Couple of questions as I get ready for my cam shaft replacement. Maybe even this weekend.

1995, F-150, EFI, 2wd, 5 speed

1) The Haynes manual talks about removing the front six oil pan bolts before removing the timing cover. Does anyone know if this is actually required for this truck? And if it is, am I better off just dropping the entire pan so I can replace the full gasket? I don’t want to deal with an oil leak during the run-in.

2) Just looking under the hood, I’m getting concerned that there may not be enough clearance to pull the cam shaft due to the location of the AC “radiator” (condenser or what ever you call it). Before I get started, I’ll go out and measure the clearance that I’ll get with the engine radiator removed. If this is going to be a problem, it may be a show stopper for now.

3) Any reason I should be replacing the valve springs? I’m installing the Crane H-260-2. Crane said that the stock sizing should be fine, but I’m reading over some Crower instructions that recommend replacing springs with any cam replacement. I only have about 67,000 miles on this motor and every thing sounds fine. Is Crower (or maybe it was Comp) just trying to sell springs?

4) Take a look at my gasket list. I made this list reading through Haynes. Am I missing anything?

Valve cover
Push rod cover
Upper intake manifold
Timing gear cover
Crankshaft oil seal for timing cover
Throttle body (I hear they get sucked in)
Oil pan

Any particular brand of gasket I should get?

5) One more thing…what’s the chance of my lifter pre-load being out of spec? Like I said, the engine sounds fine, but I just want go gauge the risk of commandeering my wife’s car if this goes into the work week…or maybe waking to work.

Thanks in advance

 

First , you had better step back and do a little more research into the project as you sound as if you haven't done anything like this before.
1> yes-- the oil pan is bolted to the timing cover. If you are really careful and lucky the timing cover will come off and not ruin the gasket around the front of the pan. If not all you have to replace is the smaller front lip gasket , that is usually included with the timing cover gasket set.
2. Here is where you have to do some research. The cam is very long and will not clear the Radiator, AC condenser and possibly front bumper. I had to drop the bumper on my 90. I didn't jack up the engine, which may have allowed the cam to be removed without dropping the bumper.
3. If you don't intend to try for 8000 RPM the stock springs would be OK, if they are good. I would replace the at least Springs , with stronger ones. And while you are at it Lifters (with a better anti pump up lifter) and push rods (stronger and better ones) but that is just me.
There are other things to consider
Cam gears -- what are you going to do about them. They simply don't come off the old cam easily. They are hard to remove and you need to remove them to get the cam gear key and thrust plate. The thrust plate you can get from Ford ( $15 or so and I would replace it just because you are able to) The cam KEY is NOT available from FORD or anywhere and I believe it is hardened.
Front damper pulley has to be removed and you will need a puller to do the job.

