What's needed for a cam swap on a 350

So I plan on putting a Crower L2 cam in my stock 350 along with headers and a 4 barrel to make it funner to live with. My question is what is needed to pull the cam and what parts should be replaced?

I'm doing gaskets, stock type timing chain, cam and lifters, checking the pushrods and rockers as well, but I was also thinking of putting a new oil pump in with a booster plate. Any thing else I should replace while I'm in there? Should I get new hardware? And if so where from?

I heard somewhere (probably on here) that I need an impact gun for the balancer bolt? Any other specifics that anyone can think of?

This will be my first time tearing into a Buick engine so any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Ryan

 

I would suggest valve springs and a distributer recurve kit.
Impact gun would help get balancer bolt off but I'm sure there's ways to lock/ hold engine to use a breaker bar. I would not jump into oil pump unless there's a problem. I would replace front cam bearing while your cam is out. That will help oil pressure. A TA backgrooved front cam bearing would probably be even better.
You will need a new intake valley pan. Timing cover gasket set. Possibly bolts for cover.
I would get the harmonic balancer rebuilt or get a new one. It's 40 years old and your changing the rpm range(harmonics) of the engine.
I would jet up carb slightly and step up rear rods and hangers if it's a Quadrajet.
Gas filter, replace it. Why not be fresh with all this work.
Zzdp additive. Helps break in of cam unless your running a good zzdp oil like Joe Gibbs or Brad penn.
Fuel pump, how old is it, its right there. Higher rpm range needs fuel. Might be a good ideas to change.
Electronic points conversion. Something to consider if your running points(you don't mention year of car or model)
Any reason the level 3 doesn't fit your needs, a few people here have ran it on a lower compression engine and degreed it advanced ( so you will need a good timing set) and have been pretty happy with results.
The longer bolts on water pump hit the heads with a hammer. These bolts sometimes break so jarring them loose might ease removal.
Yes on new hardware for cover and pump

 

As far as headers, they do increase power, but I feel a better rear gear and more converter (although not necessarily with that cam) would be more fun .
TA performance should have hardware.
If you really want to make it funnier, raise compression by shaving heads some and some porting. That would also make the level 3 cam more advantageous to your setup. .
I would think about an oil pressure regulator. Or 60 psi spring. Stock spring is set for 40 psi. Which is fine for an engine that doesn't go over 4000.

 

Lots of good info there, let me list some more specs on my car. It's a 1971 Skylark 2 barrel car, it already has a points elim kit along with good msd wires, Accel coil and ngk plugs. I will be putting the 4 barrel intake on it at the same time so the valley pan gasket will be getting replaced already and for the carburetor I am thinking of running a Holley spreadbore 800cfm double pumper.

Ok so it sounds like I don't need to bother with the oil pump but I will look at getting a adjustable regulator or a heavier spring. Also I was already planning on replacing the fuel pump since it takes no time and is cheap.

I am planning on starting a high performance build next year after I find a good core engine for that but just want something fun in the meantime so that's why I was only planning as few as necessary mods on this one and figured by going with a level 2 it wouldn't require too much work else where. I would like to do some bowl work on the heads and shave them a bit but I just don't have the time right now. Also I hate doing cam bearings and don't currently have a tool to do them so I'm going to avoid that if at all possible unless it's toast when I pull the cam.

I was thinking about recurving the distributor with a crane kit. Do you have any recommendations for stock valve springs? I just need cheap replacement ones.

I would love some more gear in the rear because the stock 2.56s are excellent at robbing power and I'm currently trying to find a complete A body 10 bolt with 3.08s. I found one two weeks ago for $100 but before I drove 2 hours to go get it I had him check and they were 2.73 so I decided not to. How much of a pain is it to set up gears if I just bought some and an install kit?

 

Personally I'm not a carb tuner. So I would get a Quadrajet Power built carb or get a fitech or Holley efi.
But as far as the cam bearing I would do that. It's the first place you loose oil pressure as it's the first bearing. Chances are you will see a worn spot in it. From groove in cam.
As far as rear end , get a slide hammer (71 skylark should be a GM 8.5 rear) pull axles with it after pulling out backing plate bolts.
http://m.ebay.com/itm/Chevy-GM-10-b...3Aa27ceb1715c0abd99d1f4064fff36d15%7Ciid%3A22
Ebay used gear and carrier. It's cheap . Has the shim on it under bearing. If bearings are good just bolt it in. Mark your old carrier shims per side and go back in same place. Use the original crush sleeve . Don't over tighten. Just so the bearing has no up down play. It is taking a chance but tears are not that far from each other in specs. So the shim would be pretty close.

 

I bought an Eaton Posi from Monzaz on this site and had to get new gears also as I too went from 2.56 to 3.08. Plan on spending about $1,000 to $1,200 for the Posi, gears, and installation. I guess this is my way of saying if you don't have experience with rear ends you should hire a professional.
Cliff

 

Aftermarket cams are not 'plug n play' friendly. You're going to have to degree the cam if you use anything but an OEM replacement cam/timing chain kit.

You could get lucky, but the odds are not in your favor.

Why is this? Because variances in specs can be a bit off, even when using matched components made by the same manufacturer. When you start mixing/matching parts from different vendors, you're potentially opening up a nasty can o' worms if you trust the specs to be spot-on.

