Wanted to run an idea by those who have installed cams. The service manual shows how to align the front cover using a special tool. LS1HowTo shows how to do it using your damper, which is a press fit. I was thinking of picking up an old damper, cutting off the pulleys and then opening the hole that fits over the crank so it is a couple of thousands more than the crank so it is a tight slide fit. This could then be used as an alignment tool to put on the front cover. Does this sound feasible?

 

are you just going to install a cam or do a total rebuild?

 

I will be installing a cam. Trying to get my ducks in line. With the number of failures I have seen lately on the stock damper, should be able to pick one up cheap to modify and use as a tool.

 

understand what you are trying to do, but really isn't necessary for cam change. you need to align oil pan to front cover if rebuilding assembly

 

As long as you don't remove the oil pan, you don't have to re-alighn the front cover. When you install the 2 bolts that go through the oil pan into the bottom of the cover, they pretty much alighn themselves.

 

Slide the balancer pulley on all the way before you tighten down the front cover bolts. This will align the cover correctly, then you tighten the bolts to spec.

 

Exactly, but you have to press it on. I was trying to come up with a tool that would be cable to center the seal so I could tighten the front cover and then install the damper afterwards. GM uses a special tool, but I think this would work just as well.

 

seems like that would work fine.

 

you could take a length of aluminum stock and machine I.D. slightly larger than crank snout and O.D. the same size as hub

 

i never align anything..maybe its not good practice but ive done 6 cam swaps now and never had one single issue..i just run me a fat bead of rtv along the bottom where the timing cover meets the oil pan and torqe it down..then slide the pulley on with a NEW seal..(everytime) and ive never once had a single leak.

 

You don't need to go to all that trouble. The front cover centers itself when the pulley is driven home. The cover bolts are just finger tight at this point. The only other thing that you have to pay attention to is that the lower outside edge of the cover protrudes on equal amount on each side of the block (drivers side and passenger side need to be equal). It only protrudes a small amount and once you put all of the cover bolts in place you don't really have that much to play with anyway. GM does make a big deal of this procedure especially if the pan is dropped. They want you to do everything in a specific sequence and also do things a certain way.

 

That has worked for me

Keith