[Project] Just dropped a lifter...

[DRYSUMP]

Installing my new cam... what are my options? Turns out the dowels I used to hold the lifters was too small...sweet. So what are my options fellow f-body lovers? can i get the lifter out without pulling the motor and drop the pan down far enough? thanks for the help in advance.

[1BADAIR]

by the time you get the pan out and the heads off you might as well pull the engine

[sman]

Not many options, youve pretty much explored them all. Oh and just so you know, ive done 4 cam swaps, and tried numerous sets of dowels and never has any of the sets actually held up the lifters, I always used 16 pen magnets as backup, and always ended up using them.

[DRYSUMP]

yeah i will now do that from now on... just this sucks..

[JoeliusZ28]

Not many options, youve pretty much explored them all. Oh and just so you know, ive done 4 cam swaps, and tried numerous sets of dowels and never has any of the sets actually held up the lifters, I always used 16 pen magnets as backup, and always ended up using them.

I thought changing an opti was a ridiculous process...

[shawnc16]

LS2 Lifter Trays ftw. They're supposed to hold the lifter in the tray a little tighter than the ls1 style trays. I'll let you know as I'll be putting those in tonight.

[Formula Z]

saw your post on fb. sorry to hear man. my lifter trays held mine up to when i pulled mine. although the engine was already outta the car. im sure if it would have been in the car they would have failed to hold them

[ThreeHonks]

I thought LS1 cam swaps were suppossed to be simple business

[DETROITMUSCLE]

for the most part they are, dropping lifters isn't real common unless your doing it russian roulette style which in this case pretty much was. Sucks to hear because I think the only way to get it out is dropping the pan FYL

[ThreeHonks]

for the most part they are, dropping lifters isn't real common unless your doing it russian roulette style which in this case pretty much was. Sucks to hear because I think the only way to get it out is dropping the pan FYL

what do you mean by russian roulette style? is there a tool to hold them up? I thought the purpose of the plastic trays was to do that

[DETROITMUSCLE]

the plastic trays hold them by friction its not permanent or anything, some guys just spin the cam good a few times and get them up in the trays and then quickly swap cams before one drops sometimes this happens and now you've got more work than you intended. There is a tool for holding them up that I have used before, you can buy long dowels with the same diameter to do that but I believe they were using brake line. My guess is the lines were too small, thats the only way a lifter could have slipped past.

[ThreeHonks]

thanks. it doesnt seem as simple as I thought it was.

almost seems just as easy to do a cam swap on an LT1 since you have to remove the lifters and then you have no worries.

what makes sure that the roller is aligned on the cam when you are doing it in that process? Im assuming the trays must do that

[DETROITMUSCLE]

thats what the trays are for.

[sman]

Put ls2 trays in a motor 2 nights ago, aside from some weird indentation that was designed for flex fuel motors, there exactly the same. Didn't seem to hold them any better.

I can now say I've done a cam swap on a 5.3, 2 ls1s, and a lq9, and nothing slid in those holes holds them up. If you look in the holes, you can just barely see the edge of the side of the lifters. Dowels will not work, period. You NEED the tool thunder racing makes as it has a flat edge that catches an indentation on the side of the lifters. Supposedly. Never used it, refused to pay for it. Cheap ass pen magnets from harbor freight have never failed me.

[Lucky SOB]

Well, heads are off already... we're removing the oil pump too. Looks like we can fish them out through that opening with a flex magnet?? What do you guys think?

Also, anyone know good places to buy LS7 lifters?