cam swap tips

[6t6vintage]

hey guys, since its the winter now, its time to upgrade the stang. heres a little background on my project, its a 289 2 barrel with an automatic. it was painted in august of this year and ive been working on it since. we have totally redone the interior (from black to parchment/maroon), got a new tan top, new suspension, new wheels and tires, and other things like all new chrome, a shift kit, etc. anyway, its now time to work on the engine. it was rebuilt about 10 years ago but never driven til recently. it runs well, but i want to do some mods to get more punch from the 289. heres my plan: i will be getting a new edelbrock 500 cfm carb, weiand stealth intake, pertronix ignitor, performer camshaft(except its the cheaper summit brand ), roller timing chain, milodin aluminum water pump, clutch fan, and 4 row radiator(its got a 2row now). later on, i will install tri y headers and dual exhaust, but that will be another couple of months. now, i will be doing the engine work all at the same time so alot of parts will be coming off. the problem is, i have never done a cam swap. how hard is it to do? i know i will have to probably remove the grill and radiator. but how tough of a job is it? what i really hope you guys can do is provide maybe a write-up or site that gives me a good idea of the procedure. or maybe some of you guys that have done 70 cam swaps in your life can give me some tips and tricks i should know. any help would be nice, so throw those gobs of knowledge at me. thanks

 

[Great68]

- Buy new lifters for the new cam
- Use plenty of cam lube over all the journals and lobes, and if you like dab a little onto the bottom of the lifters
- Just use care when pulling out the old one and putting the new one in as not to nick the cam bearings

It's really simple actually, just take your time. It's one of those things that goes back in the same way it comes out, there's not a lot you can do to screw it up.

 

[brianj5600]

Get the engine as clean as possible before starting. After you remove the cam plate, reinstall the top sprocket to help in the removal of the cam.

 

[10secgoal]

You will only need to remove the radiator. It will make your life much easier if you get a long bolt to thread in the cam before removal and install. This will give you the leverage you need to lift the cam and hold it straight as you remove and install. Soak the lifters before install. Make sure the gear sprockets are STRAIGHT up and down if you install the cam "straight up". And start the whole project with the motor at TDC in the comperssion stroke.