Started My cam swap....
also, need to check lifter preload. some aftermarket cams have a smaller base circle and require the use of longer pushrods.
PTV- put some sort of hard clay on the piston close to where the valves will be, bolt the head on, put in pushrods, rockers, make it pretty much how it will run, you can do just one piston, one intake/exhaust, then spin the crank a few times, pull the head and measure with a caliper the thinnest part of the clay. not sure the minimum requirement, but i think its .100...
degreeing the cam will tell you if the manufacture slightly messed up grinding your cam, youll have to research this, you will need some tools as well, like a dial indicator, degree wheel. basically helps with advancing/retarding your cam. you have an adj. timing set, since your cam is spec'd to be ground 3 degrees advanced, maybe they only advanced it 1-2, heres where your adj. timing set help you get it in spec with what your tuner or cam guy wants for your motor.
you should check out ls1howto.com also
PTV- put some sort of hard clay on the piston close to where the valves will be, bolt the head on, put in pushrods, rockers, make it pretty much how it will run, you can do just one piston, one intake/exhaust, then spin the crank a few times, pull the head and measure with a caliper the thinnest part of the clay. not sure the minimum requirement, but i think its .100...
degreeing the cam will tell you if the manufacture slightly messed up grinding your cam, youll have to research this, you will need some tools as well, like a dial indicator, degree wheel. basically helps with advancing/retarding your cam. you have an adj. timing set, since your cam is spec'd to be ground 3 degrees advanced, maybe they only advanced it 1-2, heres where your adj. timing set help you get it in spec with what your tuner or cam guy wants for your motor.
you should check out ls1howto.com also
general accepted clearance is .080 intake & .100 exhaust for ptvc...if the cam was doctored you are okay but there are only a few sponsors that doctor the cam and you will receive a seperate sheet that gives the exact lifts, durations,lsa etc...if it isn't doctored and you just have a cam card that does not mean it was cut right...I know I have ordered parts before and they have been wrong or for a different car...my dad didn't even get a cam card with his cam ha...degree a cam is not bad there are instructions on here and probably comps website...you will need a degree kit...I got mine from comp...I mean I would at a min check the ptvc which can be done with a dial gauge and light checker springs with the piston at tdc...usually is closest somewhere between 10 degrees before/after...
I guess my question would be if I were you ok I trust the cam is made right and I got the right one...now I want to make sure...I mean you spun it and it didn't hit so you can have .005 ptv or .100 how would you know...at least by checking ptv you will know you have clearance...with degreeing you will know the cam is made correctly...most likely the cam is okay but why risk it...
fyi my 230/230 cam with stock 241 heads and stock mls gaskets was .072 on the intake and exhaust was around .120, so i retarded it 2* and got the PTV to be around .086 on the intake...now some are pushing the limits with the donkey dick cams around .050 and i have seen some whisker marks on some pistons after the heads were pulled...that is a little to close for comfort...
good luck on the build just some food for thought...
I guess my question would be if I were you ok I trust the cam is made right and I got the right one...now I want to make sure...I mean you spun it and it didn't hit so you can have .005 ptv or .100 how would you know...at least by checking ptv you will know you have clearance...with degreeing you will know the cam is made correctly...most likely the cam is okay but why risk it...
fyi my 230/230 cam with stock 241 heads and stock mls gaskets was .072 on the intake and exhaust was around .120, so i retarded it 2* and got the PTV to be around .086 on the intake...now some are pushing the limits with the donkey dick cams around .050 and i have seen some whisker marks on some pistons after the heads were pulled...that is a little to close for comfort...
good luck on the build just some food for thought...
Last edited by chrs1313; Dec 29, 2009 at 10:47 PM.
Yeah its crazy i didnt want to pull teh ehads but **** now you got me thinking i should im going to call my tuner and ask him about it cause he specd it and comp grinded it soo i want to make sure ....hey thanks guys
claying the piston is just another method of checking PTVC…
was just at harbor freight getting my engine stand and they have a cheap dial indicator for like $10, it comes with the stand and magnet too...its nothing nice but it will get the job done for a one timer...
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
6 Common C5 Corvette Failures and What's Involved In Repairing Them
Pouria Savadkouei
Retro Modern Bandit Pontiac Trans AM Comes With Burt Reynolds' Autograph
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Greatest Cadillac V Series Performance Models Ever, Ranked
Pouria Savadkouei
Top 10 Most Powerful Chevy Trucks Ever Made!
