Interested in doing a head/cam swap
Interested in doing a head/cam swap All of this talk about heads this and cam that made me think that someone has to install some of these parts once they get purchased. If anyone is interested or freaking out about doing thier own head cam swap, and are thinking of paying a shop... consider doing it yourself.
I am a college student with little time to do such things but I set last weekend aside to perform my head cam swap.
I used my buddies shop and he helped me a little with some of the two person jobs. Started on it at 7pm fri night.. turned the key at 9 the next morning. Primed the oil system and it started flawlessly.
Total time for wrenching was 14 hours, granted there is alot of tuning to be done but if you are mechanically inclined at all this job is a piece of cake. The money you will save by doing it yourself can buy a ton of other mods.
Only things you really need to pay attention to is making sure you have an endless supply of your favorite beverage, plently of brake and parts cleaner and rags, and the ability to line up dots.
Hope some of this instills confidence!!
I am a college student with little time to do such things but I set last weekend aside to perform my head cam swap.
I used my buddies shop and he helped me a little with some of the two person jobs. Started on it at 7pm fri night.. turned the key at 9 the next morning. Primed the oil system and it started flawlessly.
Total time for wrenching was 14 hours, granted there is alot of tuning to be done but if you are mechanically inclined at all this job is a piece of cake. The money you will save by doing it yourself can buy a ton of other mods.
Only things you really need to pay attention to is making sure you have an endless supply of your favorite beverage, plently of brake and parts cleaner and rags, and the ability to line up dots.
Hope some of this instills confidence!!
..just referring to a cam swap:
it's almost as cost efficient to pay someone to do it when you weigh what it cost to get the tools required to do the job easily and correctly vs labor.
i've priced valvespring compressers, dowel rods, longer crank bolt, etc etc and it's close to what someone else would charge me. close enough that i can't merit NOT letting someone else do it. i'm not afraid of the job, as i have done many cam installs and i am very mechanically inclined. sometimes you have to let logic prevail. doing the head swap will bring my pride back up.
it's almost as cost efficient to pay someone to do it when you weigh what it cost to get the tools required to do the job easily and correctly vs labor.
i've priced valvespring compressers, dowel rods, longer crank bolt, etc etc and it's close to what someone else would charge me. close enough that i can't merit NOT letting someone else do it. i'm not afraid of the job, as i have done many cam installs and i am very mechanically inclined. sometimes you have to let logic prevail. doing the head swap will bring my pride back up.
i dunno i did my cam swap with about 20 bucks worth of supplies....borrowed the spring compressor from a friend...(kit online is only 50$) and got the dowels for about 3$ from home depot and a crank bolt for 4$ from napa. Also you can borrow tools like i borrowed a torque wrench from autozone for like 10 bucks
Originally Posted by camaross305
i dunno i did my cam swap with about 20 bucks worth of supplies....borrowed the spring compressor from a friend...(kit online is only 50$) and got the dowels for about 3$ from home depot and a crank bolt for 4$ from napa. Also you can borrow tools like i borrowed a torque wrench from autozone for like 10 bucks
Not to mention specialty tools like lining the front cover up perfect so the seal does not leak, Cleaning bolt holes of coolant so you don't crack the block, cleaning head gasket surfaces without damage and so they seal... There is a lot to it. If you have access to your buddies shop good for you.
Nate
Nate
Trending Topics
I agree with the guy who posted this. As long as you take your time and follow the directions, its well worth it. Not hard at all as long as you have a basic knowledge of tools. I almost even cut my fingers off torqing down the heads but I would have no problem doing it again. The local guy here charges an arm and a leg. Not to mention the personal pride you have doing your own swap. 
LS1 Tech Stories
The Best V8 Stories One Small Block at Time
Topdon ONE vs. Artidiag 800 BT2: Which is the Diagnostic Tablet For You?
Pouria Savadkouei
Gas Monkey Built a 6-Wheel Ferrari Testarossa With a Corvette LT4 Engine
Verdad Gallardo
7 Most Reliable High-Performance Engines GM Has Ever Built
Verdad Gallardo
Amazing '71 Camaro Restomod Is Modern Muscle Car Under the Skin
Verdad Gallardo
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
Originally Posted by Y2K SS
I agree with the guy who posted this. As long as you take your time and follow the directions, its well worth it. Not hard at all as long as you have a basic knowledge of tools. I almost even cut my fingers off torqing down the heads but I would have no problem doing it again. The local guy here charges an arm and a leg. Not to mention the personal pride you have doing your own swap.
Nail - on - head! It is not expensive to do it yourself. I already had the torque wrench, rented a puller for 110 from oriellys and upon finishing I recieved full credit back for it. I drank $10 worth of beer and $2 worth in pop. Ate 2 meals at $5 apiece. Bought the oil and antifreeze which would have to be boughten anyways, and $10 worth of break and parts cleaner. Seales and gaskets came to around 80 as well.
Not to sure about a special tool to line up the front cover? I just left it loose and then pressed the balancer on the crank and then tightened it and mine didn't leak. Cleaning surfaces is easy as well.. 1.67 worth of razor blades.
I am just saying for the peice of mind you get by doing it yourself and knowing it is done right it is well worth it. Also you learn alot about your car in the process which is a +. The shops around here were 800 to 1000 to do this and I would be supplying the seals, oil and such.
Last edited by 954RR; Feb 1, 2006 at 11:52 PM.
Originally Posted by ilirw325
sweet, thats the attitude!
954RR what did u use to clean out the head bolt holes thread wise?
old bolt or tap?
954RR what did u use to clean out the head bolt holes thread wise?
old bolt or tap?
I first sprayed break and parts cleaner in all the holes. Then I took a shop vac and sucked it back out of all the holes. Then I took an old bolt and ground a grove on one side of the bolt threads to let the crap collect into and threaded it into the bolt holes in the head. Then I took compressed air to blow pretty much all the left over stuff out.
I think it did a pretty sufficient job
