Will a Romeo PI cam work in a nPI Windsor Head?
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patman0911
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Yes. You will need sprockets of course but the Windsor and Romeo cams are interchangeable.
The Romeo cams are somewhat preferable because you can add adjustable sprockets if needed and, with the correct tools, you can swap in aftermarket cams without having to tear down the frontcover and timing gear.
What do you have that has an NPI Windsor motor in it? An NPI Mustang should be a Romeo motor which has the bolt on gears. Is this a truck or was the motor replaced at some point?
The Romeo cams are somewhat preferable because you can add adjustable sprockets if needed and, with the correct tools, you can swap in aftermarket cams without having to tear down the frontcover and timing gear.
What do you have that has an NPI Windsor motor in it? An NPI Mustang should be a Romeo motor which has the bolt on gears. Is this a truck or was the motor replaced at some point?
patman0911
Founding Member
patman0911
Founding Member
Yeah, that's all you really need unless you damage one of the gaskets.
Good luck, and be careful - it's not really a hard job, it's pretty straightforward if you can follow directions and have turned a wrench before but it's time-consuming and can be frustrating at a few points.
After you do the cam swap, consider putting a PI intake on too - the cams and intake work really well together (of course) and will get you a good bit of the way towards making up the difference in power between a NPI an PI motor.
Good luck, and be careful - it's not really a hard job, it's pretty straightforward if you can follow directions and have turned a wrench before but it's time-consuming and can be frustrating at a few points.
After you do the cam swap, consider putting a PI intake on too - the cams and intake work really well together (of course) and will get you a good bit of the way towards making up the difference in power between a NPI an PI motor.
I plan to buy a PI intake immediately following. Want to make sure I can secure some cams first.
I have a 96 V6 car I'm swapping in a 4.6 out of a totaled GT I picked up for 700 bucks (engine only had 15,000
)
I have one of those tools that holds the chains in place when you change cams in a OHC engine. I hear their a pain in the ass without it. Members in my family are highly skilled mechanics but they haven't ever changed cams in one of these engines b4.
Is there anything that we should be concerned with when changing them? I've heard people say that if you get it out of time its nearly impossible to get it right again
I have a 96 V6 car I'm swapping in a 4.6 out of a totaled GT I picked up for 700 bucks (engine only had 15,000
)I have one of those tools that holds the chains in place when you change cams in a OHC engine. I hear their a pain in the ass without it. Members in my family are highly skilled mechanics but they haven't ever changed cams in one of these engines b4.
Is there anything that we should be concerned with when changing them? I've heard people say that if you get it out of time its nearly impossible to get it right again
patman0911
Founding Member
Nah, timing it isn't that hard, you just line up the marks like any other OHC engine - just follow the directions carefully and double and triple check everything.
Like I said, it's straightforward but time consuming and a couple of steps will test your patience and the depth of your four-letter word vocabulary (hello Mr. Fourth Power Steering Pump Bolt
) but if you've got skilled mechanics to help you out, you should be fine.
It's a pain in the ass if you've got cams with press-on sprockets or your doing it without the timing chain wedge tool because of having to take the timing cover and the chains off - adds hours to what could be a pretty easy job otherwise...
It's been a while since I did mine so the details are hazy but one big tip is that your repair manual may instruct to remove the oil pan - that's not necessary, you just need to remove the bolts in the front of the pan so that you can slip the cover out.
You'll want a good assortment of regular and deepwell metric sockets, a universal joint and an assortment of extensions.
The valve covers are tricky to get back on without snagging the gaskets on something and pulling them out, or gravity pulling them out. Run a thin bead of RTV in the groove in the covers and put the gaskets in and let it cure and that will make it easier to get the covers on with the gaskets in place - it'll also help with the tendency of the gasket to want to pop out in one place while you're popping it in in another. You don't need a bunch of RTV, just enough to hold it place.
Like I said, it's straightforward but time consuming and a couple of steps will test your patience and the depth of your four-letter word vocabulary (hello Mr. Fourth Power Steering Pump Bolt
) but if you've got skilled mechanics to help you out, you should be fine. It's a pain in the ass if you've got cams with press-on sprockets or your doing it without the timing chain wedge tool because of having to take the timing cover and the chains off - adds hours to what could be a pretty easy job otherwise...
It's been a while since I did mine so the details are hazy but one big tip is that your repair manual may instruct to remove the oil pan - that's not necessary, you just need to remove the bolts in the front of the pan so that you can slip the cover out.
You'll want a good assortment of regular and deepwell metric sockets, a universal joint and an assortment of extensions.
The valve covers are tricky to get back on without snagging the gaskets on something and pulling them out, or gravity pulling them out. Run a thin bead of RTV in the groove in the covers and put the gaskets in and let it cure and that will make it easier to get the covers on with the gaskets in place - it'll also help with the tendency of the gasket to want to pop out in one place while you're popping it in in another. You don't need a bunch of RTV, just enough to hold it place.
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