Any one do their own Cam install?

[Swang&Bang713]

I want to order the rest of the parts soon but i was just wondering has anybody actually done the install themselves? What are the steps you had to take? Any special tools that i will need or any complicated thing that wouldnt be worth doing it myself?

A friend of mine works in a shop and has done a few installs to these cars but has mentioned draining the raditator and A/C compressor? Also what did you do about the tuning situation? Di you have it towed to the dyno? Is it even driveable? as much information i can get about it would help. If it gets to be too much to handle i will have his shop do the install because of the convinience, my main thing is that i just want to learn the process and get involved in the install as much as i can

[caverman]

Go through this one.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125123

[AngelSpeedFreak]

Originally Posted by caverman

Go through this one.

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=125123

This...... Great write up, a little advanced for me I am afraid.

[Kiowa88]

I just recently did the G6X3 cam swap with the help of RobertWay's swap guide. That'll answer most, if not all if your questions.

Yes you have to drain the radiator but it's EXTREMELY straight forward and easy.

I was able to drive my car prior to the tune but still towed it to the shop. It drove fine other than dying at idle all the time.

If you plan on swapping the valve springs, I'd invest in the Crane valve spring remover/installer. It removes both the intake and exhaust springs at the same time. Kinda pricey but money well spent. I believe the part number.

My experience level before this was headers so it was pretty basic. It wasn't too hard, just some sets require an extreme level of attention to detail. But like I said, RobertWay's guide will get you there.

[greenmachinedriver]

the worst part for the diy'er would be evacuating the a/c so that the condensor can be removed but i read a diy once where they just lifted it out of the way with the lines still atached. not shure if i like te idea of flexing the lines that far but i guess it works, other than that having torque wrenches, a puller for the crank pulley and a way to remove the crank bolt ie: a good impact and shop air. not shure how others have done it but i know they have. ive done a few but they have all been done in a shop with access to all the right tools.

[MRGOODWRENCH3]

All due respect but if your main concern is draining the radiator and evacuating the A/C system maybe all you should be doing is driving and maybe adding fuel. A cam swap is not for you. Pay a professional.

[fourmz]

I've done a complete cam swap with the help of the thread above and Heineken. Not hard to do but not for the timid either.

[bluetorp]

Depends on how mechanically inclined you are. The linked walkthrough is very good. Have a look at it and see if you feel comfortable with everything. Nothing really difficult, IMO. The first time is always the roughest. The first cam swap I did on my LS1 took somewhere upwards of 8 hours, but I can have one out and in in less than half that now. Especially if I'm not swapping springs.

[mikeSS]

my personal thoughts is that, instructions can only go so far. you honestly have to have some mechanical knowledge or have a friend that does help. there is no way i could trust a cam job but my self. so if you are in doubt have a shop do it.

[Rogan]

I've done a cam swap on a Vette and a 4th gen. However I will have someone do this as I don't want to bother with AC stuff.

[MikeOD]

Originally Posted by greenmachinedriver

a puller for the crank pulley and a way to remove the crank bolt ie: a good impact and shop air. not shure how others have done it but i know they have

If it's a stick shift car, you can get the crank bolt out without an impact...just put the car in 4th gear (definitely NOT in first), set the parking brake tight, and put a big breaker bar on a socket...it'll come free. A real nice impact gun definitely does make it easier/faster though.

[1977and2010]

I did mine with Robertway's diy, its great. I printed out the pdf file and took it with me into the garage. You do NOT have to evac the AC system. This was my first cam swap in an LS motor and I must say it wasn't that bad. It took me a couple days but I took my time and it all went together fine. I also got to fix the factory leaking valve cover gasket.

As far as the tuning part goes I drove mine to the tuner about 30 miles away. Its doable just a pain because it wanted to die at every stop, but I knew that was going to happen. I just kept the windows up, there were a lot of people giving me weird looks.

[bluetorp]

Originally Posted by Rogan

I've done a cam swap on a Vette and a 4th gen. However I will have someone do this as I don't want to bother with AC stuff.

No AC stuff to bother with. Lines stay connected, you just dismount the condenser from the radiator so you can shift it out of the way.

The toughest part really is usually the crank bolt. Make sure you get a good breaker bar and a nice length of pipe to slip over it for more leverage.

If you get a crappy spring compressor, swapping those out can be a headache as well.

[Bell040]

Originally Posted by greenmachinedriver

the worst part for the diy'er would be evacuating the a/c so that the condensor can be removed ....

Please do not do this.

...


Cam install took me three days in my garage. In all it cost me ~$1000 parts/special tools/fluids + $400 tune.

first day: very careful part removal to get to the cam (labeled baggies, pictures)...
next day: cam swap/spring swap/partial button-up...
last day: finishing touches and fluids.

Well worth it.

Originally Posted by 1977and2010

I did mine with Robertway's diy, its great. I printed out the pdf file and took it with me into the garage. You do NOT have to evac the AC system. This was my first cam swap in an LS motor and I must say it wasn't that bad. It took me a couple days but I took my time and it all went together fine. I also got to fix the factory leaking valve cover gasket.

As far as the tuning part goes I drove mine to the tuner about 30 miles away. Its doable just a pain because it wanted to die at every stop, but I knew that was going to happen. I just kept the windows up, there were a lot of people giving me weird looks.

+1

Use the epic DIY thread... print out the PDF... do not skip steps or do them out of order (unless you are not swapping the chain...I didn't). I tried to do 1 step out of order ... I put the spark plugs back in too soon and the engine wouldn't turn for a later step... from then on out I realized how good Robert's DIY actually is.