Cam Swap Question

[Austen Leach]

When removing the camshaft to install a new one do you have to remove the valve covers and rocker arms if you aren't going to be replacing the springs?

 

[mikeyss]

You must remove the rockers so that the push rods can come out. You won't be able to remove/install the cam while the pushrods are still in.

 

[OR VietVet]

Lifters need to come out too. Intake needs to come off. Make sure to put the lifters back in the same hole but if it was me I would do the cam, lifters and pushrods at the same time.

 

[Mechanic421]

Which engine? 4.8,5.3,6.0,6.2 roll engine over with no valve train and trays hold lifters up. And you can change out cam. But old school small block remove intake to remove lifter.

 

[OR VietVet]

Which engine? 4.8,5.3,6.0,6.2 roll engine over with no valve train and trays hold lifters up. And you can change out cam. But old school small block remove intake to remove lifter.

Right, I am 67 after all. I am OLD SCHOOL.

 

[iamdub]

im installing a cam with .553 lift. and i was wondering if i can put a .550 valve spring in there with new valve seals, pushrods, but stock lifters. would this work and not destroy anything? its my daily and im tryign to have it run steady for a long while till i change it up. and a stock torque converter but rebuilt tranny. is there anything im missing? im just installing the following:
btr 224/230 cam stage 4 with .553"/.553" 109 lift.
texas speed .550 valve springs
texas speed push rods
rebuilt 4l60
stock converter : for now.

TSP has a .550" spring? I thought the smallest they offered was the LS6 spring which, IIRC, is .560".

That's a lot of cam for an otherwise stock 5.3 and stock converter. With that amount of duration and tight LSA, it'll be rowdy for sure.

 

[iamdub]

yeah its a good cam with a spring but would it work with no problems for now?

Really, the only way to know for sure is to have those springs measured. People tend to list spring specs three ways: What the spring actually is capable of at it's maximum designed SAFE compression limit- not coil bind, but the maximum with a "cushion". Others list what the spring binds at and others list what it's good for with a cushion on top of it's already safe rated amount.

Or, you can ask TSP. This is not something you wanna guess at.

 

[Rocket Man]

Which engine? 4.8,5.3,6.0,6.2 roll engine over with no valve train and trays hold lifters up. And you can change out cam. But old school small block remove intake to remove lifter.

You can do it this way and take your chances that a lifter doesn’t fall down but if it was me, I would do what I did and insert 1/4” steel rods through the oil gallery holes from the front of the block all the way to the back so you’re guaranteed the lifters can’t fall. And to get the lifters into the trays remove the rockers and pushrods, then spin the cam by hand quickly.

Edit: the rods need to be 5/16”, I just did the cam in my 08 Silverado and was reading up on this. I was under the impression the rods slid in under the lifters but in fact they slide in BESIDE the lifters into a groove. I’m not sure if the 1/4” is big enough, everybody said to use 5/16. But one of them won’t go in without grinding/ sanding it down a bit. I used an angle grinder to remove some material and then a DA sander to smooth it out until it slid in. IIRC it was the driver side one.

 

[iamdub]

can i torque down stock rockers all at once or does it actually really matter to put each one on base circle for intake and exhaust...or is it just easier to just do it all at once since there stock?

It's not worth the risk. It only takes a few seconds to turn the crank with a ratchet between each bolt. If you took your time to do everything else correctly with a cam swap, what's two extra minutes to ensure you don't strip any bolts and ensure they're properly torqued? Hell, it took more time for you to write your post asking than if you had just kept that ratchet in your hand. lol

 

[iamdub]

well im getting the car tuned right now and its pinging more some reason i do not know why probably starving on fuel n lean as hell but once i get it back im starting with the springs seals and pushrods then cam alittle later. but the main thing is i just need to know ive been trying to look that up just to be sure. now i know thank you

Ah. I thought you had already swapped the cam and were on the final leg of finishing up by reinstalling the heads, rockers, etc. and stopped at that exact point to ask. Made it seem like a big waste of time!