The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Help with a 216

Update , per Langdon's Chevy helpful instructions ,1& 6 must be TDC , which put the crankshaft key at about the 10-11
o-clock position and the cam came right out . Hope this saves someone else the frustration I went through .
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My post from Stovebolters R US on Facebook is not helping so here is my post , I hope someone here can help .

Hi , fellow Stovebolters , I have a problem put my 1948 216 cid 6400 (2ton) through 8 hours dental surgery today , missing 7 teeth on the bakelite cam gear . Thought I out trixed Loki regarding the bottom 2 screws in the timing gear cover , by finding a way to remove them without dropping the oil pan . Drilled a small hole in the end of the 2 screws , broached the 2 holes with a torx socket and turned them out into the oil pan . Did all the rest of the required step's , even found a penny face up which means good luck but the cam won't come out . Any 216 experts here help !!! Was just thinking do I have to turn the crankshaft to a certain position ? Pics below are from manual .
Also I need a pic of the inside of the oil pan to be sure the 2 screws from timing cover I pushed into the pan will harmlessly roll into the the deep end of the pan .
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I did EVERYTHING it said to do in the manual , distributor is out fuel pump is removed , lifter's are out . Thanks

Remove the fuel pump, distributor, and all the valve lifters, making sure to keep up with the position of the lifters. There is a thrust plate that positions the cam in the block, held by two screws. They're accessible through holes in the timing gear. The lifters MUST go back onto the same cam lobe they have ben running on, or the cam will wear out in a very short time once you get the engine running again. How do you intend to get those two bottom bolts back into the timing cover?

Now, having said that, if a mechanic working for Dad back in the 1950's couldn't change a timing gear in around 4 hours, he wouldn't have a job the next day. There's no need to remove the cam. Drop the oil pan to access the bottom two timing cover bolts, remove the harmonic balancer and timing cover, and break the remains of the fiber gear off the steel hub with a big pry bar. Use a hammer and chisel over the keyway to split the steel hub. Remove the fuel pump and use a pry bar to hold the cam forward against the thrust washer while you hammer the new timing gear onto the cam. Be sure the timing marks are aligned as you install the new gear, and button everything up. It's lunch time by now, so take a break, come back to the shop, and log a few more flat rate hours before quitting time.

That's how the stovebolt mechanics did it 70 years ago!
Jerry

Edit: It's also a good idea to replace that fiber gear with an aluminum one. You can heat that gear up to around 350 degrees or so on a BBQ grill to expand the center hole, and it taps on a lot more easily. Just remember to use welders' gloves to handle it while it's hot.

Done everything you said already , at 65 been doing mechanic work a long time, but this has me stumped . As for the 2 bolts will tap the back plate for 5/16 fine thread , using grease on tap to keep shavings out of the pan . Drill bottom 2 holes in timing cover to 5/16 , close using socket head screws . Already bought a set of Cloyes gears , steel lower gear , Aluminum upper .

The holes in the main bearing cap are 5/16 already. you'll need to go to 3/8" to get any threads in those holes. If the thrust plate screws are out, the cam should slip out with a little persuasion. I've installed several timing gears without removing the cam- - - -that's just the way it was done back when these things were daily drivers.
Jerry

Not going to tap main bearing cap , just the plate behind the cover . So I guess your telling me the 2 bottom screws are installed through the 2 holes in the main bearing cap . So that my idea will work just fine . So now my only problem is finding someone who actually can tell me why the the cam won't come out

Did you remove the two screws behind the cam gear? You'll have to rotate the engine to line up the openings to access them. Jerry covered that in his first post here.

If so, you should be able to pull the cam forward until the bearing journals clear. Then you'll have to somehow support the cam so the lobes don't catch behind the bearing openings. If you haven't pulled the oil pan, you'll have trouble all the way out. as there isn't a real easy way to keep the cam centered as you pull it out. You just won't have enough leverage to do that holding on to the cam gear. You should just bite the bullet and remove the pan so you can reach up (or down if you have it upside down on an engine stand) to the rear of the cam and keep it centered thru the bearings.

If you don't keep it reasonably centered, you can put nice gouges in the bearings with the edges of the lobes as the cam goes in and out.

Yes, the bolts go through the front main cap. It's designed that way so the main cap can be removed when shim-adjusting the main bearing clearance without pulling the harmonic balancer. Bite the bullet and pull the pan. Then remove the thrust washer bolts by going through the holes in the timing gear, which is what's keeping the cam from moving.
Jerry

Update , per Langdon's Chevy helpful instructions ,1& 6 must be TDC , which put the crankshaft key at about the 10-11 position and the cam came right out . Hope this saves someone else the frustration I went through .
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Hi folks , well I'll try here now
Stovebolters on Facebook couldn't help
Bigbolters on this forum tried to help but didn't have a answer .
Ok 216 cam gear change
LIFTERS OUT
CAM THRUST PLATE BOLTS REMOVED (behind cam gear)
DISTRIBUTOR REMOVED
FUEL PUMP REMOVED
And yes I have a new set of Cloyes gears steel bottom gear , aluminum top gear .

Now cam is supposed to pull out and it's not .
Will try rotating the crankshaft today .
Any other thoughts on this .

Posting the same question in multiple sections of the forum won't get you a different answer. Your original post in the Big Bolt section should be moved by the moderator to the Engine Shop where it belongs.

Mike B

How long has it been since the oil clearance on the connecting rods and main bearings has been adjusted on that engine?
Jerry

paul nolz Cam should come out,may have to rotate till it clears the crank gear.

paul nolz If you change your timing gears be extra careful pressing the cam gear off because that 2-bolt retainer flange is fragile cast iron...easily broken !!

Paul Nolz This wont matter but your truck has a 235 in it,big trucks came with a babbitt rod 235. My 48 is the same thing.

Martin Sorry didn't see your post in time .