I did my cam swap based on this video and everything went well..:) i suggest u people buy the 3/8 wooden sticks from home depot to keep lifters up..alittle sanding but went very well"!!!! Good video!!
All that work and yet still have the stock LID😑 haha just messing, but great info video! I'm halfway done my swap and using this video and it's been a huge help thus far. Will keep you updated, hoping to have swap done tonight. Thanks again!
I am blown away at this video and I currently own an LT1. I was hoping I could learn something and I def did. not sure what relates to the LT but I'm more apt' to doing the cam now. Thanks swisscarvideos
ive changed plenty of cams without doing lifters its all in the condition and mileage of the motor. by the look of the cam he pulled out it was semi low miles. ive played Russian roulette spinning the cam and hoping the lifter retainers hold havent had an issue yet
They hold up the lifters the same way as the JPR Cam install tool in the howto does. You can make them yourself, just google or search on LS1tech for more info. Good luck with your swap!
You don't have to pull the rad completely out. It helps for sure and its a tight fit other wise, but its no 'required'. Once you get a few cam lobes hanging out, you can remove the bolts on the end and just hang on to the lobes...just to save a bit of mess from coolant splashing all over.
It took about 20hours... but i ported my TB in this time and made some tools myself like the "Pen magnet" or the two D-shaped aluminium rods to hold the lifters etc. It was my first Cam swap so i did it slow an carefully. The next time i'm sure i will do this in half the time.
u might have had answered this question already...but whats the spec of that cam? i have a stock 1999 camaro ss slp and want to change the cam and do headers
The memories of doing these swaps. Wish it was that fast. Honestly, I just drop the whole K-member so I don't have to deal with the cowl and getting under it. You went with a pretty small cam. Guessing you trying to make emissions.
What type of tuning would you have to do after this? Would you just be able to tune with a hand held tuner or is there more. I'm wanting to do this to my 04 gto, but I'm not sure what else I have to do after the install.
Nice video, im planning on doing the same thing for my camaro and was wondering if u had take out the ac condenser as well to make more room to take out the stock cam?
did u have to tune computer?? and did u change to a stall speed converter? and one more ?? sorry can i flip the engine upside down if i have it on a engine stand instead of running dial through the engine so the lifters wont fall into pan??
It depends on the cam if you need a tune to run the engine or not. If you take a mild to average cam like 216/226 you can drive it to get tuned. The Smoke comes from assembly lube and oil, it goes away after some minutes Choosing the right cam for you isn't that easy, it depends on your setup, your expectations, your driving style etc....maybe reading, or asking the people on LS1.tech will help you to choose your cam.
Hey bud, great vid. I tried watching the end twice but still got no sound of the car running. I want to do a cam swap but want something aggressive sounding with no clearance issues. Did the cam you installed have a good sound to it as well? Lopy maybe? If so what cam did you use. Sorry if you already answered that. It's a bit hard to scroll through on my phone. haha
you're right this cam is emission legal, no problem passing smog tests. it's small but much better than the z06 cam which is another smog legal option.
Had a 99 pewter SS T-tops LS1 6spd..Sent a Copy of the Vin to SLP & they sent me the information about it . It was a pretty rare little Camaro... Started showing it's ass every time I drove it, which wasn't that often.. I kept it in my Garage, put less than 8.000 miles a year on it & started once a month just to let it run & idle.. When I sold it in 2011 the damn thing was falling apart like I had dogged the shit out of it. A car we have all had. The more you love it, the more it shits on you
where did you get that tower brace?? lol i know.. and why am i looking at that... lol you think that will fit on a W-Body like a Grand Prix GXP... i like it Bc it can go over my alternator.. Nice Vid by the way... thxs
What did you use to hold the valves from falling into the cylinder or even moving downward slightly while compressing the valve springs? Compressed air? Nothing at all? Thanks.
