I tore into my 360 today chasing what I believe to be a collapsed lifter. Got it all disassembled far enough to get the camshaft out and it looks to me like I need new cam bearings. I can only really see the front two bearings and they both are a different color towards the bottom of the bearing like the one in the picture. I really couldn't get a picture of the second one. If I already had the engine out, this would be a no-brainer. I am just trying to get the truck running again for now but I don't want to destroy a new camshaft either. If it helps, I plan to do a full rebuild in the not too distant future when I have more time and money- putting it back together as a 390. If these are unfit for continued use, I assume there is no way to install a new set of bearings working only through the front of the block? If not, can I just drop the oil pan and work around the crank? I really don't want to have to pull the engine twice if I can help it.

 

Looks like normal wear, but wait for someone else to add their $.02, I could be wrong

 

My .02c is, your installing a new cam and lifters, I'd do the bearings. The front bearing might be normal? but how are the others. As Clint would say " Do You Feel Lucky Today?"

 

My success in that sort of thing generally is proportionate or dependent to the amount of preparation and time I spend. When I half-*** something it always seems to cause more trouble and expense.

New cam needs new bearings, IF they are scored/bad excessively worn. Maybe snake a borescope to inspect the others. My opinion only. But, bearing replacement can't be done with the engine installed afaik.

 

Yes, I am still alive. Going through some "old age" health issues.



I understand what you are trying to do, but remember with a new cam you should use new lifters. So if the bearings are bad and they tear up your new cam, you would need to buy another cam and another set of lifters.
A normal rebuild includes reaming the lifter bores so the lifters have the proper clearance.
You could put your old cam back in, replace the one bad lifter and hope that it lasts until you are ready to rebuild.

 

How about a photo of the cam you took out, are the lobes worn.
If the rest of the bearings look like the one in the photo, I wouldn't have a problem putting a new cam in on those bearings, but you may be able to get by with new lifters on the old cam.

 

You have all pretty much answered what I was mainly looking for- the bearings are not excessively worn, at least visibly. That is the part I was most unsure of. I at least have confidence that it will get me through the next couple months until I do a full rebuild on the engine to convert it to a 390. I just didn't want to tear up a new cam between now and then.


The cam I removed did not show any excessive wear on the lobes or journals. I can post a picture tonight. I am already have a Summit brand replacement cam set that includes new lifters. I ordered it before disassembly thinking the cam would be shot too.

 

Put the old cam back in and throw in the new lifters, then order another set of lifters and save them and the new cam for the engine build.

 

As long as you did not mix up the old lifters, you can put them back into the original lifter bores and add one new lifter to replace the bad lifter, you should be ok. If you mixed them up, then you need to purchase a new set. A standard set of lifters from Summit is around $100. A single lifter is around $5.
Reading your original post, it looked like you wanted to get by without spending to much money, until rebuild in a couple of months.
If you decide to replace just one lifter, you need to check the length of the new lifter compared to your other lifters. They should be very close to original Ford specifications.

It really gets crazy when you build a FE race engine, due to having to match solid lifters with push rod length for correct geometry. Almost everything has to be custom.

 

cam bearings are cheap , replace them.
now the tool to do job is not cheap , you might be able to rent one .

 

Cam bearings are cheap but there's no way to install them without pulling the engine and tearing it down.
He's planing on doing a engine build later and just wants to get by for now.