Help with head

[xsublimefrekx]

Hey guys i need your help, the guy building my sr just called me and told me that he is missing the cam cap. I think thats what he said i was in class so i didnt have much time. but anyway i gave him a full sr to take parts off if needed and he said that he cant use the ones that are on the full sr. So i dont really know what to do because he said the head pretty much cant use any other ones then what it came with. Please any input would be a lot of help.

[ILikeMy240sx]

Does he mean the caps for the camshaft? I don't understand why he wouldnt be able to use the caps from another SR...???

Did he say why?

[xsublimefrekx]

Yes i am pretty sure he means the caps to the camshaft. I couldnt figure it out either. I didnt have alot of tie to talk due to class but i dont know why he cant use the other ones. the only thing i can think of is that they have been marked by the other cams and ifso i guess i can buy new ones. But he still seemed like there is nothing you can do even with new ones.

[dickie]

are you sure hes not talking about shims? those arent usually interchangable, i dont see why cam "caps" wouldnt be...

[xsublimefrekx]

I am almost postive he said caps, i dont think he said shims. He did say they are to hold the cam down, but i still dont see why i wouldnt be able to get a new set.

[luv2spedup]

if he is talking about caps he should be ablel to use them

[xsublimefrekx]

yeah i just talked to the people installing my motor and they said he should be able to use them. they said if he cant i can buy new ones and he can machine them to work

[dickie]

yeah because im pretty sure shims are the only thing that wouldnt be interchangeable in most cases, which is why i suggested it.

[NoStickers]

I've talked to a few people about my head and they referred to my shims as caps so have him elaborate more on what hes talking about.

[xsublimefrekx]

yeah it kinda sucks come to find out there is no shops around willing to bore the shims down to what they need to fit. I find this out after the head has been ported and polished and after everything was installed in it so i am screwed and iguess i will try to sell this head. kinda sucks

[NoStickers]

I really don't know what I'm talking about but can't you buy different size shims?

[xsublimefrekx]

thats what i thought but the way they are setup is that they go with the head kinda as a set. If you buy new ones you have to have them machined to fit right with the cams and the head. The guy i am having do my work said its expensive and its hard to do because of the size of the shims.

[dickie]

yeah... i imagine shims would be freakin hard to find for your motor over here. have you tired the dealership? i know they make shims in several different sizes, i wouldnt give up yet...

...if shims is the problem

[xsublimefrekx]

well its not a problem of getting shims its the problem of resizing them to fit. There is just no one around me that is willing to take the job.

[yellow_jacket]

I am almost postive he said caps, i dont think he said shims. He did say they are to hold the cam down, but i still dont see why i wouldnt be able to get a new set.

If he said cam caps he is probably referring to the part that actually holds the cam in the head. This part forms the upper half of the bearing for the cam. It is not a good idea to interchange them as the head is linebored with these in place. Since every head is not identical. A small difference can mean that the clearance between the cam and the head bearing surface is wrong. Depending on how it is off, the cam could actually contact the head or the cap. Too big and it will not provide proper resistance to flow and the oil pressure can drop, and the other cam bearings can wear quicker. Thus causing more loss of oil pressure and eventually destroying the motor.

Of course if he is talking about the lifter shims, that is something completely different.

[180fan]

that question can be quickly taken care of with an inside micrometer.

[yellow_jacket]

that question can be quickly taken care of with an inside micrometer.

Yep, sure could. But that shop isn't going to want to spend the time to find a replacement that may or may not work. A lot of shops probably won't touch it just because its not good practice to do it.

[xsublimefrekx]

yeah thats what i have been told. Alot of people dont have the machines to do a job that small or they just dont want to take the risk.

[180fan]

The machine shop I got my head work done at didn't have the line bore machine to do anything that small, however, they still managed to do it by taking it to some other machine shop that did.

The key here is to find a reputable shop that has experience in doing what they're doing. If they don't have all the machines to do anything that small, they'll still find a way as finding the machines isn't the hard part, but finding a good machinist is.

[xsublimefrekx]

yeah i have called all over, even out of state to a few places and i cant find anywhere to get it done. i have an extra complete head so i wil use that for now.

[180fan]

did you ask them to just check? it's not like it'd take a long time for them to just check.

[xsublimefrekx]

yeah i had him try to install them and see how bad they were. he said that when he had them installed that they hit the cams to much and he was unable to turn thr motor.

[yellow_jacket]

You could call up Dover cylinder heads. I have used them on occasion. The local machinists send heads to them when they can't fix them. It's worth a call.

(404) 768-1825 http://www.doverusa.com

[180fan]

or there's always JWT, just a thought.

[xsublimefrekx]

thanks for all the help guys i think i might do that