Awesome tutorial. However, I will say, I have indeed replaced an oil pump without taking the oil pan off. Have to be careful to not drop the bolt but all you need is a small wrench to fit in the small gap and you good to go.
Nice work broski! I'm planning on DIY camming my ZL1/LSA. I hope it's the same deal inside the LSA. Your engine/exhaust sounds totally bitchen at the end of the video pulling away! The dedication was a classy thoughtful gesture. You're a good DEWD!
What I did 3 cams. On my 01 myself teal green flip flop z28 stock suspension grudge car. And no the lifters stay up in lifter tray. Only if you have to change springs will you have to even touch the valve covers heads or intake. A Ls cam swop is easy. Like the channel but for Real Gm guys like myself it's no need to compare Ford to Gm . It throws off the enjoyment of your videos thanks. God Gm ls lt FTW
Excellent video! Came here because I heard that Gen III Hemi cam swap could be done in a similar way without removing heads if your not changing lifters. Anyway, just appreciated your explanation. Car sounds bad ass by the way!
Bro. Thanks. I remember and credit your video, but I failed to set the cam/crank timing B4 I pulled my sprocket off and removed my plate so I'm going to get to pull my heads off yet again. Though I think I should go afford some 0.20 OS rings and do that so I'm mentally good for my desired 500hp
@@Sgt.Slides well brother no better way to learn new lessons than through experience. And now I figure no better time to go big and go home and do gapless piston and ring set up. This way regardless of whatever happens to this truck the next owner or whoever I can be proud of what I did. These GM motors are pretty cool though and build it with a vortec block like I got man 😎 thank you for sharing I'd love to see some videos of that little fox body on the track if you have a link to share.
I had to change the cam in mind I just loosen the oil pump up a little bit to make sure I put it on the time in mark I like the video and where did you purchase those sticks from or did you have them made
Sorry, I don't have in depth experience with other motors. The LT style architecture may allow this, but you would have to take one apart and see first.
Nice video! A buddy’s LS truck supposedly dropped a lifter / cam. I plan to do this step to see how bad of shape the cam is in before pulling heads to replace the lifters. If everything is trash (not knowing how long it was bad) we’ll figure something else out.
@@Sgt.Slides I was just hoping to diagnose the problem before tearing the heads down, to help with an accurate repair quote. The cam should show the irregular wear, right?
I'm guessing he already had upgraded lifters, push rods, valve springs and rocker trunions or rockers from the previous cam. Depending how many miles and how wild your new cam is, using the old stuff might be a bad idea.
Hi there! I am a total newbie when it comes to, well all motor. I'm thinking heads, when should I change heads, and can I stick with the factory heads if I was to go with a "street stage2" cam.
My anxiety would get me if I used wood dowels. Is there any other material that could be used that might be more resistant to possibly snapping in there? Seems like it was a tight fit so would not want to risk it lol
there isn't really a risk of it snapping, unless you put a dowell in there that's already damaged, also, the point of using wood is to get a tight fit without causing internal abrasions, you do need a tight fit to press the lifters in place. . You would have to jam a metal rod in there to get a tight enough fit, and that would cause damage.
You can buy a tool for this, a number of manufactures make these - steel or maybe aluminium? I think they actually slide into the step in the lifter body - between the lifter top and bottom "bearing' surfaces. Comp Cams, Aero Flow etc. do these. But for 1 off - dowl is cheapest, or if you can figure out actual required diameter steel rods?
Very nice and informative video. I have a question for you, maybe you or someone else reading this can help me out. I am swapping ls1/t56 in 280z, and I would like to find out what cam is installed. Is there any markings on it, on the front or back end? What's the best and fastest way to find out? Thanks...
The information you want is usually printed on the back of the cam, which means you need to take the cam out to read it, and not all cams are labeled. Your best bet is to buy the cam that you want, swap it, and then try to get a machine shop to measure it for you so you can know the specs and sell it.
What engines have you worked on where the heads have to come off for a cam swap? SBC, BBC, mopar, and Ford basically every pushrod V8 ever made only needs the intake removed (up top) to swap a cam. And the LS’s party trick since day one has been not having to yank the lifters to remove the cam
Great video. Anyone do this on a gen 1 CTSV? I feel like there’s less room in the front of these cars but I could be wrong. But yea, this is completely doable rather than taking it somewhere and not having your car for weeks and a hefty bill im sure of.
