head CHEVROLET CAMARO 1982 Repair Guide

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 487

Fig. 13: Checks should also be made al ong both diagonals of the head surface
Place a straightedge across the gasket surf ace. Using feeler gauges, determine
the clearance at the cent er of the straightedge and across the cylinder head at
several points. Check along the centerli ne and diagonally on the head surface.
If the warpage exceeds 0.003 in. (0.076mm) within a 6.0 in. (15.2cm) span, or
0.006 in. (0.152mm) over the total length of the head, the cylinder head must be
resurfaced. After resurfacing the heads of a V-type engine, the intake manifold
flange surface should be checked, and if necessary, milled proportionally to
allow for the change in its mounting position.
CRACKS AND PHYSICAL DAMAGE
Generally, cracks are limited to the comb ustion chamber, however, it is not
uncommon for the head to crack in a s park plug hole, port, outside of the head
or in the valve spring/rocker arm area. The first area to inspect is always the
hottest: the exhaust seat/port area.
A visual inspection should be perform ed, but just because you don’t see a
crack does not mean it is not there. Some more reliable methods for inspecting
for cracks include Magnaflux, a magnetic process or Zyglo, a dye penetrant.
Magnaflux is used onl y on ferrous metal (cast iron) heads. Zyglo uses a spray
on fluorescent mixture along with a black light to reveal the cracks. It is strongly
recommended to have your cylinder head c hecked professionally for cracks,
especially if the engine was known to have overheated and/or leaked or
consumed coolant. Contact a local shop fo r availability and pricing of these
services.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 488
Physical damage is usually very eviden
t. For example, a broken mounting ear
from dropping the head or a bent or broken stud and/or bol t. All of these defects
should be fixed or, if irrepairabl e, the head should be replaced.
REFINISHING & REPAIRING
Many of the procedures given for refini shing and repairing the cylinder head
components must be performed by a ma chine shop. Certain steps, if the
inspected part is not worn, can be perfo rmed yourself inexpensively. However,
you spent a lot of time and effort so far, why risk trying to save a couple bucks if
you might have to do it all over again?
VALVES
Any valves that were not replaced s hould be refaced and the tips ground flat.
Unless you have access to a valve grinding machine, this should be done by a
machine shop. If the valves are in extr emely good condition, as well as the
valve seats and guides, they may be lapped in without performing machine
work.
It is a recommended practice to lap the valves even after machine work has
been performed and/or new valves hav e been purchased. This insures a
positive seal between the valve and seat.
LAPPING THE VALVES
Before lapping the valves to the seat s, read the rest of the cylinder head
information to insure that any related parts are in acceptable enough condition
to continue.
Before any valve seat machining and/or lapping can be performed, the guides
must be within factory re commended specifications.
1. Invert the cylinder head.
2. Lightly lubricate the va lve stems and insert them into the cylinder head in
their numbered order.
3. Raise the valve from the seat and apply a sma ll amount of fine lapping
compound to the seat.
4. Moisten the suction h ead of a hand-lapping tool and attach it to the head
of the valve.
5. Rotate the tool bet ween the palms of both hands , changing the position
of the valve on the valve seat and lifting the tool often to prevent
grooving.
6. Lap the valve until a smooth, polished circle is evident on the valve and
seat.
7. Remove the tool and the valve. Wi pe away all traces of the grinding
compound and store the valve to maintain its lapped location.
SPRINGS, RETAINERS AND VALVE LOCKS

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 489
There is no repair or refinishing possi
ble with the springs, retainers and valve
locks. If they are found to be worn or defective, they must be replaced with new
(or known good) parts.
CYLINDER HEAD
Most refinishing procedures dealing wit h the cylinder head must be performed
by a machine shop. Read the informati on below and review your inspection
data to determine whether or not machining is necessary.
VALVE GUIDE
If any machining or replacements are made to the valve guides, the seats must
be machined.
Unless the valve guides need machining or replacing, the only service to\

