New cam for the Tempest: cam bearing puller
From the last post you can see that I need new cam bearings, but I didn’t have the installation tool. You can get one for chevy for about $75, but a universal one is about $300. A quick look on google shows several people making their own out of threaded rod and an aluminum mandrill. I didn’t have any suitable aluminum stock, so I looked around for something I could modify. I found a tapered bearing race driver that was already close in size.
I chucked it up holding its handle because I needed to turn the whole outside. I didn’t want to turn half and then flip it over because I wanted to keep the 2 steps concentric within a couple thousands of an inch. I know it’s bad practice to hold something so far from the chuck, but aluminum turns easy.
Basically I just wanted an area that would support the bearing and keep it straight, then a step that would be just a tiny bit smaller than the OD of the bearing. This way the tool can also be used to remove the old bearings. Below I’m testing a bearing for fit.
Just some 1/2″ threaded rod, nuts and washers and it’s ready to use. Next time I’ll show it in use and show the reassembly of the engine.