@@Sgt.Slides awesome man , love the vidoes . is this a 5.3? i currently have an iron 5.3 in my e30 but im switching it out for a l33 5.3 and doing the whole cam, trunion upgrades, etc and was recommended a btr ls stage 1 cam by my local motorsports shop for an every day easy driving car with some competition use but im debating wether i should go stage 2 or 3 since its behind a manual, etc
If you use thinner dowells, your lifters will shoot right into the oil pan when you pull the cam out. or at best shuft and block you from re installing the cam. this size presses the lifters in place so they dont fall.
This guy said it would take him a week to do a cam swap ? Lmfao I literally pulled both heads and all lifters and rockers and switched cam and it took me a total of 8 hours basically from sun up to sundown it was actually the coolest thing I’ve ever done I love taking engines apart something about it calms my a.d.h.d
Awesome tutorial. However, I will say, I have indeed replaced an oil pump without taking the oil pan off. Have to be careful to not drop the bolt but all you need is a small wrench to fit in the small gap and you good to go.
Well done video!! One of the best on UA-cam
About to do a cam swap on my trans am and man you helped me more then any vid I have seen! Thanks!
Great video. Thanks for tutorial. Short, sweet and to the point....
Great video, I’m considering upgrading my trailblazer ls stock 5.3
Very thoughtful tribute at the end. God bless.
Nice work broski! I'm planning on DIY camming my ZL1/LSA. I hope it's the same deal inside the LSA. Your engine/exhaust sounds totally bitchen at the end of the video pulling away! The dedication was a classy thoughtful gesture. You're a good DEWD!
Thank you sir. The LSA is EXACTLY the same as what i have underneath, it's just a little more work for you getting your blower off.
@@Sgt.Slides Oh no kidding? The blower has to come off for a cam swap on on the LSA?
Thanks for the walk through man 👍 I'm just about to do this on my Holden Commodore (Australian GM) that has an LS1
What I did 3 cams. On my 01 myself teal green flip flop z28 stock suspension grudge car. And no the lifters stay up in lifter tray. Only if you have to change springs will you have to even touch the valve covers heads or intake. A Ls cam swop is easy. Like the channel but for Real Gm guys like myself it's no need to compare Ford to Gm . It throws off the enjoyment of your videos thanks. God Gm ls lt FTW
You did a great job with this video!
thanks!
Awesome job I’m going to do this in my ls1 s10 job
Nice...u make it look easy...I gotta bring my ls to a machine shop to put cam in.
The wooden dowels slayed me. 😂😂😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉🎉
Excellent video! Came here because I heard that Gen III Hemi cam swap could be done in a similar way without removing heads if your not changing lifters. Anyway, just appreciated your explanation. Car sounds bad ass by the way!
good luck with it
Great vid loved every minute of it.
Bro. Thanks. I remember and credit your video, but I failed to set the cam/crank timing B4 I pulled my sprocket off and removed my plate so I'm going to get to pull my heads off yet again. Though I think I should go afford some 0.20 OS rings and do that so I'm mentally good for my desired 500hp
ah, sucks when you skip a dumb step and now you gotta redo everything. Good Luck.
@@Sgt.Slides well brother no better way to learn new lessons than through experience. And now I figure no better time to go big and go home and do gapless piston and ring set up. This way regardless of whatever happens to this truck the next owner or whoever I can be proud of what I did. These GM motors are pretty cool though and build it with a vortec block like I got man 😎 thank you for sharing I'd love to see some videos of that little fox body on the track if you have a link to share.
thank you for this! this video is going to save me alot of time
I was wondering how the rod trick worked I heard about. Thx
Good work stu!
I had to change the cam in mind I just loosen the oil pump up a little bit to make sure I put it on the time in mark I like the video and where did you purchase those sticks from or did you have them made
I got em from lowes in the wood section, you can probably find them in craft stores as well.
