Is it possible to remove the cover on a BB without dopping the oil pan? I know you can't on SB until you trim the lip on the cover, can you do this on a BB?

Nope
Guy

yes

Maybe

you can remove it, BUT you may not get it back on easily. i bought a two piece cover for mine and it goes on quite easily.

Kelly,"YES" it can be done without any mods to the t/chain cover on a BBC like you must do on the SBC t/cover to remove it & reinstall with motor in car and not removeing the pan.

I have done it approx 12-14 times over the 36+ yrs i have been working on BBC muscle cars when changing cams/lifter with the motor in car.

Depending on yr & model i did have to slightly move/bend the radiator brace approx 1/4-1/2" to gain clearance to get the cam the last few inches out of the block. Then after installing the new cam i just pushed the rad brace back into correct position and all way fine.

Also so people say you must remove the grill,i never had to do that on any car i changed a cam in with a BBC or SBC motor in car. Some of the yr chevelles i changed cams with BBC & SBC motors in cars were 68's,69's,70's. I believe there were a couple 66 or 67's in there too but i am not 100% sure of that and a couple of 55 chevy's for sure too.

Lastly,since it looks like your thinking about doing a cam change i sent you some info i thought you could use on the subject so check your email.

Scott

you can remove it, BUT you may not get it back on easily. i bought a two piece cover for mine and it goes on quite easily.

Not trying to hijack this thread, but I was curious which two piece cover you used? I am getting ready to start re-assembling my motor and want to use one.

Thanks.

I have never had to drop the oil pan on ANY BBC to remove the timing chain cover.

Some yes some no which way do I go? I am replacing the harmonic balancer and since I am this far I thought about checking the chain Just don't want to open a can of worms,also was going to change the seal, I guess I'll flip a quarter!

Kelly,read the posts again,one said NO but 4-5 others said YES from 1st hand exp of doing it so why doesnt that answer your question?

Again,as i stated above i have done it at least 12-15 times over the yrs with BBC motors in the car (chevelle's) without removeing the pan as others have also stated could be done too,what more are you looking for?

Scott

I have removed/replaced timing covers on both sbc and bbc while in cars and have never had a problem...keep in mind these were all 74 and earlier models.

Not trying to hijack this thread, but I was curious which two piece cover you used? I am getting ready to start re-assembling my motor and want to use one.

Thanks.

summit has a selection depending on price you want to pay. i got mine off eBay for about $25. with out using a two piece, by the way you don't have to drop the pan just loosen the bolts quite a bit and move the front of the pan down about a 1/4 inch or so with a prybar.

Thanks for all the help, done this plenty of times on small blocks just never owned a BB.

I just loosen the front 4-5 pan bolts to make it a little easier to reposition the timing cover/pan seal. Probably don't relieve the pan by anymore than 1/8" or so. I have done this probably 20 times.

I'll add another 'Yes'... I have done it no less than 8 times, never touched the oil pan bolts (you dont need to take a chance on creating another leak) I have never had a problem with any leaks afterwards either. Just clean everything good before reassembly.

I have never had to drop the oil pan on ANY BBC to remove the timing chain cover.
ditto !!!

In practical terms taking the cover off is the easy part. Its putting it back on thats hard.

#1 you'll probably have to replace the portion of the pan gasket that you uncover when you take the timing chain cover off. Most if not all front cover kits come with those two little gasket pieces that replace the damaged pan gasket. Use silicone to reglue the two gasket pieces back on and let it set up thoroughly so you don't displace them when you put the front cover back on.

With respect to the front cover you have two alignment dowels to get the cover on. One on each side of the block gasket surface. Therein lies the problem. Getting the cover on one dowel is easy. Getting it on both dowels is hard. The problem is compressing the rubber gasket that is between the cover and the pan.

You need to take a "drift" that will fit thru one of the cover bolt holes and pry the cover downwards to get the cover onto the second dowel. Stick the drift thru one of the holes in the cover and engage the tip of the drift into the block hole that corresponds to the hole you're using in the cover.

Once you do that all thats left is the bolts. Be sure to silicone the new cover gasket to the block and allow generous set up time such that the gasket is securely fastened to the block face.

Good luck. :)

Thanks for all the help, this forum has been very helpful, people from around the world have helped more than I could find locally, I appreciate it!

You certainly wont have to actually drop the pan. But its not going to come off without at least loosening the pan enough to drop down slightly for the front cover to clear. Problem then is, you interupt the gasket surface and could very well cause leaks if the gasket breaks apart as it usually does in most cases.

Chris,I always clean that area your reffering to with a spray solvent and then squeeze some silicon into the gap between pan & block (even if gasket rips) and have never had a problem with leaks after that. But if this is not done at all or not done correctly it may leak as you stated.

scott

You certainly wont have to actually drop the pan. But its not going to come off without at least loosening the pan enough to drop down slightly for the front cover to clear. Problem then is, you interupt the gasket surface and could very well cause leaks if the gasket breaks apart as it usually does in most cases.

Respectfully, not true...as mentioned by myself and many others here, you dont have to touch the pan bolts at all. I agree that the pan may very well leak if you mess with the gasket, which is why I dont touch it at all. Charbilly has it down perfectly, that's exactly the way I do it too. Those pins can be a pain, but you get used to it.

I haven't read any of the replies, none but after doing about 7 cam changes on a big block in the car I have dropped/removed the timing cover many times. I just take the 2 bolts out of the pan, loosen a few on each side going back and pull the cover. NO big deal. I had a LS6 454