After looking at the how to's on a couple of sites this looks like a fairly easy procedure to do in the garage at home. <img src="gr_eek2.gif" border="0"> Any shade tree comments or pitfalls to watch for when doing this at home?? <img src="graemlins/gr_cheers.gif" border="0" alt="[cheers]" />

 

I helped a fried do a cam install and all I can say is there are a "ton" of parts that need to be removed. So my advice to you is to be extremely organized and lay everything out out a huge blanket and keep things grouped together in the order you took them apart. Also, make sure you remember which push rods cam from what cylinder, and where each bolt you remove goes. It is very easy to loose track of what goes where.

Also, make sure you have a lot of pans to catch all the fluid that will leak from your car when you remove the radiator, oil, etc.

Another trick is with the heads. If you go to the store and buy one of those extendable/retractable magnets, you know the ones that look like a tire pressure gauge but have a little magnet on the end that can exten to reach far places in tight space? Well when you remove the valve covers and push rods, put the little magenet into the pushrod hole until it latches onto the head inside. Then give a little pull to place the head all the way at the top of its groove. That way when you pull the old cam out, a head won't fall into your engine.

That helped us out a lot.

Good luck with your cam swap. Let us know how you make out.

Dan

 

Here is a picture of Magnet use.. ( thx jmx )
http://ls1info.com/article.php?sid=185

Reinstalling the Crank Pulley:

I found a bolt at hardware store with same threads style but about 1 inch longer. I used
this hardware store bolt to get pully started
on crank. Then I went back with new GM BOLT.
I was unable to get pulley started any other way.
Use lots of duct tape on sharp things under cowl.
it cuts down on beeding.