Dowels for Cam Swap
Dowels for Cam Swap After the disaster w/ the pen magnets during my cam swap. I don't really want to try those again, so i'm looking into buying the wooden dowels for when I help a buddy do his cam swap. What size are needed, and is there any modifications that need to be done to them, or do you just spin the cam gear and slide the dowels in?
TIA
TIA
I've used aluminum dowel rods 1/4" on several cam swaps. The aluminum lets you "flex" a bit more. One tip is to lay the cam next to the dowel and make knife marks where the cam bottoms out. That way you'll know that you have ALL the lifters. With the 1/4 rod you don't have to flat spot anything and the lifters wont go past that. 
You can buy them at Home Depot for about $3.50 each.
You can buy them at Home Depot for about $3.50 each.
Just go to home depot get some 5/16 wood dowels sharpen one end cut it 4incehs longer than the cam and sand it down alittle for ruffness!There like $2 for both and work great just slidee'm up in the holes beside the cam!
On The Tree
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 175
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Originally Posted by TA TECH
Just go to home depot get some 5/16 wood dowels sharpen one end cut it 4incehs longer than the cam and sand it down alittle for ruffness!There like $2 for both and work great just slidee'm up in the holes beside the cam!
I never had to grind a flat area on either dowl rod, so I can't say this is necessary.
In conclusion, given the scant amount of $$ a dowel rod set costs, and the ease of using them, I would recommend this option during a cam swap every time.
TECH Veteran
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,055
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From: Hartsdale, NY
Yeh, I did not need them for my H/C swap since I removed the heads.... My freind, however, used pen magnets for his cam swap before it was known that the dowels worked - about 3 years ago.....
What was your horror story about using the pen magnets? DId you drop a lifter?
What was your horror story about using the pen magnets? DId you drop a lifter?
TECH Veteran
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,055
Likes: 1
From: Hartsdale, NY
Thunder Racing ------->
used to sell these for $75! Someone here found out they were only straight rods and a pair could be duplicated for under $10 bucks at Depo...
Too bad for them since they had invented them and had a virtual monopoly on the sale of these clever "devices"
Oh well, I guess it is good you can't get a patent on a straight 1/4 inch rod...
used to sell these for $75! Someone here found out they were only straight rods and a pair could be duplicated for under $10 bucks at Depo...
Too bad for them since they had invented them and had a virtual monopoly on the sale of these clever "devices"
Oh well, I guess it is good you can't get a patent on a straight 1/4 inch rod...
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Rolled steel has a hell of a lot higher tensile strength than a piece of wood, whatever type they use in the dowels. I can definitely see the wood chipping if you don't slide it in perfectly, whereas there's no way in hell the steel is going to chip even if you hit a couple things on the way in. Just MHO. Different strokes for different folks.
the ls1 motor is around 20 inches deep cut the dowel rods to about 24 inches, remove the cam gear and cam retainer plate. now WAIT A SEC there is nothing holding the cam from sliding out of the motor. SPin the cam 4 turns clockwise and then counterclockwise while gently pushing the cam in so it doesn't slip out. then slide the dowles in, If you encounter any major resistance back them out and try again, crank the cam a couple more times too. once they are all the way in gentely pull the cam out.
Originally Posted by robertbartsch
Yeh, I did not need them for my H/C swap since I removed the heads.... My freind, however, used pen magnets for his cam swap before it was known that the dowels worked - about 3 years ago.....
What was your horror story about using the pen magnets? DId you drop a lifter?
What was your horror story about using the pen magnets? DId you drop a lifter?
yea I had a lifter fall in the process of my install. Pulled the stock cam out, and then one of hte lifters slid down into the cams path when i was puttin the new cam in. In an attempt to raise the lifter w/ the pen magnet, the lifter fell and well the rest was history.
I bought one 5/16 wooden dowel for .59 and cut it in half then cut about another 4" off and didnt have to gring anything down. I've used them a few times and works great. Next time (if there is one) I'm gonna get some 5/16 round stock to use.
Stock cam length is 19" so i cut my 5/16 steel rod 21" which gave me a little more room to move around in front of the engine. I used the grinder at work to put a soft lip on each end and made a flat spot the length of the rod, about 1/16". I did the same thing on a 1/4" steel rod for the passenger side. The steel rods worked like butter.
Good luck on the install!
Good luck on the install!
I bought a 1/4" by 60" long brake line from the auto parts store for $4. Cut it in half, removed the brass fittings, and cut off the flared ends. Cut them each about 2" longer than the cam. I smoothed out the cut ends with my grinder, and they slid in just fine. Didn't have to flatten anything.
BTW, here's a guess as to why the thunder tool has one lifter flattened on one side: How can they justify charging you $75 for a couple of steel rods? They can't, so they flattened one side and added a couple of nifty looking handles to each. I bet that even if you did use 5/16" rod you wouldn't have to flatten anything.
BTW, here's a guess as to why the thunder tool has one lifter flattened on one side: How can they justify charging you $75 for a couple of steel rods? They can't, so they flattened one side and added a couple of nifty looking handles to each. I bet that even if you did use 5/16" rod you wouldn't have to flatten anything.
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Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 749
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From: Chandler, Arizona
The 5/16" rod would not fit into the passenger side, so I had to grind a flat in it. Also, be careful with the 1/4" rod, I've heard that the lifters can still get by these skinnier rods.
