends that saw my car in pieces, i was able to put it back together better than new..
Old 02-08-2009, 06:37 PM
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Unfortunately I am not local, but I would help if I could.

What I can say is get some aluminum dowel rods, that tech article should tell your the correct dia. cut about 1/4 of the length off and sharpen the cut end, the rod should be approx the length of the block and some extra to pull it out, that will ensure the lifters staying in place.

Depending on milage and year, I did not do the oil pump or timing chain, lining the cam sprocket with the cam dowel was a pain.

You should do a new crank seal.

I used a threaded rod with the correct thread for the crank snout so I could get the hub on w/o resorting to using the crank bolt and breaking it off in the snout.

Get a tool that ill pressurize your cyl so the valves wont drop, I didnt do the seals due to milage so it went pretty mint.

That should help yea a bit.
Old 02-08-2009, 07:25 PM
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Originally Posted by BlackScreaminMachine
Unfortunately I am not local, but I would help if I could.

What I can say is get some aluminum dowel rods, that tech article should tell your the correct dia. cut about 1/4 of the length off and sharpen the cut end, the rod should be approx the length of the block and some extra to pull it out, that will ensure the lifters staying in place.

Depending on milage and year, I did not do the oil pump or timing chain, lining the cam sprocket with the cam dowel was a pain.

You should do a new crank seal.

I used a threaded rod with the correct thread for the crank snout so I could get the hub on w/o resorting to using the crank bolt and breaking it off in the snout.

Get a tool that ill pressurize your cyl so the valves wont drop, I didnt do the seals due to milage so it went pretty mint.

That should help yea a bit.
I bought the tool to pressurize the cyl and it worked great for the front ones but the back ones sucked so I did the TDC method, If I had to do it again I would do the TDC method from the start unless you are doing headers at the same time which would make it easier. I bought the tim's tool for the springs and I rented the puller from autozone and I made my own balancer install tool with threaded rod. I take it you have a DD to drive right now? Who is going to tune your car after the install?
Old 02-08-2009, 07:26 PM
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ide come pick it up and finish it the way he has it now... i dont think i charge all that much for a cam and valve spring install.
Old 02-08-2009, 07:26 PM
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Thanks for the help everyone! I am not looking for a handout at all, i'd just be alot more comfortable with someone there who has done cam swaps before. I think im going to look into doing it myself and just renting or borrowing tools I don't have.



Still, any help is greatly appreciated!
Old 02-08-2009, 07:48 PM
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My post was just a joke going by what I was reading.
But seriously,if you don't feel comfortable in the long run it's worth the little $$ to have an experianced shop do it. We've had alot of people come in with Cams they did.Alot of times they are done right but there are alot that are done wrong.From misc. oil leaks, to incorrect pushrod length to even Cams put in wrong which lead to valve failure/blown motor.




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