Hey guys... I want to install the Comp Cam 2030 but I was curious as to how dificult it is on the 3.1.

Did anyone notice a difference in the sound once the cam was installed? I know a good 15 hp with new rockers and timeing chain is possible, so I'd like to do it.

Make sure you get the correct directions about the rocker arms the machanic who messed up my cam said the cam was to turn the rockers 3/4 turn and the rocker arm directions were to turn the rockers 1 full turn, he went for the 3/4 and got the engine noisey and timing off. Make sure you call crane when you tighten the arms! I'm not complaining I'm just trying to help you out. Peace

Anyone install the 2030 cam themselves? If so, how much work did it take, how long, and some details please.

no cam yet, but don't forget new springs.

man that makes absolutely no sense. Not raggin ya or anything.

A cam is an easy install. With the Hydrualic lifters you release tension off of them by undoing the rocker arms. I forget if the water pump is in the way or not but it might have to come out. Remove Radiator after draining coolant. If WP has to come off remove serp belt. With the radiator out of the way you can move the A/C condessor out of the way. Remove Crank pully and harmonic ballancer. remove timing cover. Turn the crank gear until the dots match up in the middle. Remove cam gear and chain will drop. I forget the thread size but get a bolt that you can thread into the cam to make it easier to remove. SLOWLY pull out old cam. DO NOT JERK IT! slow steady pressure. Change the removal bolt to the new cam to use as a handle. Lube the first couple of lobes and bearing surfaces on the far end(The end that will be inserted first). After reaching the first Bearing inside the engine Lube up each section of the cam in a series as you meet the next bearing. It can stay cleaner that way, less chance of trapping dirt on the lobes and bearings.
After getting the the cam completely inserted, line up the gear and chain to the crank bolt back in. After that put back everything you just spent 2 hours taking off. After everything is back on snug the rocker arms back down.
This next part will take patience and be a big PITA.
You want them set to "Zero Lash". Which is easy to do, but takes several 90 degree turns of the crankchaft. Install and "Snug" the rockers down. You will see several in the up, intermediate and down position. The ones that are down tighen the lock nut while spinning the rod. When the rod no longer spins with some force behind it(Use common sense no need to use pliers, just hand spinning is fine) After that go another 90 degrees to set the preload on the lifters. After doing this and then repeating it to insure you did not miss any replace the intake, and valve covers.
You are now ready to fire up.(After refilling the coolant.)
hope that helps ya out.

EASIEST WAY TO ADJUST VALVES on these V-6.
I've done it three times & it works 100% percent perfect, each time.
Use a bump start switch for turning over engine.
Adjust valves, for that cylinder to read the HIGHEST COMPRESSION.
Then, tighten valves, a little bit more, crank it, one more time & watch the compression gauge fall to zero compression.
Then, go back and do it again (to highest compression reading).
My 3.4 registered 175-200 compression to each cylinder. I had 40K on the engine, then.
Not a problem doing it (valve adjustment) this way. Using the compression gauge takes away 100% of guessing.
Using the gaugue, you will 100% accuratly adjust the valves in about 20 minutes.
You'll make more power & enjoy the power you just installed, by making sure you have a primo exhaust system on your car. Including the "y" pipe. Smoothing "Y" pipe junction gains a soild 5-7 hp (the entire rpm range). And this gain was without hot rodding the engine, at all!

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Chat Soon,
KED85
Karl
1985 Firebird 2.8 to 3.4 swap project for Smog Happy LA, CA

That cam is so easy to install, even though I never installed one. I thought Humanities was a sinch, but then I took the class. Do you get my drift.

[This message has been edited by Jaren Bon Jovi (edited November 22, 2001).]

What???

So, how much would it be to get one installed. (I want to get an average) I've heard anywere from $200 to $500.

Bon jovi is lost. To pay someone to install it will be an arm, leg and a left nut. Considering you can do it in an afternoon. Just take your time. If need be get a haynes book. The instructions are in there with pics. And you might get a guy like he did that knows aboslutely nothing about installing a cam to install yours and screw it up.

The cam costed me around $800 for labor, that was for the timing chain, comp cams roller rockers, cam and new springs. I think it is just funny how hunter says it is easy installation, even though he doesn't have one in his car, that is where my comment came from that you had question marks for, some may think it is easy, until they do it they might change there opinion. I'm sure that is why mechanics have to go to school for there job or else Public Relation Majors such as myself could install cams off the top of our heads. The mechanics charged me 50 skins an hour, they said it wasn't the easiest cam to put in. Have a happy thanksgiving!!

