Re: Stag Cams

["Glenn A. Merrell" <gmerrel@domain.elided>]

thomas.jell@domain.elided wrote:
 
>  - what to use. If I messure clearance should I go for strong or easy fitting ?
I lube the sides of the tappets with a moly based grease before placing
the pallet and tappet, and I lube the cam bearing points and caps with a
moly based grease.  Do not grease the pallet, and clean the inside of
the tappet surface of any grease or oil.  This is a good place to pick
up a free .001.   You may have a slight run in...
>  - is some running in to be expected soon ?
...so I'd set it to a correct "feel", some light resistance on the
gauge...I use wide ones from gauge shim stock.  Any half decent machine
shop will cut some for you in every size increment beginning with .001
to .025 for a couple of coins.
Recheck after cold cranking for about 20-30 revolutions, at 500 miles
when you retorque the heads.
>  - how hard is the camshaft to turn (heads only, so no compression)
Not hard if you use....
>    I need a wrench to move it at all.
...a wrench.  Each cam has a hex cast into one end for using a wrench
(spanner) for bench setup.  I strongly recommend that you set them up on
the bench, on wood blocks, as you will be removing the cam at least once
if you have the jist of it, two or three times just for the learning. 
After setting up the head, rotate the cam at least a dozen times, then
recheck the clearances one more time.
>  - any other thing to be aware of ?
Before I go about adjusting the valves, I set the head on wood blocks to
give the valves a couple of inches of clearance, smack each valve at the
top of the valve stem 2 or 3 times with a brass rod drift and a 5 pound
dead blow hammer.  Just about every time, I have found one valve keeper
that was not in place correctly.  (now someone here is going to tell me
that I will mar the valve seat...) Then I set the valve clearance as
above.  
	Before you set the head back on the engine block, wire the cam chain to
the gear and attach the nut to the chain bank guide support bracket if
not already on, and wire the tensioners totally retracted.  Make sure
that the piston #2 at TDC, crank, chains and cams are in the correct
orientation, then,  make sure that the piston #2 at TDC, crank, chains
and cams are in the correct orientation, go get a cup of coffee, then, 
make sure that the pistons #2 at TDC, crank, chains and cams are in the
correct orientation.  After torquing the head (remove the roller cam
wire) and attach the cam roller gear (it shold not have to be rotated to
bolt up), attach the upper chain guides to remove most of the slack if
possible, then remove the tensioner wires and the nuts from the chain
bank guide support bracket.  Verify that all the scribe marks on the
crank and jackshaft gear are still right, and the distributor is
pointing at the correct sparking position, #2, that #2 is at TDC, and
the valves for #2 are both closed.  Rotate the engine slowly by hand
without the plugs, watching each set of valves open/close before TDC of
each piston.  I put a piece of poly tubing down the cylinder plug hole
touching the top of the piston while rotating the crank.  When the
piston stops as demonstrated by the poly tube stopping its upward
travel, both valves should be closed on the compression stroke, and the
distributor rotor should be pointing at that cylinder spark point on the
distributer.  Once I verify this for a complete
intake/compression/power/exhaust cycle of each cylinder, I am reasonably
confident that everything went together okay.  Now fitting the timing
cover without dinging up the gaskets...that is another finesse'.  Others
might think this is a little over cautious, but I have never had an
engine suck a valve...knock on wood!

Good Luck
Regards,
Glenn Merrell