What all is involved in swapping a new cam in with the motor still in the car.What all has to be removed?Thanks in advance.

 

I know the radiator has to be removed and also the water pump. timing cover, need I go on?

 

I did a cam swap onmy 305 for ****s and giggles-took 9 hrs start to finish. Radiator, fan, valve covers, intake & induction system, harmonic balancer, pulleys, water pump, timing chain cover and chain, lifters, pushrods, distributor, cam, should replace valve springs if going to new or bigger cam. Then I huffed it next morning! Like I said for ****s and giggles.

 

You'll have to get new lifters, new gaskets too.
The bars in front of the radiator will have to be bent slightly to slide the cam out. Be sure to stick a rag into the distributor hole, last thing you want is to drop something in there.

 

Thanks for the info.I'm not new to cam changes just havent done it while the motor was in the car.was looking for third gen specific things to watch out for or remove.As for new lifters thats why I'm changing the cam The lifter flaked and wiped the cam,

 

how hard is it to insert the cam itself.........?

i wanna put in a comp cams 268 and get vortec heads, but i'm not sure of the procedure of setting valve lash..........

 

Inserting the cam itself is not hard you just have to be very careful, if you ram into a cam bearing there's a chance of bearing failure and/or low oil pressure. Once you start it into the hole you usually have to turn and insert at the same time to get it past the next cam bearing. As far as setting valve lash, on hydraulics after cam, lifters, pusrods are installed, we turn the motor by hand and put pressure on the rocker arm that we are adjusting to make sure it goes all the way down (the lifter will be on the back side of cam lobe. Then we tighten the rocker arm nut while spinning the pushrod and as soon as it gets stiff to turn between your fingers, tighten the nut 1/2 to 3/4 turn and it's set. Do this to every lobe. Everybody has they're own method, mine is time consuming but you'll never have the valve cover off to readjust them after you refire the engine. It'll rattle at first till the lifters pump up but them she'll quite down. Oh-we also soak the lifters in motor oil the night before install(stand them upright in a container and fill till about 1/4" of oil is over all the tops of all the lifters) this way it kind of gravity bleeds/fills with oil and helps make start up that much easier.