Hennessey's New Supercharged Silverado ZR2 Has 700 HP
Verdad Gallardo
Coachbuilt N2A Anteros Is an LS2-Powered C6 Corvette In Italian Clothes
Verdad Gallardo
Awesome K5 Blazer Restomod Comes With C7 Corvette Power
Verdad Gallardo
10 Camaros You Should Never Buy
10 LS Engine Myths That Refuse to Die
Verdad Gallardo
TECH Regular
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 474
Likes: 0
From: Bakersfield, CA
if you put the dots together your good to go. if you are off by a tooth, it is very obvious.
dont sweat it.
but but youve got a pretty decent sized cam so id definately check the PTV clearance.
and how did you choose PR length. did you use something like the comp cams PR length checking tool?
dont sweat it.
but but youve got a pretty decent sized cam so id definately check the PTV clearance.
and how did you choose PR length. did you use something like the comp cams PR length checking tool?
My tuner specd me out everything ??? And handed to me and said here you go basically !!! i mean he is very reputable so i wouldnt think he would set me up with something that needed all that cause he know my exact setup to the ""T""
never hurts to double check...
Ok well im gonna have tyo get the dial indicator and do it the wya you were talking about cause i dont want to spend the time and money to take off the heads right now....Thanks for all the help guys you are all very cool and helpful
well nick the install was fun and next week we're doing my cam and heads install!! mine is a TR cam from TR so i'm not worried about the PTV lol plus with 169K thats not my biggest worry at the moment
Hey, I was looking thru your pics and noticed your radiator fluid was green and the bucket looked greenish organish color. Not sure how far you are into buttoning her back up, but check out this thread and link, you may wanna flush the system when all done and then switch back to Dexcool when you refill the radiator as it is spec'd by GM. Not sure if the green stuff is all bad for the system, I am running the Dexcool mix.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...tuff-dont.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...tuff-dont.html
Hey, I was looking thru your pics and noticed your radiator fluid was green and the bucket looked greenish organish color. Not sure how far you are into buttoning her back up, but check out this thread and link, you may wanna flush the system when all done and then switch back to Dexcool when you refill the radiator as it is spec'd by GM. Not sure if the green stuff is all bad for the system, I am running the Dexcool mix.
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...tuff-dont.html
https://ls1tech.com/forums/generatio...tuff-dont.html
Yeah when i got the car he had it flushed and put the green in and i was gone for a while sooo the car has sat and i havent got around to changing it so its gonna be flushed with dexcool back in it autozone has a special buy one get the other free!!!! love it !!!!! Thanks for teh help bro its mostly dirt in teh bucket it was green as hell lol
hope the cam was cut correct... spinning it two times by hand is not degreeing...might wanna do a search...maybe I am just over cautious but there is no way I would just line it dot to dot with all the tolerances in cams, chains, sprockets, etc...it gives good piece of mind too...
also, need to check lifter preload. some aftermarket cams have a smaller base circle and require the use of longer pushrods.
PTV- put some sort of hard clay on the piston close to where the valves will be, bolt the head on, put in pushrods, rockers, make it pretty much how it will run, you can do just one piston, one intake/exhaust, then spin the crank a few times, pull the head and measure with a caliper the thinnest part of the clay. not sure the minimum requirement, but i think its .100...
degreeing the cam will tell you if the manufacture slightly messed up grinding your cam, youll have to research this, you will need some tools as well, like a dial indicator, degree wheel. basically helps with advancing/retarding your cam. you have an adj. timing set, since your cam is spec'd to be ground 3 degrees advanced, maybe they only advanced it 1-2, heres where your adj. timing set help you get it in spec with what your tuner or cam guy wants for your motor.
you should check out ls1howto.com also
PTV- put some sort of hard clay on the piston close to where the valves will be, bolt the head on, put in pushrods, rockers, make it pretty much how it will run, you can do just one piston, one intake/exhaust, then spin the crank a few times, pull the head and measure with a caliper the thinnest part of the clay. not sure the minimum requirement, but i think its .100...
degreeing the cam will tell you if the manufacture slightly messed up grinding your cam, youll have to research this, you will need some tools as well, like a dial indicator, degree wheel. basically helps with advancing/retarding your cam. you have an adj. timing set, since your cam is spec'd to be ground 3 degrees advanced, maybe they only advanced it 1-2, heres where your adj. timing set help you get it in spec with what your tuner or cam guy wants for your motor.
you should check out ls1howto.com also
trust me you dont wanna go down that road...i bet you would just throw pushrods in too without making sure they are what you ordered...no sense in making sure the part is correct before throwing it in the engine right? mistakes never happen when getting parts?
well degreeing/doctoring a cam is that preventative process...
everyone can build the way they want, i was just giving advise to maybe catch a small problem before it causes a big one...even though 99% of the time you will probably be okay...