derek_silvy

Ok. I am all the way down to the cam itself.

I've got the rockers off, pushrods out, and I'm looking at the cam right now with the waterpump bolts threaded into it. In the morning, I'm going to buy some 1/4 inch brake line to slide in the oil gallery to hold the lifters up.... But, doing like LS1howto says, I spun (though I did it slowly) the camshaft to try and get the lifters to go ahead and catch in the lifter cup, and the cam started sliding back into the block. It stopped at the back of the block, but it kinda..... well kinda nothing... scared the hell out of me. Would the cam sliding back and stopping on the back of the block have caused any problems at all? Could it have let a lifter fall? Would I know it if a lifter fell out of place?

This kind of scares me, so any advice would be appreciated!

Also, does anyone forsee any problems or have any tips for sliding that brake line in to hold the lifters (assuming they are all still in place)?

Thank you

dug

iTrader: (10)

You should be ok. Never used anything to hold up the lifters other than luck.

derek_silvy

Good to here.

I'm curious... how many times have you gotten lucky without using anything to hold them up?
Have you had any times where you weren't so lucky?

dug

iTrader: (10)

Ive only done it once and I will never do it again without something holding up the lifters. I got lucky and everything was ok.

Still it was weird. With the stock cam the lifters would stay up indefinitly (overnight). After the new cam was installed, some of the lifters would not stay up at all. I thought for sure something got messed up.

As far as using a rod to hold the lifters up, I have no idea. Never done it. Ive read about people using wooden dowels to metal ones. Cant help you on that.

98Mayhem

iTrader: (18)

I use pen magnets on each lifter.

dug

iTrader: (10)

Pen magnets arent fool proof. Sometimes the magnet becomes detached and gets stuck to the lifter.

marc_w

I think I'll be using magnets this weekend.

I think the trick to using them would be to "test" them all out on a manifold (or my iron block) or something, before putting sending them into duty.

I've got one of those claw-grabby things handy too.

Lucian

iTrader: (1)

I just went to home depot and bought some 5/16 stainless steel rods. I then bent them around 18 inches and polished them up. Driver side went in like a champ while the passenger side took some patience. I had about four lifters that kept falling, so there is no way i could of played the luck game with my install.

If you use the rods, just take your time and know that it may take a little force (and a little more for the passenger side ). If you feel something in front of the rod as you are slowly sliding them in, then just spin the cam b/c there is probably a lifter in the way.

that is what i did and it worked perfectly.

Black Sunshine/ 00SS

iTrader: (1)

I use the pen magnets, with great luck. If you are worried about the ends coming off, just have someone tack weld them. There isn't a more secure way to change a cam than with the magnets. I would NEVER change one just by spinning the cam & hoping for the best.

1fastWS6

iTrader: (3)

You're fine. Without the cam gear on, there's nothing keeping the cam centered on the bearings. You just have to keep a little outward pressure on it while you spin it over. It's not going to hurt anything if it slips back though.

35th SS

iTrader: (2)

ahh the russian roullette method according to jmx ls1 how to.it works cause I just did it recently on the z28.all you do is give it a kind of jerk spin back and forth couple of times and youll feel it when all the lifters are in the cups.cam will spin freely when you spin it back and forth.if not comfortable with it go with the advice the other board members which makes you feel safe by not dropping any lifters. will be doing the 35th this way for h/c install next week.good luck.

JDPZ28

iTrader: (3)

I used the same rods on all 3 of my cam changes and it works like a champ, no worries at all!

Boostaholic

iTrader: (4)

I have used the spin and pull method, its not that bad even if you do drop a lifter down. The oil pan on our cars is not that hard to pull off, then the windage tray and the lifter will be somewhere in there.

ss rally red

iTrader: (8)

Ahhh #1 It might LOOK like the oil pan will just drop down...it wont. #2 Even if you were to fish the lifter out of there if it makes it that far, you wont be reinstalling it without pulling the head!! I have been involved in quite a few cam swaps, you dont want the lifter to fall.

derek_silvy

I have some 3/16" brake line that I put in there.... I had spun the cam some both ways already... and the line never got hung at all, it slid in easily. I put it in the little holes on each side near the cam. That is the correct location, right? I put a rod in all of the pushrod holes, and none of them moved at all except for the #7 intake. It kinda kept moving about 1/4th an inch, and then I kept spinning (with the rod in there) and it stuck and didn't move anymore.

That 3/16 inc line in those holes will keep it from falling even in it starts to come out of the cup, right?
If one falls, will I hear it?

98Mayhem

iTrader: (18)

Used the " quality " snap on pen magnets many of times with no problems.

Another_User

Use pen magnets. Glad I did...a few lifter fell a little because you could hear them, but they stuck to the magnets. My cam got stuck almost at the end too. Made me nervous at hell. I had to steo back a minute and just kind of jiggle (sort of...it was stuck solid), but eventually I moved it in a direction that let me pull it back a hair and push it all the way in. Really weird.

marc_w

If I'm not mistaken, I thought the 5/16" rod was the size to use...

That's what I just picked up today.

glennhl

I used 5/16" rod. Cut it 21" long and bent the last 3 inches up for a handle. Had to grind a small flat lengthwise to get the passenger side to go in. Worked like a charm, but to tell you the truth, I think I could have used the Russian Roulette method on an engine that had 66,000 miles on it. I spun the cam with the pushrods still in and none of them were dropping.

derek_silvy

I can spin it and I hear something. Is that it still hitting a lifter?

Is the 3/16 rod too small?