Wow what can i say other than get ready to be exhausted. For my first ever cam install i knew what i was getting myself into. But once the car turned on, I forgot all about the scars and the pain. For those that have never really done it here are a few tips:
1. For installing the crank pulley buy the crank installer that 618Hawk sells, it works just like it should and never gave the slightest bit of hesitation.
2. The Crane Cams valvespring compressor is a must for an LSx powered vehicle. Just the fact that it does 2 springs at once and how well made it is makes it worth the money.
3. I used an air compressor and a compression tester fitting to hold up the valves. That also is a great thing to try using if you have a compressor. Im not saying the TDC method is bad, but with the air holding up the valves it made things work easier. And to attach the compression fitting to the #8 spark plug hole go from under the car its the best way without having to shove your arm into the back of the motor and fight for 20 minutes just to find the hole. The drivers side is alot easier than the passenger since the spark plugs face the towards the front of the car, unlike the passenger side which faces the rear.
4. For holding up the lifters i bought two steel 5/16" dowel rods and cut them down to 24". At 24" they go all the way in and still have about 2-1/2" to about 3" sticking out of the block. I didn't have to shave them down at all, i just jerked the cam left and right and they slid in with very little force. **For the people trying their first ever cam install the dowel rods are not perfect and might not always work. At some point after i had taken out my stock came that i was about to install the MS3 one of the lifters from the drivers side i believe the #7 cylinder-intake lifter had dropped a bit passed the dowel rod . So as i was putting in the MS3 it just stopped about 4-1/2" from going all the way in. When i took it back out i took a picture of the inside and you can see the lifter hanging down a bit(i'll post picture later). Well i had to use a pen magnet to pull it up then i slid the cam all the way in with no trouble.**
5. The oil pump pick-up tube o.ring what can i say other than it was such a pain in the @ss. Again for those that have never done something like this stick a rag in the oil pan incase you drop the pick-up tube bolt. I dropped it and had no rag, i was forced to grab my pen magnet and go fishing in the oil pan for it. As long as you stick the pick-up tube in centered you should have no problems about pinching the o-ring.
6. Taking off the crank pulley was a bit tough by hand. Me and 2 friends pulled on my breaker bar and the the bolt would not even move. I just grabbed impact gun and gave it a few quick hits and it just came loose.
7. For taking off the crank pulley i got myself the OTC 6267 GM-Chrysler Harmonic Balancer Puller. It to was easy to use, and is very well made. Just center it on the crank pulley and get to work. And its small enough to use that you could take out your crank pulley without having to remove your radiator or A/C condensor.
I'll post pictures that i took of the install later when i upload them. If you guys got any questions just ask. It was a learning experience, that if you enjoy mechanics you will enjoy doing.
-Joel

**Thats right i forgot to explain how the car ran. Well i turned it over how LS1 How To states, then plugged in the coil packs and turned it on. At first start up it turned on and held idle in the low to mid 800rpm range. I had drilled the throttlebody out to 3/16" before the start-up i guess thats why the idle was holding. After about 3 seconds the oil pressure shot up(Whew!!!) and held steady. At certain times the idle would drop and it would almost turn off but didn't. I turned it off and tried to start it up again, but this time i needed to give it alittle gas until it found its idle. But then again i installed the MS3, if you are installing a smaller cam you don't really have that much to worry about your idle then. I got an SES code and it was P0300 which is multiple cylinder misfires, which i expected considering the cams size. Driving to work this morning its obvious a cam of this size on a stock tune does not like traffic. At certain points i had to play with the gas so it wouldn't die on me in the middle of a the street. While cruising it runs fine, but does have a bit of surging if the rpms are anything below 1600 rpms. I do notice the loss of the off idle torque that the stock cam would give me, but thats what i get for going for such a large cam.**

 

congrats,not that bad after its all said and done

 

congrats on your first cam install-its a great feeling doing the work yrself

 

Yeah it does feel great to do it yourself, because you know nobody else had to do it for you. And once the car turns back on, and has that nasty lope it makes it all worth it. In the beginning you question whether you should do it almost, because of the consequences that may lead up if you screw up. But if you follow the instructions on LS1 How To and the tips fellow Techers put on here you should have no problem. When i had told my boss about what i was going to go through he said that i was brave, because he wouldn't even think about doing something like that on my car.
-Joel

 

what LSA did you go with on your ms3?

