OMG... what a pain..

[Ccmano]

.... to remove the valve covers with the engine in the car! I finished the port matching for the install of my ported plenum and injector housings which turned out not to be as bad a job as I expected. Although I did manage to break a vacume line and a secondary throttle port lever in the process. The plenum and IH's are freshly painted so I wanted to repaint the cam covers to match while I was at it.

The passenger side is relatively straight foreward with only the side cover on the A/C housing haveing to be removed to access to the rear bolts on the cam cover.

The driver side is a whole other story. The power steering pump and resovour have to be moved foreward to access the front three bolts on the cam cover. Whoever designed the pump mounting bracket should be shot. What Reub Goldberg deal. The A/C compressor and lines have the be moved or you can't get the cover off... not too bad. To access the rear bolts on the cam cover you have to unbolt the brake booster completely and move it foreward. This is where it really gets fun. To access the 4 nuts that hold the booster to the firewall I had to remove the drivers seat (just so I could get in there to see what I was doing and then lay in there upside down and backwards) next drop the trim panel and metal panels under the dash. After doing that I found I could just barely get at 3 of the 4 nuts with various extentions and flex joints. The 4th nut required unbolting the steering column and letting it drop a couple inches. I'm still not sure how I'm going to get those 4 nuts back in there and started on the threads. Then to add insult to injury the front center cam cover bolt snapped off when I was removing it. Now I have to drill that out.

Man! What a pain for something so simple!

Sorry just had to vent...:mad:

H
:cheers:

[tomtom72]

Jez that is a PIA. talk about stuff going south. You have my empathy!

Please tell me you got lucky with the cam cover bolt that snapped....it left enough to get on w/a vise grip after the cover is off???:pray

I hate it when that kind of stuff happens, it destroys the whole "good mood" thing that ya get from doing something on the beast.

Good luck with the broken bolt Hans!:thumbsup:

:cheers:
Tom

fwiw, I look at my stained covers and think "what if I just pull'em & paint'em"....then I remember all the posts I've seen like this and think "live with it"...:o

[jonszr1]

it my beief that some of the folk that design things get their jollies out of making them impossible to work on .

[vettn71]

You have my sincerest sympathy. Been there - done that. This is about the time where tools go flying and imbed themselves into the garage wall. My wife calls it the "wall of shame". I'm kind of proudof it - really unique.

Jim

[LGAFF]

This is good practice for when the heater core has to be replaced!

[Jeffvette]

The job really is not that difficult. It's just a matter of having the right extensions and knowing where to route the tool to get to the nuts. After doing several, I've gotten it down to under 30 minutes for getting the booster out. But yes it is tight in the foot well, and a little dark. But it's not that bad.


The other option is to remove the motor. Don't have to remove the booster to do that.

[rhipsher]

This is good practice for when the heater core has to be replaced!
Hahaha! If you live in Texas that will never be a problem. But you will die without the A/C.

[-=Jeff=-]

yeah removal is fun.. I just am waiting for the reinstall fun now

[GOLDCYLON]

I've gotten it down to under 30 minutes for getting the booster out. But yes it is tight in the foot well, and a little dark. But it's not that bad. :worship: All Hail Jeffvette

The other option is to remove the motor. Don't have to remove the booster to do that.

This procedure will take Jeff another 35 mins.... Pick your poison :razz:

[bobbyhi]

"But yes it is tight in the foot well, and a little dark. But it's not that bad."


Just wait until your eye sight goes south!!!!:razz:

[LGAFF]

You know Cam Cover/Brake Booster is Karma Sutra position #264

[Ccmano]

I'm sure it's like everthing else... alot easier after you do it a few times. And yes my eyes have started to go and that didn't help. As for the bolt, there is about a half inch still sticking out. My 6mm bolt extractor only managed to clean the remaining threads off the bolt shank and then just spin. A Vice Grip won't budge it. Looks like I'll have to cut it down and drill it out. Luckily it's one of the smaller bolts at the front end (in the middle) of the cam cover, not one of the larger bolts.

H
:cheers:

[Jeffvette]

Hans, try two things.

Freeze off. And also a small butane torch and heat the bolt. Then try the vice grips.

[Ccmano]

Jeff,
I used some BG brand "In-Force" on it for the last two days, that has always worked well for me in the past. Forgot about heating the bolt. I'll pick up some "Freeze Off" tomorrow and try your method.
thanks
H
:cheers:

[Emilee]

Jeff is a great resource here, but most of us can't measure up to his level of expertise. I spent four days what he can accomplish in 35 minutes. This is why we need you Jeff.

[Emilee]

I might add that his advice and cost of services and parts are very reasonable.