[This message has been edited by Jaren Bon Jovi (edited November 22, 2001).]

bon Jovi everything is easy. It depends on how you look at it. To rebuild an engine is a cake walk. You take in in stages and it doe snot seem so hard. You focus on one thing at a time.

however you saying that you got the cam, roller rockers, springs, timing chain & gears all bought and installed for $800 is B.S. It's more then that. especially because the 2.8/3.1 is what is considered a non standard intake set up. So the labor on removing the intake, injector rail and the replacement gaskets that follow are well over 800 I will say that.

And have I installed a cam in my 92 camaro car?, no but I installed 3 in my 91 305(as it has progressed). 2 in my old 76 350, should I go on? Cam installs are easy. period. If you look at the entire job at once you will get overwhelmed(Which seems like you get easily) take it one step at a time, not only will the job go quicker, you will make less mistakes cause you are thinking of the task at hand and you will learn and remember alot more.
Now Bon Jovi if your still pissed off about not getting the headers that you did not want get over it. Theres more important things in the world to worry about. Other then that you need to stop assuming everything about people.

Hmmmmm, Well, my father has installed many camshafts and I've done some minor work under the hood and under the car.

I just hope that it won't be too much of a job to handle.

On to the next question... If I install just the cam and Timeing chain, will that be okay or will there be other problems that I should take care of?

well for a public relations major your no good at it. And you know what I have not taken a decent automotive course in my life. I took H.S. Auto Tech and I knew more then the teacher. Oh and I have worked ast many a shop too. From rebuilding MGB, Jaguar, Fiat, engines to complete restoration of the same cars. Doing body work, paint, build up sheet markings the whole ball of wax. I have also worked as a tire buster through complete shop service.
SO to some people this stuff comes naturally, guess what I am one of them. Working on cars is simple. Hell you do not even have to know what your doing at first. Just take *hit apart and remember how you did it then put it back togeather. Thats how you learn. You can take all the courses you want and still know nothing on HOW to fix the car. I have known many a person that were book smart but had no clue how to do things that I considered simple. Expericance is the real teacher, not books. you have to get your hands dirty. I have had to tell master tech how to do stuff before cause they could not figure it out.

Now if you still want to try to cut go ahead. I know my *hit. You don't. Your a posser wanna be auto mech that asks for help on everything. Hell man your not even worth the time.

Out of curiosity
Dont the lifters have to be removed when installing a new cam.
And shouldn't you always replace the lifters with new ones whenever you replace a cam.
And to get optimum performance out of a performance cam shouldn't you use a Degree Wheel to dial the cam in correctly.
A Haynes manual deals strictly with stock applications.
Just wondering.

[This message has been edited by I Cant Drive 55 (edited November 22, 2001).]

Hmmmm... Yeah, he has some good points. You know I just don't want to get into doing the cam and finding out that I shouldn't have done it!

Obviously Hunter you read my message wrong, it clearly said I spent $800 on labor, I guess someone such as yourself with an 10th grade education is to stupid to under stand this, I'm sorry that all of these other members have to see me rip you apart so I'll make this short; Your lying to the people on the headers, you have a reading disability, and poser????? What? You could do better than that...hold on no you cant. So please Hunter instead of wasting your time on me, get back to flipping my burgers I just ordered at Burger King. Wanna be mechanic.....C'mon why do it myself when I can pay people to do it. See you in hell Hunter this has just begun!!!

The cam may come with new lifters, I don't know for sure. Should the lifters be replaced? its a precautionary thing. up to the owner. As far as them needing to be removed only mechanical really need to be, they fall too much. Hydraulics stay in place and don't fall enought to interfere in my experiance with them.