Read the following, it is a post I wrote some time back. The engine being described is a 1990.
1. Remove the valve cover
2. loosen the rocker arms and remove the push rods and number them.
3. remove the distributor--- line up the dist to number 0ne first and note where the timing mark is ( should be between 0 and 10 degrees on the timing plate ) try not to turn over the engine from now on.
4. remove the valve lifter cover behind the dist, the long and wide tin thing on the drivers side of the engine.
5. remove the lifters and mark them as to where they were, an egg carton makes a good container.
6. the cam is held in with two bolts behind the gear , they are assessed through holes in the cam. If you have to turn the engine to get the cam to move return it to where it set in step 3.
7. You should be able to remove the cam, be VERY CAREFUL not to tear up the cam bearings when you pull the cam. Pull it out slowly and lift it at the same time and you will be able to feel the cam bearings as the journals slide in and out of the bearings, there 6 or so cam bearings you have to clear.
On my truck I had to remove the radiator, ac condenser, and grill and drop the bumper to clear the way for the LONG cam. At this point you can devise some way of removing the gear. As mine was fiber , I sawed off most of the gear and took a hack saw and carefully split the steel hub of the fiber gear. Even with all this I had to use the largest gear puller I had and it didn't give up easily.
A word of caution, when you unbolt the cam from the engine you will be unbolting the cam thrust plate, This is a cast iron oval plate just under 1/4 inch thick and it is ground on both sides. DO NOT TRY TO PUT A PULLER ON THIS PLATE to pull the gear you will end up with a two part plate. In fact you may have to break this plate to get the jaws of a puller behind the gear and if you are careful in splitting the gear hub you might save the plate Don't loose the cam gear key you can't get them. While this is all in parts on the ground look at the cam and lifters.Now is a good time to replace the cam, lifters ,thrust plate and push rods. Check the web for a Melling cam kit and timing gears( yes it is the same Melling that used to sponsor Bill Elliot in Nascar). It's stock and the cam kit will go for around $80. with cam and new lifters in the kit. The gear set is about $35 and the thrust plate is $20 or so. Push rods are $1.50
each. Gasket kit for the side cover and the front cover( get the one that comes with the front seal ).
Before you run out and do all this get a good manual for Fords and read up on this. I have described what you would do for a 1990. Yours might be slightly different. Its not as hard as it sounds , it just pisses you off when you find the cam won't clear the front bumper as it is too long
As far as timing the cam , replace both gears . A good puller will remove the crank gear easily, I think Auto Zone has a loner gear puller for the crank gear.If you replace the crank gear and you should, make sure the DOT IS FACING OUT!!! It is also cheap enough for you to buy a puller, about $15. Getting the gear on is the easy part as long as you REMEMBER---to put the spacer and thrust plate back on first. I am assuming your cam has the spacer and thrust plate behind the gear, I think they all do. To replace the gear you get a grade 8 bolt from home depot to match the threads inside the cam nose, mine was 7/16 x 14 tpi. Yours may be different but the grade 8 bolt is for safety so you don't break it off in the cam while you are using it to pull the gear on. Any way you put the spacer on first with the bevel to wards the cam and then the thrust plate , if it is worn get a new one from ford for $8, then the key goes back in the cam, save the original key as they are no longer available from ford and they seem to be a hardened key. Start the gear on the cam and make sure it is going on straight , I made an aligner out of some scrap brass turned on a lathe so it fit inside the gear and had a hole through it of 7/16 to match the bolt. Start the gear by hand , it won't go far, find a heavy washer with the inside hole the size of your bolt and the outside larger than the hole in the gear.Thread the bolt in the cam nose and tighten away, a little oil is helpful, and you will pull the gear on the cam. Be careful of the following----- on my cam the nose of the cam stuck out of the gear about 1/32 of an inch when seated all the way, and there was very little clearance between the thrust plate and the cam gear. It should be .005 or something like that. Using the above method the cam will stop moving when the nose hits the washer. I noticed at this point that the trust plate
had a lot of clearance and I realized that the gear had to keep moving. I made a spacer about 1/4 inch thick to put between the
washer and the gear so the nose would pull through more, the inside diameter of the spacer was larger than the cam nose.


Bob/stractor

 

Thanks for the detailed response. I'll be measureing the clearance to the condenser tomorrow. I had a feeling that was going to be a problem. I'm pretty sure that's hard piped in so I can't swing it out of the way. Maybe if it's close, I can get it out of the way with out beding any thing. I got a feeing that I'll have to take it out...more money I wasn't counting on.

New timing gears, rods, springs, and thrust plate...wasn't really counting on that either, but I'll take your advice. What are the anti pump-up lifters all about? I ordered a set of hydrolic lifters from Crane. I'll be calling them back about the rods and springs tomorrow.

Funny that that key's not available...I'll ask Ford anyways. It would be nice not have to worry about getting the gear off. I have a small puller but you make it sound like it's not gonig to do the job. I'll deal with that when I get too it.

Thanks. I'll be sure to get this all worked out before I dig in. It's a long walk to work.

 

The Crane lifters will be fine. If you get springs you will probably have to remove the head to replace the springs. Good time to do a valve job. There are ways to remove springs without removing the head, buy filling the cylinder with compressed air (you need access to a compressor that is good for 125 PSI or better)and using a tool to remove the springs and a keepers. I have never tried this method. You might get away with new stock push rods, but I would use the aftermarket ones(larger diameter ,different material?) if available. If you are going to put in stiffer springs you should go for the metal timing gears and not the fiber ones, due to the increased load on the cam and gears from the new springs. The key has nothing to do with holding the cam gear on the cam, it just locates it. The gear is a press fit and that is why it is such a Bi**H to get the gear off the old cam. The problem is there is no where to grab the stock cam gear and pull on it, the legs of the puller just eat away the fiber of the gear and even if you could get bite, that puppy is really on there. If you grab the thrust plate with the puller you will have a two part plate in no time.The key seems to be hardened (or at least mine was) that is why you can't just go to any auto store and get a soft run of the mill key. I tried to get one and couldn't find one at any Ford dealer, you may have better luck.

stractor

 

