So my Bro and I are putting together his 235. It's a '61 block. Got a couple of questions. How is the cam gear installed on the cam? It's an aluminum one. Do we heat it up in an oven and put it on or what? Also how do you know how far to go in with it so that it still lines up correctly. Second question is.... will '54 lifters (for a PG car, so hyd.) work on this block or are the oil grooves / passages different. Thanks in advance
Fire up the oven! Don't forget to put the cam retainer on first!! I can't remember off the top of my head what the spec is on the clearance. I'm pretty sure those lifter will work, but why hydraulic? I've heard nothing but bad things about 6 cyl. hydraulic lifters, besides nothing beats the clatter of solids
OK, you guys have me worried. I don't remember this at all on my overhaul. Mine just went together with no oven......I have slept since then. The motor has been waiting quietly on the stand. Hope it's right.
Forget the oven... just put the cam in the frezzer overnight. Put the timing gear in a pot of heated (after boil) water for a a couple of minutes and everything will practally fall into place. Make sure you have a new key for the cam and gear. I just tapped mine into place with just tight enough so that the thrust plate spun with the slightest of drag (it was also coated with moly lube all around). Make sure the lifters match your cam! If you don't, you may be replacing both in a couple of hundred miles... r
I bought a Howard's cam from Patricks and the timing gear was in the master o/h kit. I didn't freeze or heat anything....now I am worried.
I had mine pressed on at a machine shop. Make absolutely sure you have your dots lined properly. One time I didn't because the cheapo fibre gear I had in an emergency situation had two vague marks. I ended up bending three valves and snapping two rockers. It was the hell trip to end all hell trips.
Het Root, which cam did you get? I plan on getting one of them for my 235. Did you also get the lifters from Patrick's too? I using their pushrods... r
I used the mild cam for the street. I forget the specs. I bought solid lifters from my uncles machine shop. Patricks was out at the time and they were on eternal backorder.
Well here's the deal. We bought the cam a while back from a guy regrinding hyd cams. Apparently Patricks tells us now that the high quality hyd lifters are no longer made and everything else is crap, But we already have the cam and don't have a solid cam. So either we buy new solid lifters and another cam or just throw in these clevite hyd lifters on ebay. Thanks for the tips on installing the cam gear. We already broke the old retainer trying to get it off the old cam. found another on egay, hopefully we'll get it. Trying to get the '39 ready for the next Roundup
Here's a little info I got from my uncle who used to race the inline sixes. Never waste the time to reuse the original cam gears, even if they are metal. I bought a new set and they weren't all that much. As far asthe diff. in hyd/solids, I have a buddy that converted his over to hyd and all he did was pull a plug out of the rear oil passage and his is fine. Dunno if this helps.
we're not using a used timing set. It's all new. Just didn't have a new thrust retainer thingy. The block we got was originally a hyd lifter motor, that's one reason my bro chose to go with hyd lifters. Might still switch to solid if we can't get a decent set of lifters.
For the thrust plate, try Jim Carter's or Chevy Duty. I broke mine too. I know Carter's has them in stock. r
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