ima be doing my cam swap this weekend and i was wondering whats the best way of keeping the valves up while i change the springs? i dont have an air compressor to use, ive heard of the rope method, who all has done it here and how effective was it? also how exactly do you know which piston is up or down at the time? any other methods that you all know about? thx fellas

 

you can use pen magnets or wooden dowl rods

 

pen magnets work for the cam removal though right? i dont think they'll work when trying to remove the springs

 

When I did mine I used a compressor it was pretty easy that way, I turned the crank tll I felt the piston through each sparkplug hole, any little compressor will work what kind of valvespring tool are you using ?

 

dang man sorry i read your post too fast... i dunno what to do about the valves staying up, i thought they had locks on them so they wouldnt fall in, else whats keeping them from falling in when your motors at BDC......you could always rotate it so that cylinder is at TDC and they wouldnt be able to fall in past the stem

 

compressed air.

 

Seems like someone read it too fast again. He's removing the springs. When removing springs, the locks must be removed. Without something there to hold the valves up(air pressure or even string), they should simply fall into holes where a piston isn't up to keep that from happening.

I'd suggest starting at top dead center on #1 and following that through the firing order. You may also consider unwaxed dental floss to help keep them in place. That will be tricky to some degree, but it can be done. I'd maybe try a magnet to hold them up until they can be well tied. If you have compressed air, take that route. Otherwise, it's safest to just pull the heads.

Either way, leave your cam installed until you're sure the valves won't drop. I never thought about till now, but I'd think you could swap the springs first, then swap the camshaft. Sounds like work that will take time and patience, but it should do.

 

Get a compression tester and screw it into the spark plug hole, then hook the air nipple up to an air compressor. Works well.

 

Dude, go to a tool rental store and rent a small air compressor for the day. Should only cost about $20-25. That's the easiest way

 

Consider this or something similar: http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/2918...r-Hose-Kit.htm
Allen Nelson also recommends this valve spring compressor:
http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/3883...ompressors.htm
Don't forget these:http://www.sdpc2000.com/catalog/1966...h-Pushrods.htm
and the springs:http://www.compperformancegroupstore...Category_Code=

You can find these items pretty cheap from a sponsor here or at Summit Racing.
Good Luck!

Jim