it has started! my cam only build thread

[SexyTransAm]

i got the car in the garage tonight. got the nose off and pulled the drivers side valve cover. thats a big steep for me and this car (first time it has ever been off. 127xxx miles). im off work tomorrow and am goin to get up early and hit it hard. the plan is to get it down to the short block before i quit. and maybe more if things go well. ill have pics up tomorrow night! wish me luck

[Blubird]

Sweet! Good luck! What all has been done and is going into this ?

[SexyTransAm]

just a lil bit really. the rear intake is leakin oil so while im fixin that might as well pop the heads off and do head gaskets (shim gaskets) and while im that far in might as well put a cam in (cc503) and hell if i do the cam might as well do headers and a stall too. iv got everything at the house just need a few more gaskets. AND MORE TIME BEFORE THE SHOOT OUT!

[SexyTransAm]

oh yea also got a 15x10 pro stars that should be here monday :finger:

[Blubird]

Sounds good.yeah I'd hope you would have exaust work before having a cam but at the same time works too

[joelster]

I would MILDLY grind on the heads while they are off. Clean up around the valve guide area, gasket match them, and if you are careful do a tiny bit of bowl work. You could potentially pick up an honest 15-20hp running a 503 with a mild set of heads as opposed to bone stock heads.

Here's a good article:

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/95518_small_block_cylinder_head_porting/index.html

http://www.mondellotwister.com/ArtHeadPort.htm

[Fastbird]

I would MILDLY grind on the heads while they are off. Clean up around the valve guide area, gasket match them, and if you are careful do a tiny bit of bowl work. You could potentially pick up an honest 15-20hp running a 503 with a mild set of heads as opposed to bone stock heads.

Here's a good article:

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/95518_small_block_cylinder_head_porting/index.html

http://www.mondellotwister.com/ArtHeadPort.htm

While this is good advice for someone that knows what they're doing with heads, I would NEVER blindly grind on them for the first time ever and then put them back on the car. I strongly recommend against this unless you have a skilled ported watching and guiding you and a flow bench handy to make sure you're not killing things, ESPECIALLY if you're going to put the heads back on the car. A little too much out of this spot, grind the floor instead of the roof, and you can KILL your flow and velocity. Just my $.02

[SexyTransAm]

yea the heads will be goin back on stock this time. if something happens down the road the whole set up will get reworked but not by me

[joelster]

While this is good advice for someone that knows what they're doing with heads, I would NEVER blindly grind on them for the first time ever and then put them back on the car. I strongly recommend against this unless you have a skilled ported watching and guiding you and a flow bench handy to make sure you're not killing things, ESPECIALLY if you're going to put the heads back on the car. A little too much out of this spot, grind the floor instead of the roof, and you can KILL your flow and velocity. Just my $.02

I never said "blindly" grind on them. I said grind around the valve guides, gasket match them, and do a little bowl work. If you just do that you will never touch the floor of the port and you MIGHT remove 5cc's of material.

[SexyTransAm]

well i didnt get as much done today as i wanted. just got to pull the intake and heads and ill be down to the short block. damn thing is a PITA to work on!!! cut the hell out of my finger and thought it would need stitches, but it didnt they glued it back together and sent me on my way. that was 2 hrs wasted! and i forgot my cam over at mom and dads place, where the car is. so ill get the pics up tomm night.

[popo8]

Good luck man... a trip to the hospital is not a good way to start......

[SexyTransAm]

it didnt start that way that happened mid day lol. just a quick break

[popo8]

it didnt start that way that happened mid day lol. just a quick break


At least you can still count to 10 with your shoes on... lol:laugh:

[SexyTransAm]

yea but its a bitch to try and get a bolt out with a wrapped up finger pointer finger!

[chevymec]

Thats one way to do the mods, all at one time !!

[SexyTransAm]

man i hope i remember where all this shit goes lol
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/1.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/2.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/3.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/4.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/5.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/6.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/7.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/8.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/9.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/10.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/11.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/12.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/13.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/14.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/15.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/16.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/17.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/18.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/19.jpg

[SexyTransAm]

not goin to lie the crank hub kick my ass tonight! i thought it would come off like a 1st gen small block.

[Blubird]

How come you took the bumper cover off ?

[GreenZ96]

Good luck dude!
Looks fun, I just finished mine for the second time in a row. One of my head gaskets blew out after about 5 mins run time. Major headache!
Hope you dont have any problems with yours

[SexyTransAm]

How come you took the bumper cover off ?

Just to have more room

[Blubird]

is that a blue second gen i see ?

