Gonna be installing the Heads and Cam in a few weeks. I need to know if I need any special tools for the job. I read the procedure on ls1howto so I'm clear on how to do it. Not my first time doing this but it is on an LS1.

So can you guys give me some tips on installing the H/C? It looks like I'm gonna need a fuel line disconnecter. Where do I get that? Anything else? Thanks!

 

Gonna need a puller for the balancer, valve spring compressor, and to make life easy get the cam installation tool from thunder racing. here's a good link for the intall.

www.ls1howto.com

This site has a ton of info with torque specs and pictures to help you with the install.

 

Didn't read your whole post cuz you've already read ls1howto's info. You can get a generic fuel line disconnect tool at a lot of parts stores for example autozone. As far as any other tips, I'm in the middle of taking my engine apart on my f-body and it's pretty straight forward. Can't imagine a C5 would be too much different. As long as you follow directions you'll be fine. Just don't get ahead of yourself and skip anything or you'll find out the hard way.

 

What about the puller? Autozone too?

 

Do a search, I asked the same question a few months ago.

 

You can rent one, or buy one.

I chose to buy mine from Sears Hardware, $50 and its a nice one to.

 

Autozone had about everything I needed...

Sears does sell a nice extension kit that came in handy....

Good luck!

 

the puller part number at autozone is 6267 or something like that...it's for chryslers

get a 15mm gear wrench & 10mm gear wrench...you'll hate yourself without one

 

I'm trying to get the stuff together since TSP says the heads are a two week wait.
3 arm puller, right?

 

Might want to double check and make sure you don't need the harmonic balancer puller. I left AZ the first time with the wrong one and had to go back. Works much better with the right one!

I do have an underdrive pulley, which might make a difference...

 

I've had MUCH better luck with the 2 arm pulley puller.

 

Lots of paper towels, a plastic ice scraper (for deck cleaning), maybe some top end cleaner if you want to clean off the piston tops while you are in there. I guess a good torque wrench goes without saying..... A box of band-aids wouldn't be a bad thing to have around either.

 

You don't need the valve spring comp., the heads should come with springs installed. You don't need the cam install tool either, just use your water pump bolts and remember to spin the cam com'n out and go'n in. There are grounds on the back of each head, don't unbolt the heads and yank them off. Get a good shop vac to suck out the coolant from the block after you take the water pump off. Be sure to clean out the bolt holes for the heads VERY well. Get a flashlight and see if there is water in them, if so, get your shopvac back out and get a drinking straw and use it to suck out the bolt holes. Just take your time.

 

I believe the fuel line disconnect is the 5/16th's one, but you can get it at any Autozone type place.

I'm not sure of the exact specs of your future combo, but if you have to check PTV clearance because you milled the heads with a thinner gasket, you can check out this post for how to check PTV clearance: https://ls1tech.com/forums/showpost....64&postcount=6

Here's a good thread of Head install tips: https://ls1tech.com/forums/generation-iii-internal-engine/504846-tips-advice-h-c-swap-next-week.html

 

The best tips I can give you are to be patient, think it all out before you start, if you get tired/frustrated, take a break, follow torque specs exactly, and take your time cleaning the block surface and the head bolt holes.

 

You could always get some dowel rods to hold the lifters up. $0.80 for a little insuranse isn't too bad. If you do a search, it should give you the right size for the rods, I can't remember off hand.

 

Pretty sure I'm going to remove lifters before I take the cam out. At least that's what the howto said. Thanks guys for helping me out. I'll let everyone when the heads/cam are installed.

 

If your gonna have the heads off I would just pull the lifters. Just takes a few more minutes and might save ya a lot of agrivation!!!

 

little ****** sandwich baggies and a permenant marker to put all you bolts and **** in marked bags. It will save you a headache latter. I used a razor to scrap all the carbon off my pistons and had a shop vac going to suc up the chunks. Oh you need some tunage to jam out too.......like Slayer....or Gwar or the Misfits...ya know. Scraping gasket sucks...and it takes forever. If you could get a little whiz wheel with the green gasket removing head that would save you tons of time and feel better on your fingers. Getting the cam out and in is a snap. I dont see why people stress that so much. I just used the cam bolts for the extra leverage to get it in. Also I would use engine assembly lube....not oil. I know its a roller motor, but the assembly lube is stickey so it wont all come off while its sitting. Its only a couple buck and you can coat all the lifters and the cam with one tube. I cant really think of anything else that helped me or pissed me off, but Im sure there are things. Keep us posted and have fun.

 

5/16" dowel rods...sand them a bit and just slide them in the lifter holes and you're good. I used Permatex engine assembly lube (red) and it rocks...it is kind of sticky but it works. If you're pulling heads anyway, yeah, just pull the lifters and be very, VERY careful not to overtorque the lifter cup bolts when re-assembling.