Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines cam gear

I have read that you can drill and tap the end of the L6 cam to retain the cam gear but I have not found how you dril it can it be done will a hand drill or does it need to be done in a drill press??

When you buy thecam you can have them drill &tap the center. Now if your talking about drilling and tapping it where the gear & cam mate yes you could do it with a hand drill. BUT it would be much safer to do on a drill press and You would also be sure the Hole Is in true alignment(square,level) how ever you want to look at it.

If the end of the cam is or has been drilled You will need a specail washer & bolt.Plus the timing cover will need a small mod to clear the bolt&washer. If you drill the matting edge you can just use a 1/4inch alen screw.

It's a job best done in a lathe. Makes it easier to center the hole and drill parallel to the shaft. It can be done with a hand drill, but it's easy to mess up the hole.

Most sixes don't require the bolt, they don't spin fast enough to throw off the gear if it's been installed properly by heating the gear and dropping it on the camshaft.

Im bolting them from now on, I had one come loose last year. The thrust washer shattered to bits and was in the pan, so I can't be sure if the thrust washer busted because gear came loose, or if the gear came loose first, and caused the washer to go. Either way the bolt can't hurt, but I do recomend having a machine shop do it.

Dan