[DeTomaso] Cam Install and Timing DVD (Pantera Mechanicals General Knowledge for Engine Building)

[Chris Difani]

Jack:

Ha!  Ha! very funny! 

And here's my well thought out response to your 
antediluvian antique engine bias... Us young whippersnappers know a thing or 
two too! (which won't stop me from immediately writing you whenever I hit my 
next "Oh NO, what do I do now?" impasse...

I'm not sure which article that was... or how thumblefingered their 
mechanics were.... But from my personal experience, the hardest task is 
removing the valve covers (have to find a big enough container for 26 long 
but thin bolts, and their steel spacers that keep the valve cover gasket 
from being distorted by too much tightening. Finding those little bitty 
spacers on the floor is a real pain)....

Everything else is a simple "spin the bolt out" process. There's only one 
drive belt to deal with, and it's tensioner is easy to deal with. Then you 
pull the harmonic balancer (which you have to do too), and then the timing 
cover comes off. The water pump stays in place. The alternator stays in 
place. The AC compressor stays in place. The heater hoses stay in place. The 
radiator hoses stay in place. There is no distributor to mess with. No 
distributor gears to worry about. No oil pump drive shafts to worry about. 
No distributor shaft drive pins to worry about. No plug wires to mess with. 
No huge coil to mess with.

Then once the timing cover is off (which takes a total of 12 bolts), and the 
valve covers (which is a total of 26 bolts), everything's out in plain view. 
All ready to be tweaked, degreed, and adjusted. To replace the cams, there's 
5 retainers that have to come off, along with it's drive sprocket, chain, 
and chain tensioner. Do that twice, once on each side.

In any case however, the hassle of dealing with two camshafts is nothing 
compared to the huge "cool" quotient in having overhead cams. That's just 
COOL!

Now I will admit that having to pay for TWO camshafts does come as a 
financial shock... and that's only for my SOHC engine. The DOHC guys have 
four of them to deal with... and that's definitely not cheap. But on the 
other hand, I have NO pushrods to mess with. AND I have NO lifters to worry 
about. I do have a "follower", which is essentially a roller bearing that 
rides between the valve stem end, and the cam lobe. But they've been tested 
to 9,000 RPM, and with a tested service life of 250,000 miles (with no 
significant wear at that point), so I don't think I need to worry about them 
either.

The other thing, my engine is designed to operate with all the wussy oils 
that have zero metal-to-metal "cushion" additives now. So mushroomed lifters 
won't be on my plate.... In fact lifers won't be on my plate...

All of this just shows that sometimes progress does occur.... in a positive 
way... Of course that's my opinion.... and we all know about opinions... But 
I do like to look thru my "don't have to worry about it" list of engine 
parts, and relax with my favorite adult beverage... Especially when I've 
just read about one of you that's been pulling his hair out over a problem 
that I'll never, ever have.... Can't have in fact....

Chris

Chris Difani
'73 L #5829 "LITNNG"
The Electric Pantera
Sacramento, CA
Email: cdifani at pacbell.net



  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: JDeRyke at aol.com 
  To: cdifani at pacbell.net ; detomaso at realbig.com 
  Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2008 12:00 PM
  Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Cam Install and Timing DVD (Pantera Mechanicals General Knowledge for Engine Building)


  In a message dated 8/8/08 8:05:27 PM, cdifani at pacbell.net writes:


    I'm installing a SOHC engine in my '73L Pantera. Since it's got two cams, I decided that I just had to degree them.


  A recent magazine article on a performance build-up at a shop with a dyno changed cams in one of these engines- in 8 hours! Cam changes or tuning is apparently not very simple or cheap. I'll stay with the Cleveland, thanks- J Deryke


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