perform is to thoroughly clean them of any dirt or oil residue.
There are only two types of valve gu ides used on automobile engines: the
replaceable-type (all alumi num heads) and the cast-in in tegral-type (most cast
iron heads). There are four recommended methods for repairing worn guides.
• Knurling
• Inserts
• Reaming oversize
• Replacing
Knurling is a process in which metal is displaced and raised, thereby reducing
clearance, giving a true center, and providing oil control. It is the least
expensive way of repairing the valve guides . However, it is not necessarily the
best, and in some cases, a knurled valve guide will not stand up for more than a
short time. It requires a special knurle r and precision reaming tools to obtain
proper clearances. It would not be cost effective to purchase these tools, unless
you plan on rebuilding several of the same cylinder head.
Installing a guide insert involves machin ing the guide to accept a bronze insert.
One style is the coil-type wh ich is installed into a threaded guide. Another is the
thin-walled insert where the guide is ream ed oversize to accept a split-sleeve
insert. After the insert is installed, a s pecial tool is then run through the guide to
expand the insert, locking it to the guide. The insert is then reamed to the
standard size for proper valve clearance.
Reaming for oversize valves restores normal clearances and provides a true
valve seat. Most cast-in type guides can be reamed to accept an valve wi\
th an
oversize stem. The cost factor for this can become quite high as you will need
to purchase the reamer and new, oversize stem valves for all guides which
were reamed. Oversizes ar e generally 0.003 to 0.030 in. (0.076 to 0.762mm),
with 0.015 in. (0.381mm) being the most common.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 490
To replace cast-in type valve guides, t
hey must be drilled out, then reamed to
accept replacement guides. This must be done on a fixture which will allow
centering and leveling off of the original valve seat or guide, otherwise a serious
guide-to-seat misalignment may occur maki ng it impossible to properly machine
the seat.
Replaceable-type guides are pressed into the cylinder head. A hammer and a
stepped drift or punch may be used to inst all and remove the guides. Before
removing the guides, measure the protrusi on on the spring side of the head and
record it for installation. Use the stepped drift to hammer out the old guide from
the combustion chamber side of the head. When installing, determine whether
or not the guide also seal s a water jacket in the head, and if it does, use the
recommended sealing agent. If there is no water jacket, grease the valve guide
and its bore. Use the stepped drift, and hamme r the new guide into the cylinder
head from the spring side of the cylinder head. A stack of washers the same
thickness as the measured protrusion may help the installation process.
VALVE SEATS
Before any valve seat machining can be performed, the guides must be within
factory recommended specifications.
If any machining or replacements were made to the valve guides, the seats
must be machined.
If the seats are in good condition, the va lves can be lapped to the seats, and the
cylinder head assembled. See the valves in formation for instructions on lapping.
If the valve seats are worn, cracked or damaged, they must be serviced by a
machine shop. The valve seat must be per fectly centered to the valve guide,
which requires very accurate machining.
CYLINDER HEAD SURFACE
If the cylinder head is war ped, it must be machined flat. If the warpage is
extremely severe, the head may need to be replaced. In some instances, it may
be possible to straighten a warped head enough to allow machining. In either
case, contact a professional machine shop for service.
CRACKS AND PHYSICAL DAMAGE
Certain cracks can be repaired in both ca st iron and aluminum heads. For cast
iron, a tapered threaded insert is inst alled along the length of the crack.
Aluminum can also use the tapered inse rts, however welding is the preferred
method. Some physical damage can be repaired through brazing or welding.
Contact a machine shop to get expert advice for your particular dilemma.
ASSEMBLY