Nice cam the magic stick 3 will give some good gains. but this is one of the bigger cams so maybe you should get the special mail order tune from texas-speed too. And i would take the double springs. If a singe spring brakes your engine is dead, if a double spring brakes most times it still holds the valve up and avoid major damage. My cam is a small one, custom grind 216/226 @116LSA compcams XE Lobe, gain = 90hp ;-)
Brando Vansant you buy a compression tester take the needle valve out screw that end into the spark plug hole and other end with air compressor it fills the cylinders with air so the valves stay in place there is also the raise the piston to tdc of every cylinder so they won’t drop as much I used the first method in my gto getting ready to do a fbody and I’m wondering how much fun getting that hose into the plugs is going to be
Hey, correct me if im wrong but did you put the valve springs in a bucket of oil prior to installation? Is that necessary? Can i do that with the rocker arms,timing chain,lifters and push rods if they are new?
Take off the egr pipes, 2 10mm bolts straight down under the engine oil dipstick, move the hoses out of the way then I took a 3 inch extension with spark plug holder, fed it onto the spark plug first then put my ratchet in the extension, u only get very small turns though so patience is a virtue. Do the same putting it back, put the spark plug in the plug holder bit with the 3 inch extension, feed it in manually until its hand tighten then feed the ratchet in to the extension
Great video. Im about to do my swap. i was wondering how hard it actually is to put the harmonic balancer in. Do you just tap it in with that piece of wood?
Nice video man. Im doing my CTS V in a couple of weeks and will use your video as a guide. :) VRX4 going in. ? for you. Did you use compressed air to keep the valves up or did you use the top dead center method (elegant way as explained ins ls1howto)?
@6:32-6:33 .. What are they for ? Cause I'm changing out the cam and heads putting in new lifters.. pushrods and springs.. gonna replace the 853s with 243s
Great video. Be back in 12 min.... gotta go cam my car.
I did my cam swap based on this video and everything went well..:) i suggest u people buy the 3/8 wooden sticks from home depot to keep lifters up..alittle sanding but went very well"!!!! Good video!!
I made some custom dowel rods that are still being used to this day at the dealership I work at! Very handy.
Wheres the sound? Drives me crazy i thought i went deaf!!?! Lol
😂😂😂😂
Nice job man, you made it look pretty painless...clearly you've done this a time or two. Wish the vid had sound, I'm sure it sounded sweet.
I think that was the best cam swap video i've seen... good job
Yes!!!
you are my ls1 hero you have brought back the diy dream back alive for ls1 noobies
Nice video.
If you delete that resonator box and buy an SLP lid,
that would free up 8 or so horsepower.
3rd Gen Guy I’m sure it’s worth more than that when you throw a cam into the combination lol
This is probably the best video I’ve found on this!!!
All that work and yet still have the stock LID😑 haha just messing, but great info video! I'm halfway done my swap and using this video and it's been a huge help thus far. Will keep you updated, hoping to have swap done tonight. Thanks again!
Just got a 98 formula. I was scared that I had to pull the motor to cam it. But you showed me the way. 10x as stoked for the BTR3 cam kit to come in
man, I can do it in my sleep after watching this, best cam swap video ever
I am blown away at this video and I currently own an LT1. I was hoping I could learn something and I def did. not sure what relates to the LT but I'm more apt' to doing the cam now. Thanks swisscarvideos
Joshua Richardson on the LT1 youd have to remove the intake manifold. its a more time consuming task on an LT1
great video! I'm installing my cam and new valve springs using this video, everything was going good until the second to last valve dropped. ahhh!!!
I've seen a whole lot of miles on stock lifters. No problem there especially with that mild Cam. Great video, thanks for sharing.
Amazing, it still has the oem steering cooler in the upper hose!
ive changed plenty of cams without doing lifters its all in the condition and mileage of the motor. by the look of the cam he pulled out it was semi low miles. ive played Russian roulette spinning the cam and hoping the lifter retainers hold havent had an issue yet
Thanks for making this video. Now I know what to expect when I do the cam swap myself.
They hold up the lifters the same way as the JPR Cam install tool in the howto does.
You can make them yourself, just google or search on LS1tech for more info.
Good luck with your swap!
I give you a lot of credit doing it all on your own AND video taping it! Nice job.
You don't have to pull the rad completely out. It helps for sure and its a tight fit other wise, but its no 'required'. Once you get a few cam lobes hanging out, you can remove the bolts on the end and just hang on to the lobes...just to save a bit of mess from coolant splashing all over.
