tdrex,

not counting the cam bearing swap, how long did all of this take you?

The first break I'll have to do this is Thanksgiving break, but it might need to wait until Christmas break if it'll take more than 4 days to lock it down.

I need new heads as well (very small coolant leak, and constant stumble that I've run through about everything else on), and I figured if I have the engine torn down that much, I might as well cam it and slap on some headers. Talked to the guys at Hughes today and they suggested the Mag-1 heads with the 2.02 intake ports would handle about anything I could do with the 5.2 engine. They also suggested the towing cam for that engine to get maximum benefit as a DD, so that and the Gibson shorty's seem to be on the list for Christmas.

 

sounds like a nice setup your shooting for aim. thats kind of what i would be looking into down the line, but I've also had thoughts of... "if im going down that far and doing a top end, im mise well just buy a stroked shortblock to slap all of that on. My question aim is... can you get away with that towing cam and not have to tune your truck?

 

You might be able to, you'd have to ask the guys at Hughes to be sure.

I have an SCT tuner, so if hemifever can get it running, I can take it to a Dyno to get it dialed in.

 

Squirrels explained it very well. Degreeing in a cam is really all about making sure the valve timing is as intended by the cam manufacturer. I suppose if you are a master engine builder, you can choose to advance or retard the timing for added hp or torque, but I'm not there yet! The gauge is actually a one inch dial indicator that can read out in .001" increments. I used it to find true TDC and to measure tappet lift. When using the dial indicator and degree wheel, you actually watch the dial indicator and then note the cam lobe position in crankshaft degrees. The hardest part about performing this exercise is just setting up. Having a magnetic base for the dial indicator and a crank socket for the degree wheel really helps!

Squirrels, if you are able to put your truck in the garage so you can work on it day or night and you have all of your parts/supplies ready to go, I think you could make the cam and head swap in four days time. I'm literally doing my project in the driveway under the shade of an oak tree, lol, so I'm limited to a few daylight hours after work and on the weekends. The reason I don't bring out the flood lights at night is this time of year I would attract every mosquito in the neighborhood! I'm lucky because I have another truck to drive while I work on this one.

 

That's good to know, I've got the top end tear down to remove the intake manifold down. Could probably bust that out in about 3 hours.

My b***est concern will be getting the manifolds off, but I guess it doesn't matter if I bust a bolt, since the heads are coming out anyway. Just gotta be careful not to bust a head bolt off in the block.

What's your advice for pulling the cam to make sure I don't drop a lobe on the bearing? Found a couple of really good articles on cam swaps, but none gave tips on actually removing the cam itself, other than "Don't drop it on a bearing, or that'll suck big time". That Snap-On tool is like $210.

Hopefully mosquitoes won't be a problem in Nov. because the driveway is my DIY home as well. I'll have all of Wed, none of Thanksgiving Thursday, All Fri, Sat, and Sunday to finish.

 

Squirrels, you are at the mercy of the weather like I am. If Ike comes in near Corpus, that will blow any chance I have of working on my truck this weekend.

If it is the exhaust manifolds you are concerned about, start hitting the bolts with PB about a week before the teardown. I was amazed at how well that product works on rusty exhaust bots. Also, I wouldn't worry about breaking a head bolt off in the block. The head bolts and the mains bolts are the most substantial bolts in the engine. Use the longest 1/2" breaker bar you have for the best leverage and 6 point socket if you have one.

The best advise I can give on pulling the cam: pull the disty first and then raise up on the oil pump/disty drive gear so it disengages from the cam gear. Thread in a long 7/16" bolt (approx. 18") or allthread into the cam gear bolt hole. With two hands, balance the cam at the front and rear of your allthread. Use your front hand at cam bearing #1 as a fulcrum and hold the cam horizontal by applying downward pressure pressure on the end of the allthread with your back hand. In other words, you do not want the cam to suddenly drop when the journals first clear the bearings. There may be some resistance when you first pull on it, so go easy and kind of twist/pull until it comes free. When you get the cam pulled out enough to hold on to it without the long bolt, unscrew the bolt and draw out the cam in the same manner. Try to let the cam rest on its journals when you have to let go of it. The trick is not to let it nick or slam down on a cam bearing.

I still have my cam bearing tool set, and I'm willing to loan it to you for the cost of shipping if you need it, but I don't think you will.

 

Like any story, there is always "the rest of the story" (like Paul Harvey says). When I tried to install the new cam after replacing #4 bearing, it was very tight and it took two hands to turn the cam. So after a little research, I decided the best plan of action was to polish down the new bearing with a Norton Bear Pad which I just happened to have. I used WD40 and the pad and just kind of "wet-sanded" the inside of the bearing as evenly as possible by hand. I wrapped duct tape around my fingers after developing blisters from working through just the oval slot in the valley, lol. After much polishing and fitting, I was able to get the cam to turn freely with one hand. Not the ideal way to go about things, but satisfied with the way it turned out. Next: degree in cam and install heads, front cover, water pump, and balancer. The next major battle will be the kegger mod.


I don't believe a cam bearing should be that tight.
You sure you used the right bearing for that position?

 

Yes. I bought an entire set and used the correct bearing for #4. In the case of a normal engine rebuild invovling a small or big block Chevy, I would have to agree with you. However, this is a Chrysler with 97k on the clock and the first engine I've ever worked on with progressively sized cam bearings. The only reason I can think of that they would design it that way would be to keep the cam thrusting against the thrust plate instead of the rear of the block. I didn't like the clearance on the bearing after I installed it so that's why I polished it down a thousandth or so. When I was done, you could turn the cam easily with one hand and "spin" it about half a turn. Like I said before, not what I would call ideal, but the best I can expect in this situation.

 

Thanks for the offer, I might just take you up on that if needed. Got a few months before it's even a concern.

 

so hows the swap going?