No, the pistons ARE NOT FREE! The connecting rod bolts are a press fit in the rods- - - -all you have done is drive them up flush with the bottom of the big end of the rods. The pistons have not moved at all. Why would you want to remove the cam gear? The cam thrust plate bolts probably won't align with the holes in the gear, but removing the cam isn't going to accomplish anything anyway. If you want to remove the crankshaft from the bottom of the engine, pull the timing gear off the crankshaft, remove the main bearing caps, and there's a big enough hole in the timing plate to lower the crank and slide it out.
It's beginning to sound like you've got a boat anchor instead of an engine, particularly with the methods you're using trying to disassemble it. Good luck!
Jerry