[SexyTransAm]

yes its my huge money pit. 1980 Trans Am with large ci SBC on the bottle

[Blubird]

very nice

[SexyTransAm]

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/IMGP0216.jpg

[SexyTransAm]

pro stars 15x10 7.5 bs
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/Photo030.jpg

[BLK95-Z]

Hey man your pretty close to me locally. The guy Ive got building my motor could do those heads right for cheaper than anyone around here, hes a close friend. I thought it may help you out $$ wise, let me know if you need his number

[Blubird]

which prostars are those ?

[SexyTransAm]

weld 96 pro stars

[Blubird]

ahh ok.you just using those as a drag wheel ?

[SexyTransAm]

yea. goin to use the front runners off my 80.

[SexyTransAm]

so iv done some thinking and im goin to pull the motor tomm. it will make it easier to change motor mounts and put the new converter in. and tore the oil pan gasket when i took the timing cover off so ill be able to slap a new one on.

[Silver Bullet]

you going to pull from tha top??

[Blubird]

that would be kinda pointless for what he needs to do

[popo8]

this is how it snowballs..... lol!!!!!!!



Enjoy it man... its a labor of love.....

[SexyTransAm]

yea from the top. dont think it will take more then 30 mine to get out at this point. and snowball might be a good name for this project. it went from ill just leave it alone till it blown, when i first got the car to ill just spary a lil for fun to ill just slap a cam in to well the cam needs full bolt ons and stall to ill pull it and reseal the damn thing. hell might as wll try and do a 396 before the shoot out at this point lol.

[Silver Bullet]

lol yep same thing here.
i was just gonna leave my bird alone.

then i got a 306 for it. and now i iwant spray too and full bolt ons along wiht heads :drool:

and popo is right enjoy every bit of it

[SexyTransAm]

well didnt get to work on it much this weekend. i worked open to close every day. but i got the cam in and the stall is in the poly mounts r in the clams and the motor should be goin back in the car tomm night when i get off work. and man the old timing chain was lose as a 5 doller hooker!

[Silver Bullet]

:laugh: keep at it gonna b a good pay off for you in the end

[SexyTransAm]

well the motor is back in. and if it all goes well and the lifters come in on time i should have it out by sat night, i hope! also got the tires on the pro stars and they look sweet as hell. ill get pics of everything tomm but here r a few from the other night when the motor came out. the first thing i did was put the new stall in. took the pics before i get it all the way on.
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/IMGP0229.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/IMGP0230.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/IMGP0234.jpg

[SexyTransAm]

didnt get any pics dont know where the hell my cam is. but got the opti, water pump, ac compressor, all the front of the motor put together. but the kicker is i broke the neck off the power steering pump. so i called round to get a new pump and no one had one tonight. but ill be able to pick it up in the morn. other then that got the heads all cleaned up and started to put the new valve train together and come to find out iv got the wrong valve retainers and or locks ( new parts i bought from someone else) so i ordered both just to make sure i have it right. but i got the shim gaskets all cut and ready to go. so tomm ill get the heads back on and if the lifters come in ill get the intake back on. but its lookin like the retainers and or locks wont be here till monday. still hope to make it to a test and tune before the shootout but if i dont i guess thats what qualifying is for

[F.G.]

Man thats some quick progress

[SexyTransAm]

not as quick as i wanted it to be. its fighting the whole damn way

[SexyTransAm]

its starting to look like it might run again!
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/IMGP0252.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/IMGP0251.jpg
http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q170/SexyTransAm/95%20cam%20build/IMGP0250.jpg

[SexyTransAm]

well a lil update. i got everything back together the night befor the shootout and thought i was goin to get to race. went to start the car and it wouldnt. sounded like the timing was off. so i went to bed. got home from the shootout and pulled the opti off and found out i had it on wrong. put it back on and went to start again. still nothing. still sounded like the timing was off. i pull the front of the motor apart again to make sure everyhing was timed right and it was. so pulled the opti apart tonight and found the wheel inside was bent im sure from me putting it on wrong. so i just bought a new one. should be goin soon.

[F.G.]

danm that sucks, but at least you found the problem, I hate trouble shooting. What opti are you going with?

[SexyTransAm]

chandlermotorsports

[LVZ2881]

Looks like a nice project. I just installed my chandler opti today. Got lucky and it popped right in place on the dowel pin and seated all the way down against the timing cover. I did not realize, however, how much of a PITA changing the passenger plug wires were!! :shiner:
Look forward to seeing some more progress.