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The first step for any assembly job is
to have a clean area in which to work.
Next, thoroughly clean all of the parts and components that are to be
assembled. Finally, place all of the co mponents onto a suitable work space and,
if necessary, arrange the parts to their respective positions.
1. Lightly lubricate the valve stems and insert all of the valves into the
cylinder head. If possible, maintain their original locations.
2. If equipped, install any valve spring shims which were removed.
3. If equipped, install the new valve seal s, keeping the following in mind:
• If the valve seal presses over the guide, lightly lubricate the outer
guide surfaces.
• If the seal is an O-ring type, it is installed just after compressing
the spring but before the valve locks.
4. Place the valve spring and retainer over the stem.
5. Position the spring compressor tool and compress the spring.
6. Assemble the valv e locks to the stem.
7. Relieve the spring pressure slowly and insure that neither valve lock
becomes dislodged by the retainer.
8. Remove the spring compressor tool.
9. Repeat Steps 2 through 8 until all of the springs have been installed.
ENGINE BLOCK
GENERAL INFORMATION
A thorough overhaul or rebuild of an engine block would include replacing the
pistons, rings, bearings, timing belt/chai n assembly and oil pump. For OHV
engines also include a new camshaft and lifters. The block would then have the
cylinders bored and honed oversize (or if using removable cylinder sleeves,
new sleeves installed) and the cranksha ft would be cut undersize to provide
new wearing surfaces and per fect clearances. However, your particular engine
may not have everything worn out. What if only the piston rings have worn out
and the clearances on everything else are still within factory specifications?
Well, you could just replace the rings and put it back together, but this would be
a very rare example. Chances are, if one component in your engine is worn,
other components are sure to follow, and soon. At the very least, you should
always replace the rings, bearings and oil pump. This is what is commonly
called a "freshen up".
CYLINDER RIDGE REMOVAL
Because the top piston ring does not travel to the very top of the cylinder, a
ridge is built up between the end of the trav el and the top of the cylinder bore.
Pushing the piston and connecting rod assembly past the ridge can be difficult,
and damage to the piston ring lands could occur. If the ridge is not removed
before installing a new piston or not re moved at all, piston ring breakage and
piston damage may occur.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 492
It is always recommended that you remo
ve any cylinder ridges before removing
the piston and connecting rod assemblies . If you know that new pistons are
going to be installed and the engine bl ock will be bored oversize, you may be
able to forego this step. However, some ridges may actually prevent the
assemblies from being remove d, necessitating its removal.
There are several different types of ridge reamers on the market, none of which
are inexpensive. Unless a great deal of engine rebuild ing is anticipated, borrow
or rent a reamer.
1. Turn the crankshaft until the piston is at the bottom of its travel.
2. Cover the head of the piston with a rag.
3. Follow the tool manufacturers in structions and cut away the ridge,
exercising extreme care to avoid cutting too deeply.
4. Remove the ridge reamer, the r ag and as many of the cuttings as
possible. Continue until all of the cylinder ridges have been removed.
DISASSEMBLY
The engine disassembly instructions fo llowing assume that you have the engine
mounted on an engine stand. If not, it is easiest to disassemble the engine on a
bench or the floor with it resting on t he bellhousing or transmission mounting
surface. You must be able to access the connecting rod fasteners and turn the
crankshaft during disassembly. Also, all en gine covers (timing, front, side, oil
pan, whatever) should have already been removed. Engines which are seized
or locked up may not be able to be co mpletely disassembled, and a core
(salvage yard) engine should be purchased.
If not done during the cylinder head removal, remove the pushrods and li\
fters,
keeping them in order for assembly. Remove the timing gears and/or timing
chain assembly, then remove the oil pu mp drive assembly and withdraw the
camshaft from the engine block. Remove the oil pick-up and pump assembly. If
equipped, remove any balanc e or auxiliary shafts. If necessary, remove the
cylinder ridge from the top of the bore. See the cylinder ridge removal
procedure earlier in this section.
Rotate the engine over so that the cr ankshaft is exposed. Use a number punch
or scribe and mark each connecting rod wit h its respective cylinder number. The
cylinder closest to the front of t he engine is always number 1. However,
depending on the engine placemen t, the front of the engine could either be the
flywheel or damper/pulley end. Generally the front of the engine faces the front
of the vehicle. Use a number punch or scribe and also mark the main bearing
caps from front to rear wit h the front most cap being nu mber 1 (if there are five
caps, mark them 1 through 5, front to rear).

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 495
Again, rotate the engine, this time
to position the number one cylinder bore
(head surface) up. Turn the crankshaft until the number one piston is at the
bottom of its travel, this should allow t he maximum access to its connecting rod.
Remove the number one co nnecting rods fasteners and cap and place two
lengths of rubber hose over the rod bolts/studs to protect the crankshaft from
damage. Using a sturdy wooden dowel and a hammer, push the connecting rod
up about 1 in. (25mm) from the cranks haft and remove the upper bearing insert.
Continue pushing or tapping the connecti ng rod up until the piston rings are out
of the cylinder bore. Remove the piston and rod by hand, put the upper half of
the bearing insert back into the rod, in stall the cap with its bearing insert
installed, and hand-tighten the cap fasteners. If the parts are kept in order in this
manner, they will not get lost and you wil l be able to tell which bearings came
form what cylinder if any problems are discovered and diagnosis is necessary.
Remove all the other piston assemblie s in the same manner. On V-style
engines, remove all of the pistons from one bank, then reposition the engine
with the other cylinder bank head surface up, and remo ve that banks piston
assemblies.
The only remaining component in the engine block should now be the
crankshaft. Loosen the main bearing ca ps evenly until the fasteners can be
turned by hand, then remove them and the caps. Remove the crankshaft fro\
m
the engine block. Thoroughly clea n all of the components.
INSPECTION
Now that the engine block and all of its components ar e clean, it's time to
inspect them for wear and/or damage. To accurately inspect them, you will need
some specialized tools:
• Two or three separate micromet ers to measure the pistons and
crankshaft journals
• A dial indicator
• Telescoping gauges for the cylinder bores
• A rod alignment fixture to check for bent connecting rods
If you do not have access to the proper tools, you may want to bring the
components to a shop that does.
Generally, you shouldn't expect cracks in the engine block or its components
unless it was known to leak, consume or mix engine fluids, it was severely
overheated, or there was ev idence of bad bearings and/or crankshaft damage.
A visual inspection should be performed on all of the components, but just
because you don't see a crack does not mean it is not there. Some more
reliable methods for inspecting for cracks include Magnaflux, a magnetic
process or Zyglo, a dye penetrant. M agnaflux is used only on ferrous metal
(cast iron). Zyglo uses a spray on fluoresce nt mixture along with a black light to
reveal the cracks. It is strongly recommended to have your engine block
checked professionally for cracks, especia lly if the engine was known to have
overheated and/or leaked or consumed coolant. Contact a local shop for
availability and pricing of these services.