Putting in an aftermarket cam that intends to increase the dynamic compression ratio by moving the valve timing events much earlier will produce more power no matter what the cam grind specs are, but understand that you'll be putting more pressure on old, tired rings and bearings this way, which is another roll of the dice without going through the engine to freshen it up on the lower end/rotating assembly.

If you have little or no engine building experience, my advice is to take your long block to a machinist you trust, have them tear it down and inspect it, replace the pistons with higher compression ratio pistons, true up the block and heads to get yourself around 9.5:1 static compression, use the cs647 cam/lifters and OEM timing chain/gears, along with them assembling the long block.

Get the long block back and assemble it the rest of the way yourself (if you have the tools and experience to do this part).

You'll get more power out of a properly machined engine with good compression and a factory cam vs a tired low comp engine with a crower level 2 stuffed in it, and odds are high it'll last a lot longer.

Otherwise, best of luck to ya!

My 2c.

 

He did mention a good performance build on a different core later on Gary.

 

I meant to say 'short block' not 'long block' ...doh.

Yeah, I'm just offering up another pov/suggestion.

This could be used for anyone else reading that may be considering a similar scenario, if it isn't applicable to the OP.

 

Nothing wrong with extra points of view Gary.

 

Thanks Gary, I appreciate all the advice. So after more consideration maybe I'll just live with putting on headers and intake/carb for now along with a set of 3.08 gears by ways of either a complete 10 bolt or trying my luck with a cheapo swap like alec296 threw out there. I think the intake/carb along with the lower gears is probably gonna be the most difference anyways, the headers probably won't do much on a stock engine but I have them now so might as well.

This is why I asked, I didn't know what all would be involved and since I'm trying to be cheap this go around I think I might just pass on this idea. I really appreciate the help guys!

Yes I am planning a proper build that Derek is helping me plan out, so that is why I really don't want to invest much in this engine.

Thanks again guys!
Ryan

 

Since you already have the headers, test them out vs the manifolds.

Tune the engine to run as best as it can with the manifolds (even the tired old low comp stocker), then put on the headers and retune and make the comparison.

Post your results here.

If this is just a 'throw away' type engine that you're using for now until the better one is built, do some experimenting with it.

I used a Buick 350 as a throw away engine once. I found out just how durable they are this way. The education was invaluable.

Try the manifolds vs headers with the 2 barrel, then with the 4 barrel.

Advance the timing so far that it fires so early before TDC that it drives the piston in the opposite direction of the starter spin and won't start this way, then slowly retard it until it does start this way. It'll have a bit of a rough starting sequence, with several 'rumps' trying to start it until it fires up (use premium fuel when trying this).

Take'er for a spin and see what it does to the low-mid range power.

Get creative, have fun, and be safe.

 

For reference, here's a stock 350-2 with no upgrades. If yours can't do this, tune it until it can (try the timing advance), then test out the headers, then the 4 barrel.

 

That's a really cool idea Gary I will definitely do that. And no my car can definitely not do that good of a burnout as of now but gives me something to go for.

 

Mine never did that either, even with a tci 10 inch convertor. My fathers 77 regal would but it had a 400 trans and Montgomery Wards tires.still having a single exhaust with catalytic converter. Tuned the same as mine.

 

Two engines sitting side by side on the same assembly line could perform differently, having nothing different except variances in compression (and from cylinder to cylinder), different bearing clearances due to variances in the tolerances, etc. etc.

The differences might not be huge, but could be noticeable from a performance standpoint.

Take those two engines and put them each on a dyno, and one may make 10-15 hp or more than the other, but they were 'close enough' for factory work, and the average consumer would never know the difference because they were only driving one of them, not both in a side-by-side comparison.

Many other factors could come into play as well, real world factors such as the temperature and humidity level that day (or traction conditions in a certain spot in the road, etc. etc.) when the car did something memorable, good or bad. When it does something on a consistent basis is when you can figure it's a repeatable aspect of your car.

My Dad's '75 Regal with a 350-2/TH350 through a single cat could do this type of burnout, but would take longer to get the tire hot. My '68 Skylark with a '70 350-2 would do these types of burns effortlessly and would burn from first into second (with the TH375 I put in there) when nailing it around a curve, like the tires weren't even there. It had some head work done, larger than factory 2 barrel carb, advanced reworked distributor, and a scavenger single exhaust. The car did better with the ST300 (in this particular setup/combination) because there was no shifting transition or as much parasitic loss to contend with, among other reasons.

It made a difference.

The point is, you can take something ho-hum and tweak it for some street fun.

I drove it daily everywhere I went.

 

I've found the Crower cams to be very accurate. The most variation I've seen is 1 degree which is really unnoticeable. I've seen way more variation in timing chain sets. Even good double rollers have been off. Cheap stock replacements have to be checked as some of them have 4 degrees built into them.

 

what about the valve trane? specifically the rocker arms. I read in another thread that when changing the cam you need to upgrade to an adjustable rocker arm, is this true?

 

thanks Larry, where are these specifications found? I would assume each cam would require a different length push rod, does the cam manufacturer supply the required pushrod length or are you just looking for a certain amount of lash?