304 How hard is it to change a 5lt Cam?

[VrWagz1]

Since the op question seems to have been answered,im gonna hijack this thread and ask..How hard is it to pull the whole motor out with an engine crane (i dont have a hoist or a decent shed to put up a comalong) and is it just easier to do it with the trans still attached(save the hassel of taking it off in the car). I have been told i will need to loosen the k frame as its a very tight squeeze and the few mm you get dropping the k frame makes all the differance.

 

[eaton v8]

i just did it last week it took more time to unplug everything than it did to pull it out engine and box

 

[greenfoam]

if ya car has a/c will u need to pull condenser out as well to fit cam or is there enough room once radiator is out?

Not sure but I think I've read someone saying it just needs a little bending when undone and you have room

 

[VrWagz1]

i just did it last week it took more time to unplug everything than it did to pull it out engine and box

So theres not alot in it then. Did you have any issues undoing the a/c compressor. Did you leave the power steer pump in too or did you have to disonnect the lines off it.

 

[eaton v8]

i took the battery out and then put the power steer pump over there out of the way still connected. as for the air con it went ages ago so i took it off but i think foam is right about the bending bit or just leave it in the engine bay when you take the rest out. no need to undo the k frame. the only bit i will say is take off the engine mounts and then it will come out.

 

[2INIL8]

Ive done it plenty of times,done it 5 hours start to finish.
takes longer for springs,i always used compressed air with a fiiting
that screws into the spark plug hole lot easier than trying to stuff things
in the cylinder to hold the valves up.takes about an hour.
cams are easy its just making sure you use lots of moly lube on
camlobes and lifter bases and lots of oil on cam journals and bearings.
timing i mark the dizzy b4 removal and have it on tdc no1 cyl on compression stroke.
(both valves closed).alot of poeople have the dizzy 180 to actual timing
and you can deplete the moly grease by cranking too much as well as a nice backfire.
The idea is to start it straight up and have instant oil pressure and
run in for 20-30 min at 2000-3000 rpm.
hydraulic cams are a bit more forgiving and dont have big spring pressures etc
but solid cams require a lil more attention and run in without the inner spring
due to the big springs pressures required for double springs.
I would also reccomend use a cam break in concentrate like the
crane cams break in concentrate helps with break in and is good
insurance against lobe failure.

 

[Jayme]

Ive seen the compressed air method work well, I dont like the idea of seeding rope into the cylinder either

 

[NZVK308]

The only safe and sure way to change Valve springs is rip the heads off,if you've gone to all the trouble of removing everything (inlet/plumbing cam lifters etc..) it doesnt take much extra time to unbolt the headers and rip the heads off.Unless you using expensive high comp head gaskets like comet or copper etc (@$200 each )

 

[ari666]

the end head bolts on the drivers side of my VK are almost impossible to torque correctly in the car cos' of the vac booster/master cylinder location. the compressor in the spark plug trick works a treat. no better way to do it imo. soz but i would much rather drop the engine than take a head off again in-car.

 

[Immortality]

if your real bothered, turn the engine over by hand so the each cylinder is on the compression stroke @ TDC. that way it's impossible to drop a valve into the cylinder. just pull all the spark plugs to begin with so it's easier to turn the engine over