Head stud replace w/o retiming cams?

[MAS956]

Hey guys,

I'm helping a friend tear down the engine on his '79 SC to replace broken head studs and I was wondering if it's at all possible to R&R the cam towers/heads without having to retime the cams on reinstall. No head work is planned at this point.

I don't think it is but would rather ask the question now and plan the process.

Thanks,

[Jeff Alton]

Not possible. Timing the cams is actually pretty easy. Read and re-read the steps over and over again and you will see when you do it that it is not that tough. If you can tear the engine apart, you can time cams.

Cheers, Jeff

[MAS956]

Thanks Jeff,

That's what I thought, but just wanted to be certain - why go through that if we didn't have to? It was nice of my buddy to provide a donor engine for me to practice on before tackling my own..

[john walker's workshop]

i'm sure it could be done, but why chance it. under combat conditions, or stranded in the middle of the desert, you would do it, if you knew what to be careful about. like jeff said, it's really easy.

[MAS956]

I just hate reading those "horrible-noise-on-first-startup-after-rebuild" threads that happen when people eff up cam timing....