Keep a close eye on your oil pressure if you are going to put it back together like that. Mine was low after I put mine back together. I later found out it was due to a bad cam bearing. Just got my rebuilt shortblock back yesterday.

 

Meh, mine was worse when I rebuilt and I let it ride. 2 seasons later still have good oil pressure and it makes 290/330 with just exhaust and cone filter on a dynojet. I keep telling myself I'm going to yank to motor to redo cam bearings, but there's always a billion other projects hogging my time and money.

 

I hear ya. Money pits. The bearing is in spec barely, so cam is going in. Dont have the time/money to pull the shortblock and have a machine shop go over it. Hoping for 320rwhp/340rwtq. Its a LE 215/224 cam, 1.6 roller rockers, pac 1218 springs, 3 angle valve job stock heads, comp lifters, mac mid headers, catless y pipe, meziere ewp, cai, and mail order Solomon tune. Keeping rpms below 5500 most of the time, its a DD and hopefully it will last a couple years before grenading lol.

 

Be sure and be super clean with the install and hopefully things will go well.

 

My first cam swap the bearings looked like that too. Ran for a long time as my daily driver. Good luck!

 

OP, if I can make a suggestion - reach out to Moe Bailey for your tune instead of Solomon. I've used PCM Performance (x2), Solomon (3x), PCM For Less (rip off artists) and Moe Bailey.

Moe is hand's down the best, and he's cheaper than almost all of them to boot.
moehorsepower@peoplepc.com

 

Thanks for the advice. I will keep it clean, change the oil a bunch of times in the first few hundred miles. I will check out moe bailey. Hey transbird, did your bearings have any chips in them like mine has? Thats what worries me.

 

Well, you're going to run it as-is, so why worry? I mean, it'll go for a while or it won't - there's only one way you'll find out.

 

I just looked at my spare block. Same chip in the same place looks factory.

 

Lmao!!! I wish it was a stock chip. Maybe i should sand it slightly so it isnt sharp at least!!!

 

Well then we have a very amazing coincidence or I am not looking at the same place. There is a small cut out spot on my #1 bearing just like yours. It doesnt look broken on mine. I just googled lt1 cam bearing and saw many pics with the same thing. Hope this helps.

 

Is it circular like mine ???? I see the rectangular cut out towards the front of the motor but my circular chip is towards the backupper left. You have a pic? Thanks for the info though.

 

FWIW my front stock cam bearing has a 1/2 circle on the inside edge at about the 10 o'clock position

it does not have the nicks on the bearing face like OP's

IMHO I would not try and sand any bearing

 

I agree.

There are certain circumstances where you might need to very carefully polish the surface, but in general I think it's best not to disturb the bearing surface.

 

Very cool. So the half circle on the inside edge is normal. No worries then. Time to lube the cam up, soak the new lifters and go for the install.

 

215/224 billet cam installed with lots of lucas assembly lube! Soaking lifters in mineral spirits, then assembly lube on the rollers, and a quick splash of oil on them and in they go tonight.