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Cam Swap Not Going Smooth

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Old Feb 3, 2005 | 02:42 PM
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Default Cam Swap Not Going Smooth

I hit a little wall (or big). This whole "hold the lifters up with pen magnets" is working out at all. I think I have rotated the cam 50 times. I can't pull the lifters (Comp R's by the way) up any further than the cam pushes them. Buying 16 pen magnets @ $6.00 each pretty much rubbed me the wrong to start. I was told the "JPR" tool will not work on Comp R's or I would have went that route. This was a whole lot easier with the motor on a stand with heads off and lifters not installed yet. Any Ideas?

Last edited by Steve H.; Feb 3, 2005 at 04:57 PM.
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Old Feb 3, 2005 | 02:49 PM
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cam install is always easier with heads off. i wish i would have waited til i got my heads to do my cam. but it has been done by plenty of people. why wont the jrp tool work with the comp r lifters?
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Old Feb 3, 2005 | 03:41 PM
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We went to Menards and got some wood dowl rod for about a buck. Worked just as good as the expensive tools. Try this and see if it works.
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Old Feb 3, 2005 | 03:41 PM
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jrp tool?

I didn't know Jerami made a tool.
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Old Feb 3, 2005 | 03:42 PM
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I got some rods at home depot for about 3 bucks. Worked like a charm, twice already.
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Old Feb 3, 2005 | 03:50 PM
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theres no reason why the pen magnets wouldnt work, as long as the magnet grabs on to the lifter, its fine. adjust the little pocket clip on the pen (bend it out a little) so it doesnt slide through the pushrod hole (like me) and ur good to go. They are $2.99 each at autozone i ended up dropping two lifters into the pan, so dont feel bad
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Old Feb 3, 2005 | 04:13 PM
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Originally Posted by 01_SuperSlow
jrp tool?

I didn't know Jerami made a tool.
He doesn't. They meant the JPR tool.
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Old Feb 3, 2005 | 04:18 PM
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Go to home depot of the hardware store and get two 5/16" rods. I used that and a couple of pen magnets. The rods will keep the lifters from falling down. You may have to grind the side of the one that goes in the passenger side. They may not keep the lifters all the way out of the way though. Use the pen magnets to pull them up a little more.

Good Luck
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Old Feb 4, 2005 | 05:59 AM
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how come you guys don't just pull off the intake and then remove the lifters? Is this something that doesn't work with LS1's. It seems spending all that money and time with pen magnets could have been better spent on a new intake gasket and removing the intake.
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Old Feb 4, 2005 | 06:11 AM
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Originally Posted by d james
how come you guys don't just pull off the intake and then remove the lifters? Is this something that doesn't work with LS1's. It seems spending all that money and time with pen magnets could have been better spent on a new intake gasket and removing the intake.

Because you cant get to the lifters without removing the heads

I used the rods from Lowe's and also pen magnets, no problems here installing my cam. But I was in the same boat, I spun the cam a thousand times and the lifters wouldnt stay up in the retainer cups.
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Old Feb 4, 2005 | 07:26 AM
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I used some dowels and the pen-magnets. Mine stayed in the cups, though...
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Old Feb 4, 2005 | 07:41 AM
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wow you got ripped on the magnets! i payed $2 for each at the zone. and if you are wapping out a cam that already has comp r lifters?!? doesnt that mean that you had to take the heads off already or were they already there?
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Old Feb 4, 2005 | 07:52 AM
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i just changed the cam in my gto and everything "held" for us to remove and reinstall the new cam. we did have to pressure up each cylinder to keep the valves from falling when the springs were changed.
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Old Feb 4, 2005 | 10:43 AM
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Originally Posted by d james
how come you guys don't just pull off the intake and then remove the lifters? Is this something that doesn't work with LS1's. It seems spending all that money and time with pen magnets could have been better spent on a new intake gasket and removing the intake.
LS1's aren't anything like a small block Chevy. There is nothing at all under the valley cover except a closed off space. And the intake doesn't use gaskets; it has O-ring seals that go on dry and are reuseable. The lifters get tight at the top of their bore, so normally they stay up while you pull the cam, as long as the rocker arms were removed first to take spring presure off the lifters.
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Old Feb 4, 2005 | 10:50 AM
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wow you got ripped on the magnets! i payed $2 for each at the zone. and if you are wapping out a cam that already has comp r lifters?!? doesnt that mean that you had to take the heads off already or were they already there?
I'm just trying a different cam. The cam was installed when the engine was on a stand being built.
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Old Feb 4, 2005 | 02:57 PM
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good luck, I used the pen magnets when installing my T1 cam on the old Z28. Worked just fine.

Derek
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Old Feb 4, 2005 | 03:11 PM
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I am almost positive you are right, you can not use the 5/16 rod method with Comp R lifters. Are you sure the lifters are not up? I swore a couple times one was catching but I bet I spent 20 minutes rotating and slightly wiggling and being very patient before it came out. You have bolts in the end of the cam to help manuver it correct? I want to bet they are up. Lets us know
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