hello all, does anyone have a step by step guide to install a cam and lifters in my 352 fe. i checked all the articles and didnt see any in there. if someone does it would greatly appreciated. pictures on this also would help as well.

 

Not too sure what you mean by the step-by-step, but it's pretty straight forward. Assuming the motor is already torn down, lube up the cam bearing surfaces and all the polished surfaces of the cam. Gently slide the cam into place in the block, re-install the cam retaining plate. Just a reversal of the removal process..

--Mike

 

thanks mike but the engine is not tore down and just needed some guidance of how to. so i dont mess anything up was all. can i do this with the motor still in the truck?

 

Ddly: I can give you a quick rundown on how to do this. It may seem complicated, but it really is just a long series of simple steps. If you don't have one, now would be a really great time to buy a Chiltons or a Haynes - they have all the details.
Before I dive into this, would you mind telling us why you are changing a cam in an old 352? Perhaps we can help diagnose other problems that changing a cam will not solve.

And yes, you can so this with the engine in the truck.
Remove the radiator, fan, water pump, fuel pump, harmonic balancer, crankshaft sleeve, distributor, valve covers, carburator and any associated parts.
Remove the timing cover; keep in mind there are bolts on the bottom holding it to the oil pan. I recommend you NOT remove the oil pan, but re-seal it to the oil pan when you re-install it. I'll explain later.
Remove the valve covers, the rocker arms and the pushrods. Keep the pushrods in the correct order. (I use a cardboard box, and poke them through the side.)
Remove the intake manifold - that sucker is HEAVY, weighing nearly 100 pounds.
Remove the lifters. Throw them away; never use old lifters on a new cam.
Remove the timing chain bolt, fuel pump eccentric, cam timing gear and timing chain. Don't lose the dowel or peg that lines it all up.
Hint: Do not change the crankshaft gear. Here is why: The extra work to drop the oil pan to change the old gear to a new gear is not worth the very minor gain you might get. Unless you are rebuilding the engine, or it was rebuilt very recently, OR the crankshaft gear is so chewed up as to be unusable or nearly so, you are really wasting a lot of time and headache equity dropping the oil pan. Just my opinion on this.
To continue:
Remove the camshaft retainer.
Re-install the camshaft center bolt to help you remove it. Pull the cam shaft out. It will fall when it comes out of the support holes, and you will have to lift it to center it, so that you can slide it through the next hole.
Before assembly, coat all the support surfaces and all the cam lobes completely with a coat of assembly lube. You may find it easier to coat just the first third or half, get it in part way, and then finish lubing it up.
To install it, support the cam and guide it in, centering each lobe as it goes in.
Assembly is the reverse.

Things to watch out for:
Disassemble and reassemble the rocker arms in stages.
Use RTV sealant generously on the intake manifold - search for and follow instructions from others on this site to prevent intake manifold leaks.
Don't overtighten! Use a good torque wrench.

 

ddlyarmbar,
Yes, you can do it in the truck. You gotta yank the radiator, though, so you got room to slide the cam out.
Remove valve covers and remove the bolts that hold down the rockershafts. Pull out the pushrods and set them down in an order that you can put them back where they came from.
Remove water pump and timing chain cover, line up dots on crank gear and cam gear, remove cam gear retaining bolt, cam gear and chain.
Remove dist. cap. Mark the dist. body with a marker exactly where the rotor is pointing ( For easier assembly, make a mental note of where vac. advance is pointing or scribe dist. housing at the intake when you remove dist. hold down bracket). Slide out distributor.
Remove intake manifold and slide lifters out of their bores. If you're installing new lifters, you don't have to worry about which hole they came out of.
Remove two Phillips head bolts that hold the cam retaining plate and remove plate (you may have to use an impact driver).
Put the cam gear back on and finger tighten bolt (sometimes it's easier this way because you get more leverage with the gear).
Carefully slide the cam out so as not to damage the cam bearings (you'll have to fiddle it up and down a little to get the lobes through the bearings).
Reverse procedure to install. Torque all bolts to spec.
Soak new lifters in oil overnight and apply assembly lube prior to installing in lifter bores.
Coat the new cam bearing surfaces and lobes with cam break-in lube prior to installing.
Inspect all valvetrain parts for wear. Slide rocker arms against springs on shafts to inspect shafts for wear. Check both contact points of each rockerarm (pushrod side and valve tip side). Check pushrod ends for wear. Replace worn parts as necessary.
Don't forget to replace front crank seal.

Hope this helps, holler if I forgot something.


Edit: Oops, banjopicker66 beat me to it. There's certainly enough info now.