Thake618

Well, i picked up a 96 camaro a couple weekends ago with 30,000 one owner miles. It was stored for a little (in a warm garage) and not driven. As a result and as expected a few seals were compromised (i knew this going into it) but i couldn't pass up the deal. I originally thought rear main and something on the front side, however i was partially wrong. One of the culprits was a rear manifold and the other im assuming is a water pump drive seal which is too small to pinpoint even with die, could be behind the opti as well. Anyways got the intake fixed and checked over things after a few drives (die still in the oil) and saw some UV weeping from my passenger manifold side head. nothing above or below. things are tight but i can see it on the gasket. anyhow instead of doing it in the car i want to pull the motor and take care of everything

For the fun part.....WHILE IM AT IT. i would like to do a nice cam. something that is good sounding and will give some decent power but safe on a factory block. I dont really want to have head work done aside from maybe checking them for trueness. here is where you guys come in.....

I'm looking at sending my heads to Lloyd Elliot to do his le1 or le2 head and cam combination I talked to him on the phone today for 25 minutes and he answered alot of questions. What do I need in addition to his loaded head setup and cam. Aside from the obvious. I know I need roller rockers but what kind? Special size? What about push tubes and guide plates? Am I missing anything Lol? I plan on doing other stuff arp headstuds, valve covers etc but I wanna make sure I have what I need at once. I'm going with a 223.231.557.571. 112 lsa stick he said will sound similar to a cc503 with added power benifits, etc
Is anyone able to send me some ideas? This is my first time tearing into one of these and I have some great guidance for assembly and there's tons of info I just wanna get .y ducks in a row so this is more enjoyable than not lol...

BY the way this will not be a daily driver, but something to have some fun with on the weekends and cruise around in and take to car shows etc.

Thanks!

DrewHMS97SS

If the mileage on the car is that low, I wouldn't personally jump this far into it unless you want to go more drastic on the bottom end. You can do a head cam swap in the car with much less hassle. For the power levels you are taking, I also wouldn't bother with head studs as there will be no benefit and it makes it so you cannot get the heads off in the car.

I would bet the LE would recommend 1.6 rockers. Brand is totally up to you, and there are a number of quality parts on the market. I am personally running CompCams Promags, and haven't had any trouble with them. I have heard good things about Crane and Scorpion as well.

Guide plates are a good idea, especially if you are looking for higher revs, and I would also ensure that the rocker studs in the heads are upgraded from 3/8 to 7/16. For the push rods, you will need to use a length checker when the top end is together to ensure you get the proper length. CC: http://www.compcams.com/Technical/In...20Geometry.pdf

Good luck and welcome to the forum!

Thake618

thanks for the welcome and the Info. The motor needs resealed so why it's out I wanna do the head and cams I wanna do it right. From what I'm reading fuel injectors, and timing chain will be required. As for the arp studs, they are torque to yield bolts so I'm thinking it was just a durable upgrade. Correct me if I'm wrong.

DrewHMS97SS

Stock bolts are torque to yield, but unless you are doing high compression, high HP, the studs are over kill, and could cause you limitations later.

Check the valve connecting to the rear of the passenger side valve cover for leaks. Also, the WP seal isn't that bad (especially if you already did the intake manifold). I would do that seal 4-5 times before pulling the engine.

Plus, while doing the heads/CAM, you are touching pretty much everything that can leak oil, minus the RMS. Is the RMS leaking? Unless you are doing work to the short block, I would not pull the engine.

Thake618

you dont think (pull the motor)?? i think the time it would take to pull the motor would make putting the valve train and everything together so much easier, changing seals on the front of the motor, removal of the heads with the steam pipe, as well as headers and manifold install. plus my k member has a dent in it and its not anything that affects the handling. THE REAR MAIN SEAL IS NOT LEAKING.....fingers crossed

DrewHMS97SS

If you're not doing anything to the short block, I would not pull the engine. If the RMS is not leaking, that is even less to do.

I just did the intake manifold and all the front seals myself with the engine in the car, which was not that bad (search 1997 Project if you want to see). I do have a tubular kmember, which gives extra access to the oil pan, but there are plenty of people who have done the oil pan in the car. I don't feel that the there is much benefit to having the engine out for the front cover. 2 of the 3 seals can be replaced with the cover off the car, and since the water pump seal is towards the top, there is only a small benefit where it's easier to hammer the seal in because there is nothing in the way. I was able to do it without pulling the radiator, but I did remove the fans.

Thake618

You don't think setting the valvtrain. Installing pushrods, etc will be an issue In the body.

Chimera96

Doing H/C with motor in car can be done.....but you will need to move radiator and AC condenser out of the way to get enough clearance to insert a cam which can be tricky

with that said doing it with motor on engine stand makes all that easier & faster. Pulling the motor though would offset that time though as that is no small job in itself

One advantage of pulling the motor is you can then paint & detail the motor and engine bay

FWIW I pulled my motor for a H/C swap so I could work on motor on stand

Thake618

another factor is I am using my buddies garage and I would rather have an engine on a stand then a while car taking up garage space. Tough call....lol

DrewHMS97SS

Nope. I did the intake and valve train in the car when I first built the car. And as stated before, I did the front cover, seals, intake, steam pipe, oil pan and just about everything else you are talking about with the engine in the car.

If you want to do it to do it, or because you want to change something on the bottom end, pull the engine. But if the goal is to fix an oil leak and a head/cam swap, pulling the engine is excessive IMHO.

Injuneer

If you insist on removing the engine, it's actually easier to "drop" the engine out the bottom. That's the way the factory manual shows. There are online writeups/photos on the procedure. You don't even need a lift. Unbolt the K-member (and of course a lot of wiring and plumbing) and pull the nose of the car up with an engine hoist or overhead hoist. Block the nose in the air with a tower of 2x4's. Roll the engine anywhere you want it, since the wheels/tires will still be there.

https://www.camaroz28.com/forums/lt1...-guide-429689/

Good procedure for cam removal/install.

Courtesy of Shoebox.

4th Gen LT1 F-body Cam Removal

4th Gen LT1 F-body Cam Install

Thake618

yepp, i love that website, im going to post a shopping list thread here soon so i can get some opinions on what i need and dont need. i have everything together but might have to much or be missing somthing lol