Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines cam swap difficulty

I am thinking about putting a diff. cam in my rebuilt 292. The engine is still out of the truck and has never been started.


This is my first engine swap and I'm honestly a little nervous about the whole thing. Changing cams just adds to the stress. I was wondering how hard is changing cams? I know that I will need to change the springs. Is it easy to screw up? What do i need to watch out for? How much harder would it be to change cams later, after the engine is in my truck?

Thanks.

A Motors Manual or Chiltons Manual or Haynes manual that covers your trucks 292 engine will take you step by step through the process. A new cam should come with some installation tips and you want to go by that where it may be different from what a shop manual may say.

Definitely do the cam swap while the engine is out and on a stand, especially if it is your first ever cam swap. You'll be able to concentrate on the job itself instead of maybe having to work around a clearance problem that can arise with it still in the chassis. Remember these cams are quite a bit longer than a V engine cam and things like radiator supports and grilles tend to all of a sudden be in the way.

Keep in mind that cams for a 292 are not the same as a cam for a 250 or smaller engine so be sure your new cam is for the 292. You'll also need the cam gear pressed onto the new cam and it is best to buy a new cam gear to do this. Have this done at a shop that knows how to do it correctly and save yourself a ton of grief.

Be Sure The Gear is HEATED esp. if it is a ALUM Gear If Not It will come back off. The stock fiber gear does not need Nor should it be heated. ONLY THE ALUM Gear .

I got my cam last week and am getting ready to make the swap. Do I measure each of the springs individually so that when I put the new ones in they are the correct height?

One thing that I learned when I built my first inline six is that if you're using the stock intake and exhaust manifolds, the cam won't make a whole lot of difference in the engine performance until you add a better intake manifold and headers. I used Clifford for both intake and headers, and when they were added, THEN the cam made a difference. It's also a good idea, if you haven't done it already, to have screw-in rocker arm studs installed by a local machine shop before using high performance valve springs on your cylinder head. And as Walt was saying, make sure you follow the cam manufacturer's break-in instructions to the letter when you fire up the motor the first time. That should give you a happy and responsive engine.

64NovaWagon - I have an offy and 390 holley that will be going on eventually. I plan on buying the stovebolt headers too.

I pulled the head off on Sunday. I am going to bring the head to the same shop that is putting the gear on so that they can install the springs for me too. This is what I found.



That means that the engine was bored .040 over, right?

also, whats up with this? The washers and sealant were on two headbolts that were next to each other.

Seems to be a verry clean engine, no sludge no carbon bild up. Have you claened it or is it what you found? If you haven`t cleaned it it looks like it saw not many miles since the last rebuild.

Yes thats 04 over. I´, not to familar with the later engines but are you sure it should not have flat top pistons??

If I remember right on those "modern" engines some bolts run thru water, thats the reasen for the sealant.

Get Leo Santucci`s inlien power book. That answers all your questions on rebuilding this stovebolts plus some wild ideas

Frank

"D" cut dished pistons are normal for a 292 L-22 series L6.

Make **** sure they check 4 things when they install the springs:

1) compressed height
2) installed height
3) seat pressure
4) open pressure

Installed height - compressed height MUST be more than the max. cam lift + at least 0.030" (0.050" is better) otherwise your going to have all kinds of grief with bent parts.

The reccomended open and set spring pressures should be on the cam card.

well the last week has been unproductive in terms or getting closer to done with my truck.

I was looking at the front camshaft bearing. I THOUGHT I was careful when taking out the old camshaft, but there are a couple of gouges in it. I had a friend help me pull it out. He was surprised that I messed up the bearings. Should I bring the block to a shop to see if they need to be replaced, or should I post pics so that you can look at them?

The shop called me today and said that the new springs I got for the head are crap (too much variance between them, 25-30 lbs). He said the used springs that were on the head when I brought it to him are in better shape. I spoke with J. Cantrell, who is the owner of the company(http://www.schneidercams.com/), and he of course thought the mechanic is full of it. I asked if he'd send me a new set before I sent the old ones back (so I don't have to wait as long), but he hasn't gotten back to me yet.

I should be getting the head back tomorrow, with the new set of springs installed. So I guess it is time to start putting it back together.

I have a steel gasket for the head(see below). As you can see, there is sealant on the backside of it. What should I use to clean it off, acetone? What kind of selant should I use when I put the new one on?


I am a little worried about the surface of the block. It doesn’t really show up in the pictures, but there are little groves in it where it was milled. I can feel them with my fingernail. I am assuming that there was a nick or something in the blade. Should I have someone look at this for me?



How much should I assemble the rebuild before I put it into the truck? How/where is the best place to hook the hoist to it?