Help me install a cam

85_SS_302_Coupe

it sucks (I know) to be on the receiving end
15 Year Member
Nov 11, 2003
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Northern KY
I've never installed a cam myself....who wants to give me a basic walk-through? I have no problem tearing the engine apart as far as the front end and intake (carbureted car by the way).

I know basically you wanna pull the lifters so they don't fall down through the engine...i need to pull the dampener and crank pully too right?

Basically any pointers beyond that would be helpful. I don't like referring to the stupid Haines manual...i'd rather get advice from guys who've done it a million times. I also have a new timing chain/gear set to go on as well. I won't be going into all the cam degreeing and all that...just lining up the dots should be good enough for my setup.
 
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Kinda hard to really go through it step by step but basically just take everything off the front of the motor usually you can just take the radiator out and slide it right out the front but be really careful not to bang it around in the motor because its not hard to cost yourself alot more money real quick. I would recomend changing the water pump while you're at and every time I've done it everything i've taken off I clean real well before putting it back together.and also make sure you use plenty of assembly lube.It sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what you're doing,just be meticulous and do it right the first time it sucks to tear it apart and do it again over something small.good luck!!
 
Yeah it's one of those things that i'm fairly sure i know the ins and outs of but until you do it you really don't know jack. I can almost picture in my head an entire engine rebuild but i've never done it..ya know?
 
yeah I hear ya.just take your time and do it right like I said before and once you get into it you'll see that it's not as bad as it really sounds and also you can always come back and ask more questions if you get stuck.
 
Its easier to guide the cam out and back in the engine with a long bolt on the front for leverage, its a whole lot easier to control and you'll be less likely to knick the cam or bearings. But, I dont know how much clearance there is for a long bolt with the engine in the car though, I did mine on an engine stand.

Be carefull when pulling the timing cover, you can rip the oil pan gasket, but I would prolly RTV the gasket was still in one peice.
 
Also be sure there is 2 notches that are on the cam gear and the crank gear. The cam gear notch( the biggest gear (on top)) should be pointing straight down and the crank gear (the smallest gear( on bottom)) should be facing up. Be sure to have your engine at TDC which you wont be able to line the cam and crank gears right unless you have the keyway positioned right and slide the 2 gears on AT THE SAME TIME
 
It's pretty simple....take the valve covers off, rocker arms off, push rods off, lifters off, timing cover off, crank pulley and harmonic balancer, rad and fan (you will need this for clearance to alllow the crank to go in straight), timing cover, timing chain, and cam.


You should replace the timing chain as well probably if the engine has over 100,000 miles on it, or if it has much play in it....just to be safe. It's never a good day when they come apart, and besides that, your timing will be more accurate if you have a proper chain on there.

Also, you should look in to borrowing an impact and a compressor or an electric impact to get the balancer off. It makes the job 100x easier. And like somebody else said, put a long bolt (I just use a long screw driver myself, haha) in the front end of the cam to help you get leverage to "aim" it in to the holes. It's not too difficult for the first few, but once you get near the back it's kinda tricky.

You should also lube the **** out of the camshaft with engine oil before you slide it in. Some people may suggest special cam break in lube which you can use, but thats a waste of time IMO, especially if you are using old lifters and bearings etc, which I'm sure you probably are! Don't force the cam if it doesn't want to go. It should slide in EASY if you are pushing it in the right spot. If it's not moving, don't force it.

Thats all I can think of now besides the obvious things that have to come off to remove some of those parts. Good luck! It's not as bad as some people make it out to be, especially on a fox. Be thankful you arent working on a Terminator :rlaugh:
 
I'm doing the timing chain and water pump as well...i really need/want a new balancer but i haven't got one yet and figure i can do that later. This is all part of a head/cam swap i'm doing but i have to wait for my pushrods so i'm just gonna do the cam for now and *hope* it doesn't totally screw me with the stock heads...but it shouldn't be more than a month if that until i get pushrods anyways (whenever Uncle Sam sends me my check).