ok...so i never pulled lifters out ...what's the trick do they just slide out from the top???
all push rods and rockers have been removed ..just can't get lifters out ..please help out a newbee thanks

 

the lifters come out the top. Should not have to pry them out. most of the time you can pul them out with your fingers. When the stick I use a pair of plyers and wiggle them out.

 

then my are stuck ...they move freely when i turn cam but when i try to pull with them they won't come out...any other tricks???
i even used vise grips and they just won't come out...

 

try spraying them with carb cleaner and moving them up and down to break up the varnish. If you have the engine out of the car on a engine stand turn it upside down and push them out from the bottom. I have used a break adjusting tool and pried then out. insert between the cam lobe and the lifter and push up. you can also bend a and old screw drive and do the same thing

 

THey should slide right out with carb cleaner and a magnet.

If they are mushroomed on the under side, and will not come out the top, remove the cam and push them out the bottom.

Don't scrape up your lifter bores.
They make a special slide hammer tool for pulling lifters out, but I think it's a little too caveman like, bashing a square peg through a round hole.

 

This is the answer. If they won't some out the top you have to push them out the bottom because they have mushroomed.

 

I usually use a strong magnet,works great!

 

Lifters frequently get a buildup of varnish on the lower part that sticks out below the lifter bore. KD and Lisle make this tool for pulling them out.

 

so...i got some wd 40 and soaked them ..got 3 out there's 13 still in...man this shouldn't be this hard...going to let them soak over night..and try again in the evening ...any more tip would help ...motor still in car...if i pull the cam and push lifters down how do i fish them out???just asking... i really want to pull them out from the top ...please help....

 

Buy the tool they show above or use a magnet to fish them out from the bottom.

 

Go re-read the part above about varnish buildup on the lower part of the lifter...

 

hey thanks for all the help i took the cam out and pushed them down a buddy had a magnet stick so i fished out 11 out of 16 the other five i heard them fall in to the oil pan the but can't fish them out because there in the lower part of the pan...i'll deal with that later...

So on to the next part....i slid the cam in put the dist back on in fell in to place with ease so what's next????
can i go ahead and put the gearing back on and the lifters in?????can someone list the step to follow or what should be done next again any tip along the way for the steps would really help thanks......

also the lifters i got with the new use cam i got ...are a little different the little washer part that is held in by the spring...the little hole is just a bit smaller on some but the lifter is in tack and the same size...does that matter??

 

bump...

 

The next step is to de varnish all of your cam bearings and check them for wear with a micrometer and a dial bore gauge.
The new lifters will be fine when paired up with a new cam.
Don't use new lifters on an old cam, it will flatten.

 

With a couple of exceptions, new lifters should be used in any cam installation.

Norm

 

It would have been better if you first took the engine out and placed it on a stand. A couple of things that the others people mentioned, but may not have included enough details.

First, the new liters are they roller type? I don’t know what type of lifters were originally in that engine, but if your new lifters are roller type and the old ones weren’t, you will need to get a set of brackets that will secure the roller lifters so they stay inline the cam. Without these brackets, the roller lifters will rotate in the bore and you will destroy the cam, the lifters, and then the engine. If you don’t understand this, reply back and I will explain further.

Second, when installing a new cam you should replace the cam bearings, but to do that you will need a cam bearing removal tool to drive-out the old and drive-in the new. Google. ‘cam bearing installation tool’ and you should find good one for under $150.00.

Now I’m sure it’s possible to remove and install the fronts cam bearings with the engine still in the vehicle, (if you first remove the radiator and the Condenser - if you have AC, but the last [rearmost] bearing in the block have to be driven out from the Transmission side of the engine towards the front of the engine, so the transmission has to be remove in order for you to get to it.

After removing the transmission, you will have to punch out the block plug that is located on the transmission side of that last cam bearing. I found if you use a long diameter pipe or extension you can easily drive out this plug by inserting the pipe/extension from the front of the engine and bagging out towards the rear. Just make sure you keep the pipe/extension in line with all of the cam bearing holes and you use a reasonable size pipe or extension [with enough surface area] so you don’t just punch a hole in the plug. Your goal is to drive the plug out while not making a big mess.

