camshaft problems ditch the beast or keep?

[Mr.LaHoyaSunset]

Alright, so my truck started making noise, so I took it to my mechanic, and he tells me that its the camshaft, and will cost about 900 to repair. so... does anyone have a camshaft, and about how long does it take to repair one? like replace in a garage.... any thoughts/advice would be greatly appreciated. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif oh, and if you guys think it would be better to just get rid of it, I would appreciate that advice too...

 

[big83chevy4x4]

what kinda noise is it making?

most likely its not the cam but the lifters.

 

[mogas]

It really isn't hard to swap out a cam and lifters, especially if you don't have air conditioning. Cam/lifter kits for sbc go from 100 bucks to whatever a custom grind costs. Then you need a cam change gasket set and those are around 45.00 timing chain set probably less than 35.00 and if it were me I would replace the rear main seal and water pump since you will already be there so another 50.00 tops in parts. If you have any mechanical ability and can FOLLOW DIRECTIONS you should be able to accomplish this task yourself. If you want cheap labor find a local vo-tech school to use it as a training exercise.

 

[HarryH3]

Hmm, that's about $200 in parts and $700 in labor. /forums/images/graemlins/yikes.gif But it is quite a bit of work. The intake has to come off, the water pump has to come off, the oil pan has to be dropped (to do the job correctly), and then there's still alot of stuff to do. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif If the wiped cam lobe mushroomed the bottom of the lifter, then getting that lifter out of the engine can be a real pain in the a$$ also.

 

[alaskanbowtie]

NO SWEAT!! I've changed several and parts from summit are about 200.00 for everything you'll need with a quality Comp or (what ever you prefer) cam. Labor is (for a good mechanic) about 5 hours . With air tools it's not that hard and a good experience. you could do it your self in a day and a half pretty easy. But if you've got alot of miles on it or it was ran for a long time with it hammering the lifters then you might want to consider a new motor. Look and see what the pan looks like if it's full of metal and or "babit" (grey silky feeling build up on the bottom of the pan) "bearing material" . So just use your common sense if you didn't abuse it after the cam went down then go for it. have any more questions just shoot! /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif /forums/images/graemlins/peace.gif

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

It takes me a lot longer than 5 hours to swap a cam with the engine in the vehicle. I'd plan on a whole weekend at least if you've never done it before.

I've done it more than a few times and the last time it took me all day.

 

[Mr.LaHoyaSunset]

Thanks a bunch, I just took it to the shop to have them do it, because i dont really know how, and i dont have the time either, that, and my amazing girlfriend decided to pay for it she loves the truck the same as i do... which is really cool, but apparently it wasnt worn down that much, just one lobe was bald, Jerry, my mechanic said it wasnt real bad, i was just running on 7 instead of 8, and it was making that annoying clang clang pop noise..... kinda like popcorn when accellerating, but not at idle.... either way itll be fixed soon.....
Thanks for your input /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif