im having trouble figuring out what needs to be done for this. im debating buying the parts individually or the crane kit,however i have stock heads and dont wanna take them to a machine shop to see what the spring height should be set to. can anyone tell me the simplest way to get springs retainers and locks installed without screwing around with micrometers or calipers or something to get the shims set perfectly. this is a DD so im not looking for optimum HP. just a weekend cam swap in my garage for a little more fun.

BTW, the machinist i talked to today said not to use any shims at all so i dont put too much pressure on them. what you guys think about options i should take.... i need to know what springs, retainers and locks to buy along with shims, if any at all.

 

what cam is it?
You need to know that first....I don't know the stock installed height...1.78"?

Talk to someone that knows valvetrains and they can lead you in the right direction after you pick the cam

 

will most likely be the comp 503. with the crane 10308 kit i beleive it is. stock heads and 1.6 SA 3/8 rockers.

 

well I'm not familiar with that kit...you probly wont need to shim it tho if its a kit

 

I'de be carefull with those crane springs, I think they are the reason my gm846 started coming apart on a lobe, I had close to 160lbs of seat pressure on them.

 

wtf, ive heard tons of people have good luck with them.lol

 

Well at 1.85" they have 130 lbs on the seat and chances are you won't have them at 1.85".

 

would not using the shims with them be a better idea?

 

Then the springs would eat right through the heads, make sure you check the installed height with them, dont just bolt them up and hope they are ok.

 

i have the crane kit on my car, everything that came with it is on there

 

Get that kit and you should be fine. The "shims" you're talking about are called locators and come with the kit.

 

Nope they are shims, thats part of the reason why the kit is so cheap. Some people use the comp hardware with the crane springs, thats what I did atleast. I'm running 918's right now though...

 

Oh, that uses the stock locators? New to me.

 

hmmmm. so theres the head, the "locator" is this the same as a shim? then the spring, retainer and locks obviously right?

can anyone else verify that the kit is a drop in/ bolt in kit with the 503?

 

No, they simply use shims, flat shims, not seats or locators.