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 496
ENGINE BLOCK
ENGINE BLOCK BEARING ALIGNMENT
Remove the main bearing caps and, if sti
ll installed, the main bearing inserts.
Inspect all of the main bearing saddles and caps for damage, burrs or high
spots. If damage is found, and it is caused from a spun main bearing, the block
will need to be align-bored or, if severe enough, replacement. Any burrs or high
spots should be carefully removed with a metal file.
Place a straightedge on the bearing saddles, in the engine block, along the
centerline of the crankshaft. If any cl earance exists between the straightedge
and the saddles, the block must be align-bored.
Align-boring consists of machining th e main bearing saddles and caps by
means of a flycutter that runs through the bearing saddles.
DECK FLATNESS
The top of the engine blo ck where the cylinder head m ounts is called the deck.
Insure that the deck surface is clean of dirt, carbon deposits and old gasket
material. Place a straightedge across the surface of the deck along its
centerline and, using feeler gauges, check the clearance along several points.
Repeat the checking procedure with th e straightedge placed along both
diagonals of the deck surface. If the reading exceeds 0.003 in. (0.076mm)
within a 6.0 in. (15.2cm) span, or 0.006 in . (0.152mm) over the total length of
the deck, it must be machined.
CYLINDER BORES
The cylinder bores house the pistons and are slightly larger than the pistons
themselves. A common piston-to-bor e clearance is 0.0015-0.0025 in.
(0.0381mm-0.0635mm). Inspect and measur e the cylinder bores. The bore
should be checked for out-of-roundness, t aper and size. The results of this
inspection will determine w hether the cylinder can be us ed in its existing size
and condition, or a rebore to the next oversize is required (or in the case of
removable sleeves, have replacements installed).

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 509
1. Before installing the
piston/connecting rod assembly, oil the pistons,
piston rings and the cylinder walls with light engine oil. Install connecting
rod bolt protectors or rubber hose onto the connecting rod bolts/studs.
Also perform the following: a. Select the proper ring set for the size cylinder bore.
b. Position the ring in the bore in which it is going to be used.
c. Push the ring down into the bor e area where normal ring wear is
not encountered.
d. Use the head of the piston to posi tion the ring in the bore so that
the ring is square with the cyli nder wall. Use caution to avoid
damage to the ring or cylinder bore.
e. Measure the gap betw een the ends of the ring with a feeler gauge.
Ring gap in a worn cylinder is normally greater than specification.
If the ring gap is greater than the specified limits, try an oversize
ring set.

Fig. 13: Checking the piston ring-to-ri ng groove side clearance using the ring
and a feeler gauge

GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 510
f. Check the ring side clearance of the compression rings with a
feeler gauge inserted between the ring and its lower land
according to specification. The gauge should slide freely around
the entire ring circumference wit hout binding. Any wear that
occurs will form a step at the inne r portion of the lower land. If the
lower lands have high steps, t he piston should be replaced.

Fig. 14: The notch on the side of t he bearing cap matches the tang on the
bearing insert
2. Unless new pistons are installed, be sure to install the pistons in the
cylinders from which they were removed. The numbers on the
connecting rod and bearing cap must be on the same side when installed
in the cylinder bore. If a connecting rod is ever transposed from one
engine or cylinder to another, new bear ings should be fitted and the
connecting rod should be numbered to correspond with the new cylinder
number. The notch on the piston head goes toward the front of the
engine.
3. Install all of the rod bearing inserts into the rods and caps.