Nice vid, very informative. Thanks for the effort and sharing this.
It took about 20hours... but i ported my TB in this time and made some tools myself like the "Pen magnet" or the two D-shaped aluminium rods to hold the lifters etc.
It was my first Cam swap so i did it slow an carefully. The next time i'm sure i will do this in half the time.
changing even a sparkplugs and wires is little nightmare, great job.
nice vid man! I watched every second, very detailed
bravo! very well put together. i love the music too. i enjoyed this very much.
u might have had answered this question already...but whats the spec of that cam? i have a stock 1999 camaro ss slp and want to change the cam and do headers
The memories of doing these swaps. Wish it was that fast. Honestly, I just drop the whole K-member so I don't have to deal with the cowl and getting under it. You went with a pretty small cam. Guessing you trying to make emissions.
Are the rods that got inserted before the camshaft was removed used to stop the pushrods and valves from dropping?
do u have part numbers for the pulley puller, the spring remover tool and what size r the 2 rods u used to hold the lifters up?
not a single beer the whole job???? that's impressive... sweet video
Did you have to drop the sump in order to remove the bolt for the pickup line on the bottom of your oil pump?
What type of tuning would you have to do after this? Would you just be able to tune with a hand held tuner or is there more. I'm wanting to do this to my 04 gto, but I'm not sure what else I have to do after the install.
Nice video, im planning on doing the same thing for my camaro and was wondering if u had take out the ac condenser as well to make more room to take out the stock cam?
did u have to tune computer?? and did u change to a stall speed converter? and one more ?? sorry can i flip the engine upside down if i have it on a engine stand instead of running dial through the engine so the lifters wont fall into pan??
It depends on the cam if you need a tune to run the engine or not. If you take a mild to average cam like 216/226 you can drive it to get tuned.
The Smoke comes from assembly lube and oil, it goes away after some minutes
Choosing the right cam for you isn't that easy, it depends on your setup, your expectations, your driving style etc....maybe reading, or asking the people on LS1.tech will help you to choose your cam.
Dude great video, this will be a tremendous help this summer! Thank you very much! :-)
Hey bud, great vid. I tried watching the end twice but still got no sound of the car running. I want to do a cam swap but want something aggressive sounding with no clearance issues. Did the cam you installed have a good sound to it as well? Lopy maybe? If so what cam did you use. Sorry if you already answered that. It's a bit hard to scroll through on my phone. haha
where did you get them long poles from that you stuck in that slots before you remove the cam
i didn't take out the AC condenser, you can move it out of the way without removing any connected lines.
Did you have to drop the pan to get the pick up tube off the oil pump?
you're right this cam is emission legal, no problem passing smog tests.
it's small but much better than the z06 cam which is another smog legal option.
My question is, where do you get the rods to hold the lifters up?
Had a 99 pewter SS T-tops LS1 6spd..Sent a Copy of the Vin to SLP & they sent me the information about it . It was a pretty rare little Camaro... Started showing it's ass every time I drove it, which wasn't that often.. I kept it in my Garage, put less than 8.000 miles a year on it & started once a month just to let it run & idle.. When I sold it in 2011 the damn thing was falling apart like I had dogged the shit out of it. A car we have all had. The more you love it, the more it shits on you
did that have to be tuned if i wanted to do one without a dyno or going to big what spec cam would suit
what were the 3 long pins in place used for what were they?
your a ls1 god for making this
where did you get that tower brace?? lol i know.. and why am i looking at that... lol you think that will fit on a W-Body like a Grand Prix GXP... i like it Bc it can go over my alternator.. Nice Vid by the way... thxs
where do i get the two rods that you use to hold the lifters up ?
guess im buying a cam. you are a gentlemen and a scholar sir. wish it had better music though, mute is my friend
What size of dowels did you use to hold the lifters up
What did you use to hold the valves from falling into the cylinder or even moving downward slightly while compressing the valve springs? Compressed air? Nothing at all? Thanks.
i used the TDC method...
well documented vid.how long did the whole process take you start to finish?
Mann you did a great job...
Nice cam the magic stick 3 will give some good gains. but this is one of the bigger cams so maybe you should get the special mail order tune from texas-speed too. And i would take the double springs. If a singe spring brakes your engine is dead, if a double spring brakes most times it still holds the valve up and avoid major damage.