You can probably get away with stock valve springs. The preceding depends on how high of an RPM you are trying to get. See what kind of responses you get from the people on this board that have done this cam change. I will bet most don't change springs. I used to run a 347 cu in GMC 6 in a 1500 pound Crosley (never heard of one, have you) pick up, 1/4 mile - 124MPH and 12.3 sec in 1970. The engine had Double springs, and a roller cam and would float the valves at 6000-6200 RPM, due to the weight of the valve train.

stractor

 

u will need to remove the radiator, condensor and hood spring (it hurts very bad to lean over with it digging in ur stomach), and the acccosiated engine items. i have to jack the motor up a good deal to clear the core support to remove mine. i hunge the condensor up by the hood with some mechanics wire.

replace the lifters whenever a new cam is installed.

if ur in doubt change the entire oil pan gasket. and yes the 6 bolts up front need to be removed.

as long as the lift on the replacement cam is no more then .500/.500 ur ok with the stock springs.

i recommened steel timing gears. u'll have the cam out and u will need to press the cam gear on the new cam so might as well spend the extra $35 and get steel replacements.

u will need a puller for the crank shaft pulley. apply anti-sized to the crank snout when replacing the crank pulley and use blue loc-tite on the bolt that holds it into place...

find someone with a hydrolic press to press the new cam gear on the cam. dont worry about breaking the fiber cam gear on the old cam if u plan to replace the cam gears with steel.

uh i think thats pretty much it...i did this swap twice, once in the truck and once with the new (junkyard) engine on a stand. make sure to use anti-sized and blue loc-tite where i said and use some RTV to hold the gaskets in place. let them set overnight so when ur replacing the pieces the gaskets dont move...espeically the side cover gasket. make sure to make ur distributor and triple check everything...good luck, if i think of anything else ill post it up.

 

Be sure and let us know what the seat of the pants feel, says about the addition of that camshaft.


Any chance you could do some timed runs with accuracy...do a little before and after?


Good luck

 

I've been thinking about a way to accuratly guage before and after. I ordered a tach to get a better handle on my shift points to see if they change. But like anything, they'll probably change just by vertue of my paying attention to it. I think the most feasable thing for me to do is some 25-55mph (~1250-3000rpm) WOT acceleration tests in 3rd gear. I can time that myself and the cops wouldn't nessisarly know I was doing it. Not too rough on the drive train either... Maybe one in second gear too, to take a look at the bottom end rpms.

 

I pulled my engine out and did it on an engine stand. Not as bad as it sounds. Seems a whole lot easier than taking the front end apart. I even did it without removing the ac condenser. Isky supercam ,lifters, pushrods,timing gears, oil pump, pan and gasket, seals, valve job, head port ,and 2 to 1 converter replacement with a gibson swept side three inch cat back setup. I am still in the middle of installing the exhaust system. I will let you know how it goes. If you have the capability to pull the 300 out, I would definately consider it.

 

My biggest drawback is that this is my daily driver and I only have the weekend to work with. If i don't get it closed up by Monday morning, I'll have to take my wife's van to work...I don't mind but she will. I have to address these mods as weekend projects. I'm considering buying a differnt vehicle just to fool around with once the cam is in.

 

Which supercam are you using? What year is your engine? Don't hesitate to e-mail or PM me to give me your thoughts on power increase, I have been looking at the supercam now for some time, just need the inspiration. Good luck!!


I think your problem is, you don't wanna be seen driving the van. Whats a couple days? If your not irritating the old lady one way or the other, then your not doing something right.

Cool, will keep an eye out, very interested in reading your thoughts on the 260H camshaft installation. Once again Good luck!!

 

351,
Were you asking which cam I was putting in? Crane H-260-2. I hope it's worth the effort.

 

arghh soo much work
Oh well, i think when my next clutch goes out, ill do a better stage 1 or 2 clutch, and while the trannys out, why not drop the motor, then i can do it all alot easier, then I can take my head and few hundred bucks and have it ported and polished out the rear, and hell, from there not alot stops you from a full rebuild. Just need time and about 1500$ right?

 

hey motorhead 351, I used the isky 256 supercam. It seems to run better all around. I also have a low restriction exhaust system. The computer does not have any problems with it and my mileage doesnt seem to have dropped any. I used isky lifters and pushrods too. 95 4.9 2wd m5od

 

Any idea on differences between this and a '76?? I'm trying to find out if I should try this cam install myself or pay someone to do it.