Before i tear into my LT1 i want to do it safely. I am not going to lie...my engine has been through a lot of crap...track, harsh downshifts, and a lot of beating. Before i start really upgrading it i want to make sure that the internals can handle it.

Are there any tests that i can do that will insure the strength of the internals of the motor? I already know when i start modifying the car...it will find the weakest link in the car - (in my case its the clutch/rear end)

I am thinking of a xe 224/230 cam, 1.6rr's, 52mm tb, mac mid-length headers, slp clutch, plus the mods in my sig.

So what do you think i should do before i throw the cam and headers on?

 

You could do a compression test or a leakdown test. Have you had any issues with burning oil or losing coolant? ANy coolant smells. Also when you pull out the stock cam you can look at the cam bearings to make sure they are still o.k. They will be worn but I believe if they still have their silver color & not tinted like they are getting to hot or they are not to worn or scratched then you should be o.k. In a perfect world I would have replaced all my cam bearings but when on a budget you have to take some chances. You will see not many do change the bearings.

 

i was burning water when i blew a head gasket, but i replaced the head gasket and bought new heads so that fixed the problem. How would i do a leak down test? How much are cam bearings?

 

Cam bearings are about $40 but you would have to pull the motor to R&R them. Just make sure when you take out the cam you do it nice and slow and be carefull not to gouge or score the bearings. Do not use any force if it gets stuck.

 

would you say a average mechanically inclinded person could do a cam swap? i did a opti without a problem. And i have good instructions for the cam swap. Do you think i should try it...or just get it installed????

 

ttt

 

If you have alternate means of transportation, dive in there!

Just don't get hung up on how long it takes and do everything by the book. You should be alright.

 

I have seen posts by people on here that did cam swaps that had never been inside a motor before or done much real mechanical work. They did it. I don't see why you can't. There is enough good info on the 'net to get you through. A factory manual would contain all the info you need, too. If you are decent at turning a wrench, you should be ok.

The compression test would be a good idea if you want to get an idea of combustion chamber sealing.

 

ttt

 

Your gonna get in trouble if you keep ttt-ing this thread.

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...&threadid=5485

 

I didn't have much mechanical knowledge, but I did have a spare car. The hardest thing I ever did before the cam swap was throw on some SLP shorties and that was a pain. Take your time and don't stress...if I got stuck on something I would just say screw it and tackle it another day or post on here for help. Thats probably why it took me a month I used these websites as a guide...pretty informative:
http://www.afrashteh.com/guide/install.htm
http://www.streetillusionsracing.com...ll/Cam/cam.htm

 

How long should the swap take me. I am doing it over spring break with nothing else to do. So basically I can work on the car 24/7. What's the book hours on it. I am changing plugs/wires as well.

 

what kind of valve spring compressor would i need?

 

You can get one at sears for about $15. It's a OHV spring compressor on the automotive isle.

 

Or you can get the loan-a-tool from AutoZone that you can return when you are done and get your $$ back.