if the intake is off, you can move the cam back and forth thru the lifter valley

 

What he said ^^^

some guys say loosening the rockers may make it easier to check (slide back and forth ).

 

Went through the same thing on mine, here is what Mike Lewis told me to do:

You are going to have to back off all your rockers so you can feel the end play on the cam.
Also remove the chain.
You want .005-.015 or just enough to “feel”. This is not critical as long as you have a little
Kind of hard with the intake on, you need to get to the cam to move it or you need to pull the cam forward, put the cover on with the gasket pull it back off & measure how far the cam moves until it hits the block
Another way with an aluminum cover is to drill & tap it for a 1/16 or 1/8” pipe plug anywhere you can get to the gear
Stick the dial indicator through the hole so it rests on the gear & measure what you have directly
This is a lot easier before the engine is together!

 

Take the cam plug out and measure there opposite end of timing gear with magnetic dial guage . Measure without chain on timeing cover and gasket installed

 

Thanks for the replies! Well the intake is on, but that will be no issue taking it off... The only other concern that I have, is that before I installed the lifters, pushrods and rockers, I was NOT able to move the cam fwd nor aft, while the timing gear was installed. Should this be a concern?

Is there no roller button that is a direct plug and play for BBC's?

 

Is there no roller button that is a direct plug and play for BBC's?

Cloyes has a timing cover with the button built in and you adjust it from the front, it is $139.99 which is a lot for a cover but it takes the guess work out. It is supposed to be so much easier to setup.

After the troubles i have had in the past with buttons and covers etc. Cloyes will be the one i use on my build coming up.

Another thing to watch out for is if you are using a stock or chrome aftermarket cover is the flex, if you have a cover that flexes it will increase your end play which is not good.

Cloyes cover: http://www.jegs.com/i/Cloyes/220/9-231/10002/-1

 

New chains are tight thats why you check without it they will stretch in time. Not that I'am aware of measure and shim good luck

 

Got one of those Cloyes covers on my sbc, so easy to adjust the cam button it's worth the money.

 

I agree that the Cloyes system seems legit. The only thing is that it calls for a short water pump and no larger than a 7.5" diameter balancer. Otherwise I would be all over that. I don't really want to change my setup this late in the game...

 

>>>> "Is there no roller button that is a direct plug and play for BBC's?"

No, absolutely not. If you're doing this in the car you may end up R&Ring the timing cover several times. The clearance will be sensitive to the thickness of the gasket and torque on the bolts. If you get it preloaded against the block it may destroy the thrust pad on the block, too loose the timing will be all over the place. If you're new to this or short on patience I'd recommend the Cloyes timing cover. You'll still need to loosen all the rockers so the cam can slide back and forth.

 

Another option would be to get a 502 timing chain set with the retaining plate where you wouldn't need to worry about a cam button. The timing set would set you back about $53 bucks. I don't know what you setup is, but the timing set is no good past 6500 rpm.

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/NAL-12371053/

 

Alexander,

That cover works fine with short or long pump and I've used it with 8" balancers. Their blurb just means it's possible for the cover to fit behind a short pump, not that a short pump is required. You just need to check for clearance. Mine weren't that close on either the water pump or the balancer. IMO they're just CYA'ing themselves with that note.

 

That GM chain set will require a step-nose cam, not sometime you can do in the car.

 

Sorry Tom, forgot to mention that the camshaft would need to be removed and run down to a local machine shop for a few extra bucks to have the step-nose cut. Just throwing out another option.

 

That won't work either...the bolt circle on the MKIV & Gen6 is different (smaller on the 6)

Edit: I see Mike (Wolfplace) beat me to it.

 

It's a good option too. really the best way by far.

 

For the OP, call any cam company or the manufacturer that made your cam and get the details on what needs to be cut off. They'll give you the measurements and just run it down to a local machine shop. Wouldn't take an hour to cut what needs to be removed. So, I can't imagine it costing no more than $40-$50.

I had to get a groove cut into my 396 camshaft for the "oiling groove". This was done several years ago and I only remember paying about $30-$40 to have it done. Comp cams was the camshaft I had back then and they gave me the details on what needed to be removed. I then took it down to a machine shop and had the work done. Simple enough.

With the other timing set and retaining plate, you will not have to worry about the end play and will not need to worry about the cam button falling into the oil pan and making a little mess if something was to happen. And if something did happen to the cam button, you'd definitely have a mess on your hands with the slop in the camshaft. Not saying that I've ever heard of a cam button failing or something happening to it.

 

For the OP, call any cam company or the manufacturer that made your cam and get the details on what needs to be cut off. They'll give you the measurements and just run it down to a local machine shop. Wouldn't take an hour to cut what needs to be removed. So, I can't imagine it costing no more than $40-$50.

I had to get a groove cut into my 396 camshaft for the "oiling groove". This was done several years ago and I only remember paying about $30-$40 to have it done. Comp cams was the camshaft I had back then and they gave me the details on what needed to be removed. I then took it down to a machine shop and had the work done. Simple enough.

With the other timing set and retaining plate, you will not have to worry about the end play and will not need to worry about the cam button falling into the oil pan and making a little mess if something was to happen. And if something did happen to the cam button, you'd definitely have a mess on your hands with the slop in the camshaft. Not saying that I've ever heard of a cam button failing or something happening to it.

This is not going to happen unless you get the correct cam :noway:
Everything is different including the bolt circle

 

As you have probably found out, this is one of those things you do during the mock up phase of the motor. Then confirm just before you stick the intake on.

If you are using Hyd Roller Lifters that are made of iron, (not hardenned steel like solid racing roller lifters), keep that endplay on the low side of that .005 to .015. I learned this the hard way many tears ago, and it cost me a block because a roller ate right through the side of a Hyd Roller lifter body. The cam thrust had grown to about .040 due to my stupidity in using a sheet metal timing cover with no added support in that area.

 

The cam thrust had grown to about .040 due to my stupidity in using a sheet metal timing cover with no added support in that area.

Another example of what i was saying in post #8 about cover flex. too much flex and you will have problems. i think the only covers suitable for roller cams are the thick aluminum ones. I have a few stock ones and a chrome one that i could press on and make them flex, not so good.