After driving out the plug, (from front to back), the rear block cam bear can be driven out. YOU MUST DRIVE THE REAR CAM BEARING FROM THE BACK OF THE BLOCKS TOWARDS THE FRONT. DON’T ATTEMPT TO DRIVE IT OUT FROM FRONT TO BACK, BECAUSE THERE IS A LIP IN THE BLOCK AND YOU WILL MAKE A BIG MESS AND PROBABLY DO GREAT DAMAGE TO THE BLOCK . This will take 'some ' work if the engine is still in the car. You ‘probably’ can do it if, (after removing the transmission), you loosing up the engine to the engine mounting brackets, and then ‘carefully’ lift the front of engine so the engine is tilting with the rear pointing down. The Cam Bearings Installation Tool is about two feet the lenght, (without using the supplied extensions), so you will require this and additional space to drive the rear bearing out. You may achieve this space if you lift the car up on stands.

All Cam bearing are installed from rear to front, so start with the REAR BEARING FIRST AND WORK YOUR WAY TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE ENGINE. The cams bearings are larger as you progress towards the front of the engine. If you think about it, that is the only way which the cam can be securely inserted into the block. YOU WILL ALSO SEE TWO HOLES IN EACH CAM BEARING. THESE HOLES MUST ALIGN UP WITH THE OIL PASSAGE HOLES IN THE BLOCK. THOSE HOLES FEED OIL TO THE CRANKSHAFT MAIN BEARINGS OR UP TO THE CAM BEARING. IF YOU DO NOT ALIGN UP THE CAM BEARINGS TO THESE BLOCK HOLES YOU WILL DESTROY THE CRANK OR CAM! After driving in all the cam bearing, you can replace the rear plug.

Yeah, sounds like a lot of work. After reading this you may choose to leave the Cam Bearings in. How many miles are on the engine?

A few additional points, I would not be spraying that Carb cleaning around the inside of your engine. That stuff destroys lots of things and doesn’t mix well with oil. The tarnish on lifter bores must be removed before installing the new lifters. Use gasoline, or acetone. I would recommend using 600 or 1000 grit sandpaper (wet), but only if you use a vacuum to remove all dust created by sanding [at the same time you are sanding]. All grit and dust inside of an engine destroys parts. Use a vacuum cleaner to lift up grit and dust while rebuilding the engine. It's better to remove it than to push it down into some other part.

You may also want to pick up a how to book. I found the ‘How to Rebuild Your Small-Block Chevy’ a good source to utilize. Even though it’s about 30 years old, the information still applies.

 

so....first of all thanks for all the help...
man that last post was long and i'm very well informed on the step of replacing a cam start to finish the right way...but since i'm doing this all in my back yard under two jack stands, it makes things a little harder..
so here is an update to where i'm at ...12hour days at work make it hard to complete ...but recently i have dropped lifters down into the oil pan and fished them out after removing the oil pan just bye taking the bolts out i could fish them out with a magnetic stick...after reinstalling starter and oil pan i slid in the new cam drop in the dist. back in and put all the lifters back in btw the cam is used but only had dino time on it as the guy i got it off went bigger...and he gave me the new lifter that came with cam....also picked up a new gear and timing set...

So now i need your help it's been so long since i took out what next???i don't know what's next cleaned and ready to install timing cover but still steps missing please help thanks...

 

You are putting on a new timing chain and gear set.....right? You should if your not.

You said, new lifters too....right? Brand new? or are these the lifters used to dyno that new slightly used cam you got? You might go ahead and tell us about your cam. Whats the lift?

Before you put the timing cover on, dont forget the following:

Fuel pump eccentric, its that thing that bolts on the end of cam.

Oil slinger, that washer/umbrella thing that slides on the crank shaft.

Then you can install the timing cover.You are going to install a new crank shaft seal in the timing cover...right? You'll want to do that before you install the timing cover.

I like to install the pushrods and rocker assembly before I install the intake. That way, I can check lifter pre load to make sure the push rods are the right length.

 

anywhere i can see a 3d view of the seals and washers that go on the cam and crank....i'm stuck with some pieces and i don't know where they go...
also one of the washers i had fell a part in my hand it was dry and really brittle ....need help guys please thanks...