[DeathRattle]

Cam Bearing Tools-Front Bearing Help

Well I finally got the motivation to swap cams and timing set on the 307 and the front cam bearing is chipped and wants to peel up a layer in a couple spots and needs replacement

I think to go to local parts store to rent an installer/remover but no longer do this because of apparent miss-use of the tool by renters
And the guy behind the counter took the time to talk to me like im stupid and dont know how to line up the oiling holes and the correct sizes for each bearing bore

Now all of that^^^^ leads me to my actual question, Do the cheaper bearing tools work as well as the more expensive snap on tool??

I do not want to drop 200 dollars on a tool that will not be used often, i dont even want to spend 60-80 on the cheap ones but im stuck between a rock and a hard place


Thanks for any input, it is appreciated!
Jason

 

[DoubleVision]

This reminds me of a used to be friend of mine. His dad made a cam bearing removal tool from junk laying around the farm and we installed many different sets of cam bearings without issue. So I think if you rent one you should be in good hands providing the whole set is there, check it and make sure first and make sure the guy behind the counter does as well.

 

[DeathRattle]

This reminds me of a used to be friend of mine. His dad made a cam bearing removal tool from junk laying around the farm and we installed many different sets of cam bearings without issue. So I think if you rent one you should be in good hands providing the whole set is there, check it and make sure first and make sure the guy behind the counter does as well.

Thanks for the quick reply DV...but the point i was trying to make is i cannot rent one, im looking for people that have had experience with the cheapo tools, but the backyard made tool kind of gives me faith in the cheaper models that I will have to buy or possibly make

Your right about always checkin up on the guys behind the counter...amen to that

 

[ericnova72]

Mine is a home made copy of the cheaper units, made all the parts on the lathe at the home shop, I currently have driver heads and pilots for SBC, BBC and SBF, and will make other heads as needed. Never a problem with any I have installed, just comes down to having some mechanical sense. Made mine because I couldn't rent one or find a shop that could do an install same day(Jeez, its a 15 minute job!) and the cheaper copies didn't exist. This was almost 20 years ago, I've never had a problem with it. Wouldn't hesitate to buy a cheaper one today for limited use (4-5 times a year). Sounds like you know how to correctly use one, you shouldn't have any trouble, 90% is operator ability.

 

[eloc431962]

I have never used the cheaper sets only snap-on , but looks to me like you will have over $100 in the cheap sets, myself i would buy the better set but i am bad about doing that, i get to thinking the cheap set is gonna let me down somewhere down the road. But i am sure there are some pretty good cheaper sets also. and i am not above buying them either. Cole

 

[eloc431962]

Good point eric, cheaper is not always a bad thing, i got some tools that dont get used that often and i could have went with cheaper tool that would probably have been just as good. Now if i was going to be useing it on a regular basis thats a different story. Cole

 

[DeathRattle]

Thanks for the responses guys

I have been lookin at the proform OR summit tool, both are supposedly made for chevy so sizing should be an issue

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PRO-66794/

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-900130/

I will be using this tool maybe once or twice in my lifetime, Im just hopin somebody else has used these with some success or maybe they are total POS's

I am a traitor to the automotive world i went to the dark side and started riding and fixing motorcycles

 

[DoubleVision]

I would trust the Summit job before I did anything with proform written on it.
Being your going to do your own cam bearings then make sure when you drive them out you inspect the grooves under the bearings, the number 1 bearing groove is a favorite place for trash to collect on a SBC. If this trash breaks loose it can cause all kinds of havoc. I thought the guys on here were going to tell me I was crazy for using a home made tool made of junk, but we looked at it simple, it was free, it worked, that`s all that counted. Back in those days we usually built 1 or 2 engines a year, in a rare occasion it was 4.
My former friends father was a amazing man, he`s deceased now. He was a soft spoken, kind, gentle man that never got upset, he had been a farmer his whole life, but I never seen anything he couldn`t fix. He was the only one I ever seen in my life that could weld cast iron. If I had half that man`s smarts I could retire now.

 

[DeathRattle]

Homemade stuff usually works better in my experience so id never call you crazy DV

I'll probably pick up that summit one today or tomorrow, but first i gotta check and see if i need anything else from summit before i give up that 15 bucks for handling!!

 

[ericnova72]

Mine is pretty similar to what you linked to, just a little different cause it is homemade. All aluminum, driver head is held on by a bolt instead of a o-ring.

 

[DeathRattle]

Wish I had a lathe at my disposal...havent used one in a while but id like to try and see if i could make one

 

[Ken Walker]

Wish I had a lathe at my disposal...havent used one in a while but id like to try and see if i could make one

Mine cost me about $8 . Very simple, one piece of 3/4 x 24 inch iron pipe with one end with normal pipe thread. second piece a 3/4 X 1 1/4 iron pipe reducer. The reducer gets turned down on the lathe and is simply threaded on the 24 inch piece (the handle). This works great for both install and removal on SBC. Took about an hour to build. Some day I will post the Plan.

 

[SSedan64]

A buddy of mine has this one, it's cheap and works fine. > http://www.speedwaymotors.com/CAM-BEARING-DRIVER,3170.html

 

[ericnova72]

A buddy of mine has this one, it's cheap and works fine. > http://www.speedwaymotors.com/CAM-BEARING-DRIVER,3170.html

THAT looks like a virtual carbon copy of my homemade one. Very nice price. :thumbup:

 

[jimfulco]

A buddy of mine has this one, it's cheap and works fine. > http://www.speedwaymotors.com/CAM-BEARING-DRIVER,3170.html

I have one of those, and I knocked out my bearings no problem. I haven't tried installing any yet, but I imagine it'll be fine if I ever need to. I just wanted to see how clean I could get the block, and the cam bearings were in the way.

Be aware that it's only for the SBC and the V-6 that's SBC-based, although it could probably be adapted to other engines fairly easily.

 

[DeathRattle]

Just a quick side question

Has anyone actually attempted to change the front bearing while the motor is still in the vehicle?