And jovi to have someone do something to YOUR car that you should be more then capable of doing is just wasting your money. PERIOD. That says your a POSER MECHANIC. Your afraid to wrk on your own car. You do not deserve to own the car if your scared to work on it. Do yourself a favor and buy a Yugo, that should be about your mechanical ability. And as for the education well gee wizz wally, I only went to collage and got a A&P license. To you that means I have the abilty to work on JET ENGINES. Which I do at a local Airport when they need me. It's mainly a Prop airport.
So if you want to continue to make yourself look the fool go ahead. I am done with you. POSER whiney a$$ baby.
Oh and to let you know I have 2 orders for the headers, of whice I have already received the monies for which means that I do have to reproduce them. Meaning I will make money from the headers you wanted to get for $20!(Yeah Right) just to resell.

you guys need to chill. hunter and bon jovi do nothing but bitch at each other, and i think that im not the only one who's getting tired of hearing it. ive got nothing agianst any of you guys, but come on the fighting is getting old.

Ok just so you'll know .
The lifters HAVE to be removed when installing a new cam.
Whether you go back with new lifters when you put in a new cam is up to you , but it is Highly recommended. A new cam and lifters break in together so that the surfaces match precisely.

'55's right! Why destroy a cam by re-using old lifters? Actually, doesn't the 2030 come in a kit with new lifters? They even sell the 2030 in a pushrod kit.. new cam, lifters, AND hardened pushrods. I found the part # a while ago...

Aw hell, nevermind. I did a search, and found the info- you can get a kit with rockers and pushrods, not a cam & pushrods:


A better way to find zero lash, instead of spinning the pushrod, is to jiggle the pushrod up & down. When you can't feel the rod move up/down anymore (or even, when you can't hear the metal-on-metal clicks of the pushrod hitting the rocker arm as ya jiggle it), that's zero lash.

My idea of a pushrod that's hard to spin might be different than someone else's.

The extra 90 degree turn (might be different per Crane's specs) after zero lash sets the plunger inside the hydraulic lifters to a "mid" point. As ya know, hydraulic lifters are self-adjusting... by moving the plunger to the mid point, the lifters get the full range of their adjustment. Turning too far after zero lash would bottom the lifters out... not turning enough would probably make for a noisy drivetrain (pushrods not staying firmly against with rocker arms).

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-Tom P (Hot rodded 1986 Firebird 2.8l)

I installed the 2030 cam into my 1986 v-6. i have been inside and out of all kinds of engines, and mechanical aspects of these cars. It was about an 6hr install. The worst part for me was taking apart the MPFI and marking my wires and then getting them hooked back up.
The cam really made a difference on mine. I have a 2.8 .30 over trw 10.1 flat-tops, 2030 cam, roller tip rockers, ported intake and heads (by me), stock exhaust, I also put in 3.1 injectors (got a good deal on them, don't think they helped?) 8mm wires and a msd blaster coil. I also threw in a set of 3.90 rear gears with a auburn limited slip diff. It's the fastest 2.8 i've ever ridden in, but it's coming out to make way for a 406sbc.

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1986 camaro with 92z28 gound effects, aero wing, 17in American Racing Pythons w/275'40's 4 3/4 Unlimited products cowl, 3.90 auburn gear rear-end with Steve Spohn adj LCA's,Panhard bar. 406 stroked to to 429 motor in the works.

1989 Iroc-z 5.7 white t-tops, 3.42's megashifter, 2 1/2 harwood cowl.

Camaro_Hunter_D ... Mechanical and hydraulic lifters should both slide smoothly in their bores. On higher mileage engines crud builds up in the lifer bores an that is why they stay put. But if you're replacing a cam with a motor in the car, it is good idea to go ahead and take the lifters out to avoid problems if one does fall down.
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1986 camaro with 92z28 gound effects, aero wing, 17in American Racing Pythons w/275'40's 4 3/4 Unlimited products cowl, 3.90 auburn gear rear-end with Steve Spohn adj LCA's,Panhard bar. 406 stroked to to 429 motor in the works.

1989 Iroc-z 5.7 white t-tops, 3.42's megashifter, 2 1/2 harwood cowl.

[This message has been edited by bradkeith (edited November 29, 2001).]

That kit will work for the 2.8/3.1/3.4 right?

Yes, both the kits that TomP listed will work for the 2.8/3.1/3.4 motors.

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1986 camaro with 92z28 gound effects, aero wing, 17in American Racing Pythons w/275'40's 4 3/4 Unlimited products cowl, 3.90 auburn gear rear-end with Steve Spohn adj LCA's,Panhard bar. 406 stroked to to 429 motor in the works.

1989 Iroc-z 5.7 white t-tops, 3.42's megashifter, 2 1/2 harwood cowl.

Don't forget, I said I goofed; those kits don't include a cam or lifters.