PM sent.

 

Let me know if you got it.........

 

Hybrid Kit completion and observation information.

Double-checked the garage and found no left-over parts unaccounted for, so I fired her up and let her "cook" for 20-25 minutes without a fan to get things good and hot. Oil cooler and filter was so hot I could not touch them...so I figured it was about as warm as it could get. I have noticed only a couple of pounds gained on the high-end at 3,000 RPM. I usually run right at 31-32 and had around 34-35, but that may be more of a factor of the relief spring than anything else and may improve when I have it out there "in-the-wind" too. Here is the kicker...my idle pressure is now around 18-20 pounds, which is an improvement over the 8-10 PSI that I had been accustomed to. I do mean this thing was hot and I would never let it get that hot if I were not doing this test, or got hung-up in a traffic jam, etc.

I am pleased that I seem to have gained some pressure at idle and a tad on the high-end but I am also pleased that I have removed a real problem with the spring-loaded tensioners and all the other crap that goes along with those, as well as ripping out the INA inner bearings and installing the B-148's.

I still have the rocker-box tick from the rear cylinder that I have always had. New lifters and adjustable pushrods seemed to have zero effect on that. I may play with the pushrod adjustment back there, but I have had the tick for as long as I can remember, so I can live with it. At least...I have eliminated a bad lifter or worn pushrod.

All-n-all, I think it's a worthwhile upgrade....especially if your cam chest is scheduled for a routine tensioner check and/or replacement. If you go with the Hybrid kit and keep your silent chain, you will NOT NEED the spacer kit and will use your existing silent chain and sprockets. If you do not opt for the adjustable pushrods and shortened tube covers...you can get this done for around $400.

PS: I have a NIB spacer kit for sale at 1/2 price....buyer pays shipping. PM me if you will need one of these kits for a silent chain upgrade.

 

Nice thread...

I was going to say, if you keep the front chain, you don't need tha spacer kit. Was the reason that you didn't go with the roller chain, because you also need another tool?

 

Very good question there Freedom. In the early Twin Cams (99-01), they used the outer cam-drive sprocket as a data point in which to detect the cam position. The early outer driven sprocket has a crescent raised rib machined/stamped on the face of the sprocket that rides between a sensor pick-up in the nose cover. The hybrid kit comes with the two front roller chain sprockets and the outer drive chain, but the sprocket will not work on pre-delphi EFI systems.

DJL (above) provided a PN from Andrews gear that has the cam sensor pick up on the face, but I did not want to spend the extra money for that part. The kit works very well for all models...they just included some parts that us pre-delphi TC owners don't need and can't use. The instructions actually say early TC owners will use the silent chain and the new roller chain and both sprockets can be discarded. In other words, rather than the MOCO providing two kits, they just provide one and let us pre-delphi owners pay for the extra parts. They could have very well came out with a kit for pre-delphi and post-delphi systems, but I suppose that would have been too much trouble. God Bless HD! (LOL)

My silent chain has 44K on it, so I figure it's about as slick as it is going to get. To do a full roller chain conversion, I would have also had to have the drive sprockets (new cams) and the rear roller chain. I decided that since this was a half-a!! roller conversion anyway, I would not spring for the Andrews sprocket.

There is no need for extra tools either way. The sprocket lock is all that is needed. The EZ-Bake oven technique works just fine for every thing else. I had already changed my inner cam bearings.

 

You need the cam plate. Check the below link to the Andrews parts list. You can order all the parts from Zanottis for about $370. You will need a set of conversion cams to complete the upgrade unless you go the hybrid route.

http://www.andrewsproducts.com/motor...nstall_Kit.htm

 

Certainly nothing wrong with wanting to go all the way and dropping the outer cam bearings in the process, but the Hybrid support plate is really a thing of beauty. I understand that it is machined by JIMS and it's a very nice piece. Mine is anodized in brilliant orange with Screamin' Eagle laser-embossed across the face. I really hated to cover it up with the nose cone!

As for the outer bearings dropped in the 07 system, I really have not read anything concerning outer cam bearing failures (to any great extent) in 06 and earlier models since the debacle of the early struggles with that rear ball-bearing issue, of which I was victimized along with most of the people I know that had the early TC's. The rear roller and the front ball that I removed from my stock plate looked (and felt) just as good as they did when they were installed over 30,000 miles ago and you DO NOT need the special pressing tools, or a press to remove/replace those bearings.

I don't know how much of an improvement the roller chains will afford in tensioner wear and it may well be worth the purchase of the complete 07 system to make that change. All I do know is that I now have a system in which I can change the hydraulic tensioner shoes (if I need to) with a few hand-tools and no longer need all the crap it took to properly change the older spring-loaded tensioners.

Maybe consideration should be given to the mileage on the engine you are converting. If mine were a low-mileage engine, I may have opted for the full-blown 07 guts, but mine is approaching 50K already and I hope I will never have to crack the cam chest open again for tensioner service. The Hybrid kit can be had off e-bay for around $350. Here is a photo of mine.