Nice video straight to the point I'm thinking of putting a cam in my LT1 1995 Corvette would the Corvette have those holes
on an LT1, you can access the lifters with the intake removed, so you won't need this trick.
Awesome video! Does this also work with the GDI engines without removing the hpf pump?
Sorry, I don't have in depth experience with other motors. The LT style architecture may allow this, but you would have to take one apart and see first.
Great video!
When you turn the cam to push up the lifters…you can’t push in the dowel unless the lifters are up, is that right?
Thank you answered a lot of questions
Nice video! A buddy’s LS truck supposedly dropped a lifter / cam. I plan to do this step to see how bad of shape the cam is in before pulling heads to replace the lifters. If everything is trash (not knowing how long it was bad) we’ll figure something else out.
if something is coming apart in there, you're going to have to pull the heads at a bare minimum.
@@Sgt.Slides I was just hoping to diagnose the problem before tearing the heads down, to help with an accurate repair quote. The cam should show the irregular wear, right?
How do the dowels hold the lifters in place,,,,,?
How thick are those 2 long pieces of wood and are still use the stock push rod?
I'm guessing he already had upgraded lifters, push rods, valve springs and rocker trunions or rockers from the previous cam. Depending how many miles and how wild your new cam is, using the old stuff might be a bad idea.
Awesome video, thanks mate 👍
Hi there! I am a total newbie when it comes to, well all motor. I'm thinking heads, when should I change heads, and can I stick with the factory heads if I was to go with a "street stage2" cam.
It's best to refer to the recommendations of the cam you are buying.
What size are the rods to keep the lifters up?
5/16 OD ...
My anxiety would get me if I used wood dowels. Is there any other material that could be used that might be more resistant to possibly snapping in there? Seems like it was a tight fit so would not want to risk it lol
there isn't really a risk of it snapping, unless you put a dowell in there that's already damaged, also, the point of using wood is to get a tight fit without causing internal abrasions, you do need a tight fit to press the lifters in place. . You would have to jam a metal rod in there to get a tight enough fit, and that would cause damage.
@@Sgt.Slides makes sense, thanks for clarifying.
You can buy a tool for this, a number of manufactures make these - steel or maybe aluminium? I think they actually slide into the step in the lifter body - between the lifter top and bottom "bearing' surfaces. Comp Cams, Aero Flow etc. do these. But for 1 off - dowl is cheapest, or if you can figure out actual required diameter steel rods?
Hey quick question what size are those wooden sticks are they 3/8s
Very nice and informative video. I have a question for you, maybe you or someone else reading this can help me out. I am swapping ls1/t56 in 280z, and I would like to find out what cam is installed. Is there any markings on it, on the front or back end? What's the best and fastest way to find out? Thanks...
The information you want is usually printed on the back of the cam, which means you need to take the cam out to read it, and not all cams are labeled. Your best bet is to buy the cam that you want, swap it, and then try to get a machine shop to measure it for you so you can know the specs and sell it.
You were clenching your cheeks on that one bud 😂😂 Good job
yeah buddy!
What engines have you worked on where the heads have to come off for a cam swap? SBC, BBC, mopar, and Ford basically every pushrod V8 ever made only needs the intake removed (up top) to swap a cam. And the LS’s party trick since day one has been not having to yank the lifters to remove the cam
yeah, that's the point of this vid. The old push rods dont require the heads to be removed. Most people dont know this trick for the LS.
Just subscribed! Awesome video man 💯
Thx for the sub!
What is the diameter of the wooden dowels you used?
Maybe fiberglass rods similar to tent pole..
So i don’t have to spin the motor over to relieve pressure on the valve spring so I can take the rocker arm off?
you can if you want to add extra steps, you dont have to.
@@Sgt.Slides great & when i do that the valve would lift up to the head right?
@@GreatestHITS26 yes, when you remove the rocker, the valve goes up.
This was really helpful! Hopefully I can do this on my L83.
Thank you, I’m about to pull the cam on my boat
Would a stock 1999 silverado 6L have these holes behind the timing chain to run the dowel in aswell? Thanks in advance!
yes, they are the oil galleys that supply oil to the lifters.
Thank you for the video. It helps out a lot. Did you just torque the rocker arms down or go by firing order?
the correct way would be to do them one at a time while rotating the motor. I didn't do it that way and it was fine.
