Feel Like I wasted $$ on Cam Install!!
TECH Addict
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Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Miami, Fl. - Hurricane Highway
^ Exactly, you can just shave down the side of a dowel rod. I didn't have to i just slid them in with no problem, but guess what one of my lifters still almost slipped out. I noticed it as i was installing the MS3, i was almost fully in when it just stopped. And i could hear it tapping against something. Check out the picture:
Even with the rod it still managed to drop a bit. So to fix the problem i re-installed the MS3 and when i got to that point a friend of mine used a pen magnet to bring the lifter back up, problem solved. I think even if i would have spent the money on the jrp lifter tool it still would have happened. The dowel rods do work great, but you must remember that they ain't perfect.
-Joel
Even with the rod it still managed to drop a bit. So to fix the problem i re-installed the MS3 and when i got to that point a friend of mine used a pen magnet to bring the lifter back up, problem solved. I think even if i would have spent the money on the jrp lifter tool it still would have happened. The dowel rods do work great, but you must remember that they ain't perfect.
-Joel
Originally Posted by Snyper
Haha don't let your wife see you saying that... 
She gives me a hard time about my dad.. She thinks he's hot, or whatever.. So I'm like yeh, well.. your sisters younger and bangin..
fwiw, the hold up rods dont go under the lifters, they fit along side in the flat spot on the lifter itself..that's why there square-ish instead of round...you could use a smaller round dowel, but the excess play will cause the lifters to drop slightly, too small and the lifters will slide right past them....good luck...
happened with my car. pen magnet got stuck down in there then the magnet came apart and half of it was down in there. 30 mins later a couple of tools and some tight squeezing we were able to pull it out.... thought heads were commin off for a second
Originally Posted by RZRSEDGE
Keep in mind that 2 members of this board have recently had the end of the magnets come off and be stuck to the lifters using this method. Then its "Off with your heads."
Originally Posted by Tram
Ah she knows..
She gives me a hard time about my dad.. She thinks he's hot, or whatever.. So I'm like yeh, well.. your sisters younger and bangin..
She gives me a hard time about my dad.. She thinks he's hot, or whatever.. So I'm like yeh, well.. your sisters younger and bangin..
Damn, sounds like a future episode of Jerry Springer
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Originally Posted by oange ss
fwiw, the hold up rods dont go under the lifters, they fit along side in the flat spot on the lifter itself..that's why there square-ish instead of round...you could use a smaller round dowel, but the excess play will cause the lifters to drop slightly, too small and the lifters will slide right past them....good luck...
the flat side of the rod lets you slide it in, then you turn it until it snugs up with a round edge pushing against the lifters. I made my wn with 5/16 metal dowel ****, ground down one whole edge of it. Slid right in, and when turned tight it held them so well that you couldn't turn the dowel all the way around, it snugged them up very nicely
Your mechanic used the wront size rods. They should be 5/16 exactly, even slightly smaller will not work. Also take the end of the rod and grind it to look like a bullet. Gently install rods while rotating cam.
Couldn't be easier.
Re'
Couldn't be easier.
Re'
Teching In
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 24
Likes: 0
From: Millington, TN
I made these rods from basic stuff found at Home Depot.
2 5/16" rods(round stock/dowels or whatever you call them), make them approx. 25" long,
bullet one end like they said and mark exactly 19" on the rod
when the mark is flush with front of the block you know that you are all the way in
I bent the extra 6" to make a handle but be sure that the other 19" is straight
also I didn't have to flatten one egde, tight fit on passenger side but went in
made swap very easy
oh and everything only cost around $6.75
2 5/16" rods(round stock/dowels or whatever you call them), make them approx. 25" long,
bullet one end like they said and mark exactly 19" on the rod
when the mark is flush with front of the block you know that you are all the way in
I bent the extra 6" to make a handle but be sure that the other 19" is straight
also I didn't have to flatten one egde, tight fit on passenger side but went in
made swap very easy
oh and everything only cost around $6.75
Originally Posted by Tram
Actually, she does and she's smokin..
, seriously though... 
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2007
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Originally Posted by RZRSEDGE
Keep in mind that 2 members of this board have recently had the end of the magnets come off and be stuck to the lifters using this method. Then its "Off with your heads."
Originally Posted by 2000KnightRider
Sorry to hijack but, Im fixing to do a head and cam swap and I purchased new LS7 lifters. Do I have to purchase new lifter trays as well?
I used the pen magnet method twice and had no problems. No lost magnets. Don't get the ultra cheap ones and you should be fine. They where basically held up by the pocket clip in the end of it. This is how I did it. I put all the pen magnets on then we rotated the cam compressing the pen magnets so when the lifter went up I pushed on the end of the pen magnet down so the clip sort of hooked in the edge of the lifter hole. when the cam is rotated more the lifter stays up held by the magnet. The new cams slid in with no problem.
Originally Posted by SweeTbone
You don't *have* to, but if you are in there in wouldn't hurt. My "cam only" swap turned into H/C when a lifter would not stay up at all. No matter what type of dowel was in the block, lifter was making contact with cam. Decided to pull heads and upgrade. $20 for the 4 lifters trays is pretty good piece of mind. If you think you might go another route with your cam in a couple of years (I.E. Bigger cam), then replace them IMO.
