time cover and chain is off, all that's left is part of the cam coming out of the front of the block. any guesses as to why i can only move it a little less than an inch before it gets stuck? everyone that has seen it and played with it has said that they can't see what it would be catching on, and that i should just pry it out. this is fine, as a different cam is going in, but i'm worried about damaging other things. i don't want to end up in the machine shop becuase i damaged a bearing prying the cam out. (or maybe a bearing is already damaged, which is holding the cam in...no idea) any suggestions?
OK...this is really gonna sound bad......... but you did remove all the lifters and pushrods, didn't you? o No: Mike
yeah, all i've got is a block and rotating assembly. if i was that dumb at least someone would've smacked me in the head already. the lifters were all fine, btw, and all the cam lobes look normal.
I had a 68 engine that i was putting in my 71 that ran good. When I decided to put in a little bigger cam I had the same problem.I pryed on the cam but,It wouldn't move for anything.checked for anything that may have fallen in there but found nothing. sprayed penetrating fluid and still no go.I made a tool that had a long handle and a flat plate with holes so you could bolt it to the cam and it finally came out. Thats when I discovered that the cam bearings were shot.I decided to put in the 315 hp 350 that I had since I had to put in cam bearings I decided to overhaul this engine instead. My guess is, the bearings are bad.Do yourself a favor,IF YOU DO HAVE TO CHANGE THE CAM BEARINGS,GET TAs GROOVED BEARINGS.Part#TA 1559. WORTH THEIR WEIGHT IN GOLD. PRICE $49.95 PAT :TU:
it was the bearings. pry bar to the front wouldn't budge it...i ended up getting it out by sticking a chisel onto an exposed lobe in the lifter valley and forcing the cam foward. the bearings stayed in place, but they've got a good amount of wear and apparently the rear-most one has a big lip on it...i could get the new cam almost all the way in, but it would not even start to seat on the rear bearing. going to go ahead and pull the motor...an easy task at this point. i stood INSIDE the engine compartment and got all the bellhousing bolts off, i just need to get the starter and motor mounts now. don't have the money for machine shop work and a rering, so i'm going to hope the bottom end is still as sturdy as i think and just do the cam bearings, put the new cam, lifters, and pushrods in, clean and re-gasket everthing and replace misc external parts. do i really need the TA bearings in a mild build? i'm willing to pay the extra ~25 bucks or so over parts store replacements, but i don't have much time to wait on parts to come.
cam bearings David, You don't necessarily need the grooved bearings(The originals lasted this long)but,I'm putting them in since I am doing a complete rebuild on the engine. Since it is a pain to put the bearings in(engine removal ,dissassembly,down time,etc.)It is a better idea to do it once. Plus, I have read and heard all positive results from this. If you do decide to put stock bearings in they will do just fine as long as the engine is in good condition.As far as shipping, I just ordered a 3 inch ehaust from TA and was told I will get it in a week. Not too bad.My opinion(only a suggestion)is its worth the wait since it also helps with the oiling too. Whatever you decide,you should be ok though. Pat ps,Good luck. :TU:
Try getting them from Tri-Shield...They should be a little closer to you than trying to get them from TA across the country...The cam bearings are the same for the 400-430-455 as they are for the 350...
