Cam bearing removal and replacement.

[Tinkerman]

So, my 60 TR-3A body sitting on a completly rebuilt frame is at the body shop, the block is sitting on my bang-upon bench and I'm ready to start, Yea! Ready to start on the cam. How do I get the bloomin cam bearings out? Friend of mine let me borrow a universal removing tool. An English manual that I have talks about an allignment bolt. Thought I needed three, ordered three from Roadster Factory, they sent me one. Factory mamual is silent about the whole subject. Any help would be appreciated
Thanks, Tinkerman /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

 

[Alan_Myers]

Hi Tinkerman,

Sounds like another one of those infamous back-orders!

Have you spoken with TRF Level II sales to find out when they might be sending the other two? It could be just a day or two lag time. (Or it could be a five year wait... that happened to me, but I didn't wait.)

Alignment bolt? Are you talking about the bolts that trap the cam bearings in place, that screw in through the side of the block?

If so, the old ones need to be removed before the cam bearings can be pulled out. After the new bearings are pressed in, the replacement bolts need to be a specific depth. But I think it would be relatively easy to make up two more from standard bolts bought locally. Use either an old one or the single new one you got as a guide (but before using it as a guide I'd suggest closely comparing the new with the old to make sure it's correct).

If we are talking about the same thing, I believe there is also a copper sealing washer under each of those bolts. The washer also needs to be the correct thickness to do it's job and position the bolt properly. Again, if you have trouble ordering the correct item, you might be able to buy something locally and size it carefully if needed.

I'm not sure if this would be necessary, but after working it a home-made copper washer might need to be annealed, to re-soften it for the best seal (because copper work-hardens). Annealing is just a matter of heating up copper to a dark red, then letting it cool slowly. This is a common practice with solid copper head gaskets, for example. Search the Internet for more info if you think you need to do it and want to yourself.

I don't know what tools and skills you have. So if you aren't confident about making up these items, I'd think they would be relatively minor jobs to farm out to a local machine shop.

Hope this helps!

 

[Tinkerman]

Alan, thanks for the info. I have had some experience with back orders, frustrating but I'm happy to have some suppliers catering to our needs. We do have a competent machine shop here that could take care of my needs. Keep trying to convince "she who is to be obeyed" that I need a mini lathe. Keep putting it on my Santa list, no luck yet :-(
Thanks, Tinkerman

 

[markctr3]

I took my block to a machine shop and had them remove and install the cam bearings. Actually, they did it three times! The first two times they didn't line up the oil passage holes properly. They lined up the oil holes in the bearing with the set screws which effectively sealed the oil passages...on all three bearings...both times! On the third attempt we went over there and walked them through it. Actually, some of the set screw holes had to be enlarged in order for the oil galley holes to match properly. IMHO there are some procedures that are best done by people that have the right tools -- but even then you have to watch them like a hawk. They told me that they just did a TR3 block earlier in the week...I wonder if that guy's bearings were aligned properly.