ok so i bought a cc305 from summit and i took it out of the package today and i noticed two things...first off the dowel pin is probably about twice the size of the stock dowel pin and.... second the pin seems to be bent a little since its on a slight angle...i put the timing gear on and it went on fine...can i use the cam? is that extra length going to make a difference? also is it ok that is bent?

and as far as the cam bolts can i re use them? im hearing horror stories about them breaking..

 

Hey dude!
The pin is just longer, right? Not fatter? Those cams are made so the pins can be set to the correct depth needed for your application. You should be able to gently tap the pin into the hole to the correct depth. If it looks crooked, it's probably just nearly all the way out of the hole, and is slightly cocked off to one side. I found an old thread here on the board with these specs:
93-94 dowel pin .320
95-97 dowel pin .685
This is from gm blue prints.
This is the length the pin will protrude from the front face of the cam. The pin itself is probably 1" or so, and the hole it is in will be drilled deep enough for you to set it to your length, or at least that's what I recall with the Comp Cams I've worked with

 

PS The cam bolts, I've never heard of one breaking, but bolts are cheap and it's good insurance. There's lots of stress on the valvetrain components, better safe than sorry

 

ok well i called summit and they are sending me a new one...it for piece of mind..

 

Make sure the pin length is like your old one. Tap it in or grind it down if you have to. The pin is sized to fit various years and it is your responsibility to make the length correct.

 

I have a cc306... with the pin tapped all the way in, I still had to cut a slight bit off which I did with a dremel tool.

 

ok so i know this is an old thread but i since have made the pin the right size....but since my car has the unvented opti isnt the pin useless????? i know the never style uses the pin to drive the opti but i wan more info....how does the newer opti work in conjunction to the cam...any pics would be awesome since now my mind really really wants to figure this out

 

I know you have been referred to pics on my site many, many times.
http://shbox.com/1/opti_back.jpg

Nearly all cams use a dowel pin to positively locate the cam gear. Dowel pins were used long ago before an opti was a thought in an engineer's head.

 

I can't seem to find a new pin. Picked up a later model LT1 with vented opti, swapping to my 94 type distributor. I can't get the short one out of my old motor. Got the long one out of the 97 motor, and don't want to cut it. As I undertsand it, the later style timing cover is what I need to run the LS style coil set-up. So don't want to cut the pin, as I may need it later. I'm going to check around today, since it's my first day off. I tried just tapping it in, but it bottoms and is still too long. It's about an inch. Pretty sure the one I need should be about 3/4".

 

There is nothing wrong with cutting the pin. It's a common practice.

 

A machine shop should have a small slide hammer that can grab the pin safely and pull it out.