Engine and Transmission Tech

I'm planning on replacing my cam (1979 302) with something a little more hot rod friendly. I would rather not pull the motor unless I just have to so my question is, can the timing chain cover be removed without pulling the pan?



Paul

The short answer is yes no problem.
But.. It's way easier if you can loosen the pan and drop it down some.
But only if you are certain that your gasket will be able to reseal.
Not much, a 1/4 to 1/2 inch will make your day vastly more pleasant.
If you can't lower the oilpan, then once the cover is off, remove the two dowels near the bottom.
If they are left in place then compressing everything in place on reassembly is very difficult.
And almost always the gasket gets dislodged and or won't seal.
Replace all the gaskets and keep in mind that they will probably need some trimming.
Put a very small amount of sealant where the gaskets meet at a right angle.
No sealer should be used anywhere else.
Put the timing cover in place and start all the bolts to make sure that everything lines up ( because the dowels are no longer there to do it for you.)
Push down hard on the timing cover, towards the oilpan, and torque up the bolts. 18 ftlbs. if memory is correct.
I often use a small prybar (yes it's a screwdriver mom) against a bolt on each side to push the cover down onto the oilpan gasket.
The rest of the reassembly is pretty straightforward.

All hail the mighty "B" cam.
Fred

Thanks Fred, I'll try your advice. I had planned to do the engine mods after I got it on the road (cam, aluminum heads, roller rockers, and air conditioning, which I have already purchased) but because of an unforeseen steering shaft issue I have to do a slight firewall mod which will be much easier with the left head and header removed so I might as well kill three birds with one wrench. Seems like it's always something, but part of the fun is building it!



Paul

You might consider replacing the front cover bolts with stainless bolts since some of these go into the water jacket. Hardware store bolts are fine since the torque values are so low. I have had no trouble with these bolts on my engine...

Thanks Larry, good idea. When I built the motor a couple of years ago I was on a stud kick so with the exception of the heads everything on the motor is studded with grade 8 coated studs but I will probably have to switch to bolts to get the cover back on after the cam change; stainless is a good idea.


Paul

Fred, now that you mention it, I don't remember the alignment studs being there when I built it. I was concerned about alignment so I installed the balancer before torqueing the bolts, I mean the nuts on the studs that is.



Paul