Anyone ever change their own flathead cam bearings?

Did it years ago with some borrowed tools. Found the most critical thing was to make sure the oil passage holes lined up. Before anything mic. the camshaft and bearings to check for clearence. If they are within specs. they might not have to be replaced. If installing a new cam there is an outside possibility that the bearings may have to be honed.

 

Flathead cam bearings are the best lubrucated cam bearings in automotive history, Just mic them and you`re ok..

 

*IF* you need to change your cam bearings, Mac VanPelt sells a dandy tool for doing it, but it would take a lot of engines to make it worth the price. The tool is the main reason most folks say to let a machine shop do it. They charge very little if they are already working on the block. It looks like the tool could be made pretty easily if you have the machinery to do it.

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_cambearingtool_forsale.htm

 

Pop your block on the Greyhound and send it out --I've got the KRW puller that does the job, smoothly with a huge screw through the bearings...
Lisle makes an expanding set for universal use that's pretty cheap, and if you have a lathe in the huge Aero factory, all you need is a lump of metal the size of the bore with a shoulder...hmmmm...sounds like maybe the front bearing of an 8BA cam could maybe be adapted to that ...
The hole through the piece of metal can then take either a big all thread as a pulling force (smooth, lets you watch exactly where your oil holes are going) or a rod to pound on (quick and dirty).

 

Proper ones shouldn't need honing--good NOS and NORS ones are common. Need for work is usually because of overenthusiastic use of the primitive hammer type installer raising a bur or even bulging the tube as the thing is hammered in--hence the Ford screw press. If you make one, I'd say use a screw in the middle--adds 10 minutes to engine build, puts'emin smooooooth.
I think the front of your soon to be tossed Merc cam will do the job--saw off the front bearing area (mark the rest "ratrod" and put it on Ebay), drill a biggish hole through the middle, practically done...a strip of tape around the bearing surface will take up oil clearance/wear space on the journal of the old cam.
I think the Lisle tool was around $50 from Northern--it has 3 or so expandable mandrels sorta like exhaust pipe expanders.

 

Made a bolt on the lathe.
Knocked them old 'uns out.
New ones in.

Had one of the mechanics/collegues at work to the lathe thing.
Found the raw material bolt in the trash bin at work.

Cost of tooling: ZERO.

Be carefull and watch the alignment as said above.

When rebuilding a flatty from ground up I did not even think of using old bearings.
As Bruce said all spareparts lying on the floor when the job is done is Rat Rod material.

Good luck.
Paul

 

Here's some pics of the tool that I made back when I was working in Round Boy's machine shop. You really need a lathe to make a proper tool. Then, just drive 'em out, and drive 'em in.

pigpen

 

I didnt add to the other post but the L100 is supposedly a good blower cam.

 

I made a guide for my installer to keep everything aligned. Gently tapped bearings in, and the new cam went in smooth.

Flatman

 

I don't recall ever doing cam bearings in a flatty but I got a cam bearing tool and some time, or could find some time.

If your machinist already has the block and he doesn't want an arm and a leg its just as easy to have him do it. But if not the tool is just waiting to be used again.

 

I've sold dozens of the cam bearing tools. Yep....if you're handy with a lathe and can measure properly, it's not rocket science to make one. Not everyone has this capability, so I had a machinist friend make some up. Been selling 'em ever since. They work well. If you tap the tool with your hammer, the bearings move easily without damage.

You could have your machine shop take the old bearings out and install new ones, but they usually charge you for each process. My philosophy is that if you do more than one flathead, you will pay for the tool. Besides, I'm a flathead tool nut. Ya just can't have enough tools to work on them as I see it. Here is the link for the webpage on the tool:

http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_cambearingtool_forsale.htm

 

Just remember that you MUST remove the cam bearings before having the block hot tanked or an at home molasses dip. Otherwise you will "poison" the solution.

VanPelts tool certainly is not that expensive. A few guys can split the cost if several want to build flatheads.

 

A word of advice, whether you do your own or have it done. If the rear one is in to far the oil pump gear will bind up on it when you bolt on the cover and obviously nothing will turn.
It must be flush with the block in the back, no mater how it looks on the inside.

 

No one mentioned the three bearings have increasing diameters. I assume smallest ID goes in the back and progessively gets larger to the front.

 

Kevin
I got a cam bearing tool here at the house, I am sure that I have a spud the correct size if you want to load that bugger up and come on over. Bring an old trashed camshaft while you are comming and we will make you a ream while we are at it.

 

This thread is six and a half years old...

 

Sorry joe,
I hadn't noticed that someone had bumped an old thread nor had I noticed that I already posted on it. If I had noticed that I already posted on it. I suppose that if Kevin had come on over and poked the bushing in it I would have known without thinking about it.

 

My comment was more to the guy that brought the thread back from the dead.

 

yea but of the two of us I should know better. I get caught on these all the time.

 

Yeah. But it goes to show you were a nice guy then,and a nice guy still.Always there to help a guy out.Way to go.

 

May be a good time to get the ol' Coupe back out of mothballs.

I wasn't aware that you crashed the F-1. What is left of it?

 

Bearings are all the same ID and OD. The center one is just narrower.

 

You could build one of those bobber picups out of it.

If you need to store it to make room for building another let me know we can find a place for it.

 

I always wonder how some people find these threads that are this old. Maybe a search about cam bearings or something? Still, you'd think there would be some newer ones.

 

I think some of the newer guys are just doing what is suggested and reading the HAMB to see what it is all about before posting. Then they run across a thread and feel they have something to ad.

I suppose you can't slight someone for trying to ad something to a discussion that they thought had been missed.