Cam Bearing Replacement??

Any tips or tricks? Tool should be here by Sunday. Thanks

Install them one at a time, not all at once before checking the cam fit Install the rear one first(the smallest one)and then slide the cam in to see if it spins good, if so do the next one and so on. If you run into a tight one, which you will eventually if you do enough Mopar V8 blocks, then you can use a bearing knife carefully to remove the shining high spots, a little at a time until that bearing will allow the cam to rotate freely Good luck, let us know how your first one goes Use the tapered alignment guide to get the tool centered on all of them that you can use it on , the front can be a challenge

Install the rear 2 from the front and the front 2 from the rear , center can be done from either end.

Put the 2 end ones in first and install the cam and make sure it spins freely then install the rest one by one.

The last set I put in were Speed Pro and the cam fit better than any other bearings I have used.

Is it possible to do with the rotating assembly in?

It might be tuff I don't do them that way, I installed them on the engine stand with the main bearing bores with the caps off pointing up, I install the last(the smallest one) bearing on the tool and install it, on the rest I install them onto the tool in the block so I don't damage them while working the tool through the other cam journals with the bearings installed on the tool

I wasn't near the motor when I asked that. I gotta pull the crank

I always find the worst part of an engine build is the cam bearings. There has to be a better way than that universal crap with the rubber bands around it. Chevy has sized knocker blocks. Someone must make them for Mopar.

You can do it w/ the rotating assembly installed.

I've always done them the way JohnRR said...front 2 from the rear, rear 2 from the front and the middle from either end.

Kenny...The worst part of a MOPAR engine build is the cam bearings. Doesn't seem to be as much of an issue w/ other blocks. Guess it's a cam tunnel bore size or alignment issue? I never had nearly as much trouble w/ other makes as I did w/ the Mopar big blocks.

I made my own tool for BBM and use Dura-Bond bearings after having trouble with another brand being tight years ago. Make sure the bores are clean and free of any nicks or burs from knocking the old bearings out. I have installed them with rotating assembly together

Big block Mopar and small block Ford are two of the worst engines out there for replacing cam bearing and NOT getting a tight one but it can be done. Like others have said, install and test each one or you may be VERY sorry. The more you do the easier it gets just like almost every other job.

Original plan was regasket and toss a cam in and swap motors. I didnt like the idea of just replacing the bad headgasket on the motor in the truck. So after looking at the motor last night and seeing no way to do the bearings with crank in Im just going to replace the headgasket and rebuild the motor thats torn down to a shortblock and swap when done. Thanks for the input.

The FE Ford can be a pia too

Weird, I think I had more trouble w/ tight bearings in sb chevies than I did w/ Fords. Had very few give any trouble at all really. Mostly just knock em in and go. The Mopars, on the other hand, seemed like I always had to massage them to get the cam to spin freely.

We just installed a set of dura bond bearings in my 440 with the rotating assembly in.
I had to have the #2 cam journal polished as that was the tight one for my block.

I was in the process of doing a cam swap and the original #2 bearing was too tight from the get go and had given up the ghost. (It was replaced at some time as the other 4 bearings had penastars on them and #2 was aftermarket)

I don't see how you can get them into place with the crack still in. Being my first time I'm not wanting to chance anything and I need the truck back on the road before snow starts flying here.

Moparfish; I like that setup. I should probably look into having a set of knockers machined up for my installer. Great idea. Thanks.

My set has a separate one for each bearing, bought it off ebay like 15 years ago.

Im more lucky then good it seems since the only cam ive had bind was a used on that didnt bind when it was new.

I also have only used the mopar performance (who makes them?) cam bearings so maybe they might be more forgiving.