cam install questions
A cam swap is not hard if you have the least bit of mechanical ability. My first cam swap took a full day but we were checking EVERYTHING twice, torquing every bolt and rechecking. We swapped springs and all with the help of my air compressor to keep the valves up (use a compression checker attachment to screw into the head and apply like 60 psi). The only issues I ran into was getting to the rear valve springs but I bought the tool from one of our sponsers here, I think it was Texas Speed. I recommend doing it b/c it costs a lot of money to have someone do it and I got a cool satisfaction from doing myself. Don't be afraid of it, its only a few bolts, gaskets, and lube =)
Then one of the main differance that you will see from a do it yourselfer to a professionl shop is that they degree the camshaft where most do not. theirs alot more involved and liability when a shop does it verses yourself if you break it its your NICKLE if a shop @#$% up then it on them or if it doesnt run and so on
X2. Unless you have some crazy huge cam and different heads degreeing is not needed at all. IMO I think some shops use "degreeing" as a scare tactic, thats not saying on some setups its not needed though!
$2,000.00 including parts? That's well over $1,000.00 in labor. Sounds like a bargin to me. It's only money. Why get your hands dirty when you can pay someone else to do it. Don't listen to the guys on this site that tell you to do the cam swap yourself. They don't have any idea of what they're talking about. It's your car and your money and if you what to overpay to have a cam swap done why shouldn't you be allowed to do it? Tell those grease monkeys who think it's OK to do their own work to keep their opinions to themselves.
I have pure **** for mechanical skill and I know it. I break motors by ~looking~ at them. I'm clumsy, don't have the best patience, and have trouble working in small places with these massive meat hammers I have for hands (and if anything, the engine bay of a 4th gen F-body with an LS1 crammed in there is a SMALL place). Plus, I have a dingy shop with almost no light, no heat, and very few tools. On top of that, it's cramped - my car ~just~ fits in it - no room to spare, so I have to have the garage open. And I live in Colorado. And it's winter.
Now, if you want me to rebuild the LVM metadata of a Linux EXT3 filesystem by hand, sure - I can do that for you in an hour or less. That's MY home. But I'll probably pay someone to do my cam install, thanks - I'd rather it be done right, than need a new car. Again.
edit: A good example. I lost 3 of the screws and broke part of the plastic on my headlight. How? I was trying to replace the BULB. Yeah. That bad. Screws were too damned small.
I priced out having me do it or paying a sponsor to do it local, the price was within $100. But this was also when I priced it to do it my self, I figured in buying the JP tool to hold up the lifters, the Thunder racing spring compressor, a new SLP heavy duty oil pump, then another $100 for any other Misc I might need. The sponsor I checked said $500 for the install and $350 for the tune. I didnt think that was that bad.
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Everything is relative. This cam swap can be done WITHOUT removing the heads or intake. That's what makes it an easy cam swap(compared to other engines). Name another engine where you only have to only have to remove the rocker covers, rockers, pushrods, water pump, crank pulley and timing cover to do a cam swap. I don't think there is one. It's not that hard and with a few special tools(available on this site) the job becomes even easier and takes less time. Take for example the Vinci/Crane spring tool which does 2 springs at a time. That's a real time saver. If you value your time it pays for itself during the first cam swap. You can buy 2 metal dowel rods for under $10 instead of paying big bucks for the JPR tool and the dowels work just as good. The $40 pulley pusher is well made and also worth the investment. If you do the work yourself you will more than pay for the special tools you buy in the money you would have paid for labor. The hardest part of the whole cam swap is the actual removal and installation of the cam itself. It must be held level and in perfect alignment with the cam bearings as it slips past them. Otherwise it won't budge. It's heavy and has sharp edges so you must treat it with kid gloves. Take your time on this particular step. A few choice curse words always help here. It good to see someone dislikes my sarcastic sense of humor. That means it's working. I think your opinion of your own mechanical skills is probably lower than it should be. Why not ask for help from somone in your own area. You might be surprised to find that many guys with experience are wiiling to drive long distances to help other people purely because they love turning wrenches. It doesn't hurt to ask for help.
Last edited by eallanboggs; Dec 19, 2009 at 11:36 PM.
I don't know of any, but I haven't even had the valve covers off of this car or any other either. Taking off all that stuff? Sounds like removing the nervous system from your sister and trying to put it back together again right. Heck, I haven't even touched the tranny/diff fluid... it's over due for changing, and I think I'll take it to jiffy lube for it. I'll do the oil though! If it takes more than 3 bolts, it's not something I'm willing to dig into - I like my car too much, and you all would hate what happened if I really dug into it. :p
The fact that you can mess the process up and leave yourself with a trashed motor scares me to the point I'm not willing to try it. At least, not with the current motor in the car. If I had a spare one sitting around, sure - I'd give that a shot, since I can't really ruin anything but my pocketbook then, and that just means working more hours to fix, but the heart of my baby? Not a chance... I don't do surgery on myself either
I'm also the guy that would get a very large hammer if it didn't go in smooth.
Seriously though, when's the last time you ruined a headlight trying to change the bulb?
I'm not normally one to ask for help from someone else actually in person, unless I'm already good friends with them. I'm too proud to admit I can't do it. And I'm still afraid we won't get it together right. Hell, I don't even do my own spark plugs. I know what happened the last time I tried (on a TPI 305 in a 3rd gen). I didn't get them on right and blew 2 plugs across the engine bay. Mechanic thought it was hilarious. I sold him the car.
Working on cars scares the **** out of me.
The fact that you can mess the process up and leave yourself with a trashed motor scares me to the point I'm not willing to try it. At least, not with the current motor in the car. If I had a spare one sitting around, sure - I'd give that a shot, since I can't really ruin anything but my pocketbook then, and that just means working more hours to fix, but the heart of my baby? Not a chance... I don't do surgery on myself either
I'm also the guy that would get a very large hammer if it didn't go in smooth. Seriously though, when's the last time you ruined a headlight trying to change the bulb?
I'm not normally one to ask for help from someone else actually in person, unless I'm already good friends with them. I'm too proud to admit I can't do it. And I'm still afraid we won't get it together right. Hell, I don't even do my own spark plugs. I know what happened the last time I tried (on a TPI 305 in a 3rd gen). I didn't get them on right and blew 2 plugs across the engine bay. Mechanic thought it was hilarious. I sold him the car.
Working on cars scares the **** out of me.
Last edited by Lopoetve; Dec 20, 2009 at 08:38 AM.