My cam is a small one, custom grind 216/226 @116LSA compcams XE Lobe, gain = 90hp ;-)
how exactly do you get the cam to be aligned properly. I know you have to line up the dots on the cam gears, but is there anything else to it?
i will be doing this with in the week and was wondering which method did you use to keep the valves up i didnt see in the video?
everything about this was awesome
What's the trick from keeping the valves from dropping ? I have a new cam with springs but I do not want to pull my head's of ? Thank you
Brando Vansant you buy a compression tester take the needle valve out screw that end into the spark plug hole and other end with air compressor it fills the cylinders with air so the valves stay in place there is also the raise the piston to tdc of every cylinder so they won’t drop as much I used the first method in my gto getting ready to do a fbody and I’m wondering how much fun getting that hose into the plugs is going to be
I'm just wondering what method did u use to keep your valves from droping when u removed the springs
Cool vid man thanks for sharing!
Hey, correct me if im wrong but did you put the valve springs in a bucket of oil prior to installation? Is that necessary? Can i do that with the rocker arms,timing chain,lifters and push rods if they are new?
Take off the egr pipes, 2 10mm bolts straight down under the engine oil dipstick, move the hoses out of the way then I took a 3 inch extension with spark plug holder, fed it onto the spark plug first then put my ratchet in the extension, u only get very small turns though so patience is a virtue. Do the same putting it back, put the spark plug in the plug holder bit with the 3 inch extension, feed it in manually until its hand tighten then feed the ratchet in to the extension
what did you use to keep keep the valves from falling? about to do my first cam swap this month
man that thing sounds good
Who did you get the spring tool from
love the song who is playing? u know the name of the band?
what was the 2 long rods for before you took out the cam?
Wait was the cam you swapped in bigger?
Great video Ty for posting I have a 2000 camaro ss covertible
How much you charge for this?
shouldnt you install new lifters with new cam?
Whats the name of the tool you used to hold the lifters up?
Great video. Im about to do my swap. i was wondering how hard it actually is to put the harmonic balancer in. Do you just tap it in with that piece of wood?
Yes, just tap it in.... it's easy.
How long and what size is the rod u used to hold the lifters up?
Nice video! Wish I knew how to do work on cars.
dudw nice I just installed some AFR's on my z28 and was preety straight forward
very soothing to watch
You dont have to drop it complete, just loose all the bolts until the pan drops enough to pull the pickup tube out.
thats a hell of a job!
What size is the 2 rods 5/16 ??
may I ask what those 2 rods were that you stuck in just above the cam? are they to hold the lifters up so they don't fall?
Yes, they hold the lifters up so they can't fall.
i love 4th gen camaro's but i fuckin hate GM for shoving half the engine under the car.
Where does it say what block it is on the ls1?
Nice video man. Im doing my CTS V in a couple of weeks and will use your video as a guide. :) VRX4 going in. ? for you. Did you use compressed air to keep the valves up or did you use the top dead center method (elegant way as explained ins ls1howto)?
Shouldn't you change the pushrods as well? Is that hard to do?
hey whats the torque specs on rocker for this kind of heads
Did you have to do anything to the lifters?
you make it look so easy lol
Oh, btw, these comments are hilarious. I love it. even learn from them and answered some Q's
did you run the cam in
I would have changed the lifters as well, I don't know much about rollers but I know its a must for hyd cams
sick video. lol damn radiators.... took me like 2-3 hours when i replaced mine
what was the purpose of sliding in those long rods before taking out the camshaft??
i thought so..thanks!!
whats the song in the beginning?
How did you prime your oil pump?
What are those sticks for @ 6:14
@6:32-6:33 .. What are they for ? Cause I'm changing out the cam and heads putting in new lifters.. pushrods and springs.. gonna replace the 853s with 243s
They prevent the lifter from falling in to the oil pan. I suggest you use them if you ever do a cam swap on an LSX
what did you stick in the sides of the cam before pulling it? was that to keep the lifters from falling?
It is..can use 5/16 wooden dowels
How many miles did your engine have when u did this?
great job man!