slant six lifter swap

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Badvert65

Badvert65

Long Time Mopar Nut
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OK, I am planning on changing the cam in my 65 slant six. My question is, can I pull the lifters out through the head (like I can with big blocks)? I am replacing the timing chain/gears and figured I would upgrade the cam while I had things torn down.
-Matt
 
Yes, as long as the head has the spark plug tubes. Be advised, they might be hard to grab good enough to get past the varnish, but it can be done.
 
Great, that's what I was hoping. I have a lifter puller tool I use on big block engines. I don't see why it won't work on the six, as long as there is room to pull it out through the head.
Thanks.
 
The lifter pulling tools (that I am used to) ususally are made to pull a hydraulic lifter by grabbing into the groove inside the top of the lifter for the retainer clip. There is no such groove in the top of the /6 mech lifter.

So you are left with grabbing the upper vertical lip of the lifter. The issue is that these are barbell shaped with a narrowed 'waist' in the middle of the lifter body; they do not move up and down enough to fully wipe the lifter bore in the area of the waist and so can build up a ring of hard varnish halfway down the inside of the lifter bores, and this catches the lower part of the lifter body.

Be prepared with some narrow jawed vice grips or hemostats to carefully grab the upper lip, and some carburetor gum cutter to soak down around the lifters to help soften the varnish if need be.

(FYI, my horrendously varnished engine required that I disassemble the engine, flip it over on the stand and drive all the lifters out with a hard maple dowel and hammer! But that was the worst varnished engine by far I have ever had. I doubt you will have that experience... at least I hope not!)
 
Well crap, hadn't thought about the difference between the solid and hydraulic lifters. Hopefully, there won't be much buildup on the lifters. It is an old engine but it just turned 60,000 (original) miles so it might not be too bad.

If it gets to be too difficult, I'll just leave the factory cam in and just change the timing gear set. If it was easy, I guess everybody would be doing it.
 
Let's hope not; for reference, my engine was sludged and varnished to the max, so is a rarea case. I've been into a fair number of engines but nothing like this one was. The PO had a gas leak in the carb for years that drained into the intake; he never added oil because the leak just replenished the oil with gas! All that gas in the crankcase caused tons of varnish. (It had 61k miles at the recent rebuild.......)

Lemme know if you want a hand; I am not that far.
 
I appreciate the offer. I am just goofing with the six until I get the race engine built.
 
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