 

The Ms3 i ordered came with the 113 LSA, and let me tell you that thing has a big nasty lope to it.
-Joel

 

i get the same allllll the time. yr ripping apart yr vette-are u nuts???
YES I AM
ps-my sister went to universaty of miami. i used to luv to visit and hit wet *******

 

Sweet! My cam should be going in this week. I'm going with the MS3 too. Are you going to get the car tuned? That should help your driveability all around.

 

i put the MS3 in my car in april, and i have loved it. It was very hard for me to get my car fast though, but now with my mods and the new Speed density tune, everything is great!

 

Yeah made an appointment for this Friday at Rev Extreme in Tampa. It feels so different than the stock cam, i haven't really gotten on it but i know its going to pull like a monster up top. Plus i got a TNT F2 nitrous kit going in pretty soon so it will make the ride even more fun.
-Joel
**Yeah Wet ******* is fun... **

 

Nice....you should post some video of your new soundssssss

 

Yeah i know, when i first cranked it that i started to record it came out like crap. So when i tried to record it again my batteries were dead. But i'll make sure to post up pictures of the install, especially the one of the lifter that stopped me from installing the cam the first time.
-Joel

 

Let the install begin:

Looking good:

Stock springs:

Front engine cover gone, & stock timing chain hanging around:

Nice & Easy, out comes the stocker:

Oh how good the stock cam has been to me:

Top right, that bastard lifter that extended the install time:

MS3 feels right at home:

 

Yeah that Pick-Up tube bolt is pissing me off:

LS6 Oil Pump & LS2 Timing Chain...Nice:

Things are looking good:

Best LS1 Valvetrain tool EVER...Thanks Crane Cams:

Those Dual Valvesprings are bad-***:

So thats what the inside of the LS1 Intake Manifold looks like:

Everything torqued down and ready to go:

-Joel

 

Its a great feeling of accomplishment, isnt it....

 

Very nice, reminds me of my MS3 install and like BES stroker nova said I'm having problems with everything else so the car hasn't run 100% but man is it a beast.

 

A few other things i wanted to add:
1. If your going to use an air compressor to hold up your valves, give your retainers a a few good taps to dis-lodge the valve keys from the valves. A few times i would forget and you can hear air rushing through the exhaust or intake as the valves got pushed open.
2. As you compress the valvesprings, take it slow and keep a pen magnet nearby. When you notice the valve keys move a bit get the pen magnet ready to catch the valve keys so you don't lose them in the "bermuda triangle" or what we call the
K-Member.
3. Also get ready for things to not go as planned. If you have a set time to start and finish you better add some time to it. Because for my first install things took alittle longer than i had planned. But i followed the LS1 How To instructions to the dot. And also used a couple of tips i found on here. But take your time, if you get frustrated sit back and look at the problem. Don't force things because thats how **** breaks.
-Joel

 

Nice job man. Are you mechanically inclined at all? or did you just jump into it and follow ls1 how to? Im planning on tackling an ms3 install on my car in the spring and im not the most mechanically inclined person. Did you use the stock rockers? thanks.

 

Well this is the biggest thing i have ever done mechanically if thats what you mean. I have helped my friend change the head gasket on his supra and things like that. But as for my LS1 this was the biggest thing i have ever attempted. If you follow the instructions on LS1 How To you should not have a problem at all. Also find the thread that BLKZ28SPT started after he installed the MS3 in his car. He threw in there a few helpful tips on how to make the cam install easier.
Yes the rockers are the same stock ones. Valvetrain wise i changed to dual valvesprings, changed the seals, changed the seats, TSP pushrods, and titanium retainers. Oh yeah make sure you buy a few extra valve locks, they are extremely small and can get lost very easily.
-Joel
**By the way i even found out that one of my stock pushrods were bent. Not hugely but i looked at one when i took them out and it looked funny. Sure enough soon as i rolled it on the floor it had a slight wobble to it.**

 

awsome man i should be getting a cam soon and will be doing install myself hope everything goes as smoothly as did for u