Little late to the game but did you pull both valve covers and the other side of lifters too ?
yes, you have to do both sides.
Thank you, well done video
very nice explanation thanks
Great video. Anyone do this on a gen 1 CTSV? I feel like there’s less room in the front of these cars but I could be wrong. But yea, this is completely doable rather than taking it somewhere and not having your car for weeks and a hefty bill im sure of.
this won't free up room in front of the car, , but if as long as you can pull the cam with the engine block in the car, this method will work.
Awesome video!! Thanks for the tips
Do you kmow what size dowels you used for this? Awesome video, super straightfoward
im pretty sure i said it in the video, but if i didn't i don't remember.
Ugh I need to know too 😂
5/16"
New subscriber!!! Just found this channel!!! VERY DETAILED!! Thumbs up!!!🔥🔥🔥 Can you do a video on tuning?
sorry, i don't really mess with the tuning aspect. I have a buddy that takes care of that for me.
@@Sgt.Slides oh ok gotcha!!
What size Dowell rod?
Great video.
Thanks you very much!! First Timer
what size steaks did you use
5/16
What size wood dowel do you use
I believe 5/16
Really Great Video! Thanks!
What size dowels did you use
I would like to know as well
5/16 dowel, that's an important bit of info lol
Yeah I got a whole rebuild coming up in a couple of weeks..not looking forward to it...🏁
My heart rate was up too bro
Ford... Powered by testosterone
what size cam did you go with? how much lift
i went from a mystery cam that i got scammed on, to a BTR LS1 stage 3, or stage 4, i don't remember at the moment. I love this cam so much.
@@Sgt.Slides awesome man , love the vidoes . is this a 5.3? i currently have an iron 5.3 in my e30 but im switching it out for a l33 5.3 and doing the whole cam, trunion upgrades, etc and was recommended a btr ls stage 1 cam by my local motorsports shop for an every day easy driving car with some competition use but im debating wether i should go stage 2 or 3 since its behind a manual, etc
Where did you find or get the dowels or those sticks from?
should be able to find them in any craft store or hardware store.
@@Sgt.Slides about what diameter would you say they are? I’m gettin ready to do a big cam on my Silverado so any help would be awesome
@@SuperCbr08 5/16
Great video thank you.
dude that is clever. I think id get some thinner dowels tho.
If you use thinner dowells, your lifters will shoot right into the oil pan when you pull the cam out. or at best shuft and block you from re installing the cam. this size presses the lifters in place so they dont fall.
How long did you make the rods?
longer than the engine block, but also consider not too long to fit into the engine bay.
Thank you for the reply that helps a lot
The common problem of camshaft is that, lobe worn, due to lifter roller worn. So we need to remove head.
if there is a problem, like you described, you probably do need a more detailed tear down, but in my case this swap was for an upgrade.
Then the megadollar 'witchcraft'...tune.....
Awww yes time for me to be overconfident and completely fuck this process up thus having to do it the long way anyhow
if you mess up, it's worse than doing it the long way lol, you can't really mess up though, the lifters can't slide past the dowel
When you turn the cam to push up the lifters…you can’t push in the dowel unless the lifters are up, is that right?
bro you got the crank pulley bolt off with a battery impact wth
this battery impact aint no joke, and my buddy's Milwaukee makes this one look like a toy.
nice....
Thanks for all the good videos. I have an 89 GT need a good mechanic I'm in laurel Md do know anyone . what is ur IG
PFM Drift Fox. Sorry I don't know any good mechanics that do simple stuff without ripping you off. I do all of my own basic work.
Tf is going on with your haor man
did it to annoy my wife lol
This guy said it would take him a week to do a cam swap ? Lmfao I literally pulled both heads and all lifters and rockers and switched cam and it took me a total of 8 hours basically from sun up to sundown it was actually the coolest thing I’ve ever done I love taking engines apart something about it calms my a.d.h.d
not everyone can afford to spend 8 hrs straight in the garage wrenching. at this point in my life, an 8 hr job is going to take me 2 weeks.
What size dowels did u use?
Dowel size is 5/16
What size wooden dowels?