doing a cam swap pretty soon, but i want to buy a good valve spring compressor.

For those who have done a cam swap with the motor still in the car please recomend which type/brand/price/where you got it valve spring compressor

thank you all!!!!

 

stud mount type works really well for most of the springs. A screw type is needed for under the cowl

 

i bought one of the lever or stud mount type for the ones you can get to and then rented a screw type. the stud mount is definitely the better compressor IMO.. the screw compressor we used was a piece.

 

go to sears and get the one thta is very small and will fit on under the cowl. Its a twist type.

 

I say forget the leverage type, I tryed using it and it sucked compared to the screw on type. If the heads were off the leverage one would work great, but you've got to really push the thing while trying to put in the clips. The screw type takes longer cause your screwing it on, but it stays put and you don't have to worry about it wobbling around or anything. The screw type is about 15 bucks from autozone, any auto store should have on that works.

 

I used a Lislie brand one from pep boys. 15 bucks, maybe a lil
more.

edit*actually i don't remember the price, not i'm thinking it was 29 or something*

The lever didn't work for crap, too much friction and not a long enough leverage arm. It worked fine with the supplied bolt and a socket. I took a grinder to mine and put in a 1/4 " longer bolt i had, and now it works even better.

gl
-brent

 

Maybe you guys got ahold of a cheap lever tool. The one i was using was butter, easy to compress (big springs too), and once the handle was down it locked down until you uncompressed it.

The screw type on the other hand was a POS. I had to ghetto rig the thing for it to even compress the innner spring, and use a big washer for it to grab the retainer straight.

 

http://moroso.com/catalog/categorydi...?catcode=27035
I was going to destroy my car until I found this...you just need to take it apart and put it back together for #7 and #8(if I remember).

 

I use the KD screw type and it works well for me...I think I paid about $40 for it.

 

I used the KD too, p/n 3271. It's the same one Snap On sells. You can take off the **** and turn it with a wrench. I don't know how well it would work with double springs, though.

 

KD????

Where do I get that?

is this it?

Valve Spring Compressor

 

Yes, that's it. That's a good price, too.

 

This is the best. The pros I know use it. It costs a little more but is much easier to use than the screw types. I have two of the screw type that collect dust since I gothe Moroso stud mount. You can reach all 16 springs on a LT1 f-body with this compressor!!

 

where do you get the moroso one?

 

Here is a VERY crude drawing i made up of the tool i made to do LT1's basically it was made out of a 2" wide 1/8" thick piece of steel.I cut a slot in the front that would fit on the retainer but allow he keepers to come out,and drilled a hole that fits onto the rocker stud itself..The other end lays against the valve cover rail and uses that for the leverage..
Turn motor to TDC,use your air fitting int he spark plug hole to hol the valve up then..Pull the rocker off then Just put it on the spring you want to remove,use one of the stock nuts "or a nut that fits on the rocker stud" and tighten it down.That will compress the valve spring and you can use a magnet to pull the keepers out..i had to use a flatblade screwdriver on a few of them to pry the retainer a lil to get both keepers out..But it took me way less then 1 hour to do all the springs with this tool..


Again the drawing is very crude i did it in MSpaint..I think i might keep my day job and not become an artist,..lol..


Steve