Installing Heads w/o cam.
I'm up in Buckingham and willing to give you a hand if you need it. My inlaws all live in Richboro, so it's not a big deal to swing down for an hour or two. PM me if you want. I just got done doing my own head/cam swap and retune. It's not rocket science, but I agree that some people really have no place doing their own work.
Here's a couple questions for people to ask themselves before they attempt a head/cam swap...
Do you have the adequite tools to get the job done?
Do you have enough space to work in?
Are you a detail oriented person, willing to spend the extra time getting stuff done right, or are you a "ehh, it's not critical" kind of person?
Do you have enough time to get it done, ie is this a "I have to be done by Monday morning because I need to drive it to work" If so, rent a car because you don't want to rush it.
Are you comfortable with the fact that things could happen, and you may need to spend more money to fix it? Fact is, once you start adding power, you are adding strees to the motor, drivetrain, chassis, etc.
Even the best plans can be sidetracked with broken/stripped bolts, or stuff slipping and falling into the motor. Stuff happens, it's your ability to overcome these obsticles that makes/breaks an install.
If doing the swap, you're on a strict budget, it might not be a good idea because you're going to cut corners to save a buck or two, and that leads to problems and more expenses down the road.
Sorry for the preaching, but people not thinking things out leads to posts like "help, I broke a crank bolt/stripped the crank" or "my motor sounds like crap, they told me the cam would fit, but I think I'm hitting pistons."
Original Poster, give me a shout and we can chat.
Here's a couple questions for people to ask themselves before they attempt a head/cam swap...
Do you have the adequite tools to get the job done?
Do you have enough space to work in?
Are you a detail oriented person, willing to spend the extra time getting stuff done right, or are you a "ehh, it's not critical" kind of person?
Do you have enough time to get it done, ie is this a "I have to be done by Monday morning because I need to drive it to work" If so, rent a car because you don't want to rush it.
Are you comfortable with the fact that things could happen, and you may need to spend more money to fix it? Fact is, once you start adding power, you are adding strees to the motor, drivetrain, chassis, etc.
Even the best plans can be sidetracked with broken/stripped bolts, or stuff slipping and falling into the motor. Stuff happens, it's your ability to overcome these obsticles that makes/breaks an install.
If doing the swap, you're on a strict budget, it might not be a good idea because you're going to cut corners to save a buck or two, and that leads to problems and more expenses down the road.
Sorry for the preaching, but people not thinking things out leads to posts like "help, I broke a crank bolt/stripped the crank" or "my motor sounds like crap, they told me the cam would fit, but I think I'm hitting pistons."
Original Poster, give me a shout and we can chat.
Last edited by The Alchemist; Aug 2, 2010 at 06:20 AM.
What the **** is wrong with you people? It's his business to install heads and not a cam as much as it's your business to if you wanted! I agree a cam isn't hard to do at all, but if he would rather someone else do it, then that's a damn good idea.
Some of you need to re-read the post. He is installing the heads and cam at the same time and getting it all tuned together 1 time. He's just simply asking if it's ok to install the heads and drive it to get the cam installed and then tuned.....to which the answer is YES you can, but no one would suggest driving it more than that one time.
Some of you need to re-read the post. He is installing the heads and cam at the same time and getting it all tuned together 1 time. He's just simply asking if it's ok to install the heads and drive it to get the cam installed and then tuned.....to which the answer is YES you can, but no one would suggest driving it more than that one time.
I do this for a living, and I fix probably 10-15 motors a year because somebody with no real mechanical skill got on ls1howto.com and blew their motor up. There's a funny saying, "LS1's make a mechanic outta anybody". Sad but true, but it's still an engine. If someone doesn't have the know how, or what do to in a situation if something isn't right, they shouldn't be touching it.
I'm up in Buckingham and willing to give you a hand if you need it. My inlaws all live in Richboro, so it's not a big deal to swing down for an hour or two. PM me if you want. I just got done doing my own head/cam swap and retune. It's not rocket science, but I agree that some people really have no place doing their own work.
Original Poster, give me a shout and we can chat.
Original Poster, give me a shout and we can chat.
Thanks to everyone else that provided useful info as well!!
