[armando_chavez]

Ive never done anything like this mod.  I would appreciate some pointers. special tools that ill need?  step by step?

[Bullet Whisperer]

I described how to go about fitting the 'S' cams on page 3 of your thread called 'S cams'.
 B.W.

[DanB]

I pulled the push rods out while replacing the cams. Also, don't forget to remove the exhaust pushrod lifter.

A couple of things to note:  make sure to check the new cams spin freely (without compression or push rods) and there are no tight spots as you turn the motor. If so, you may need to adjust the cam lash. If you do adjust those eccentric spindles, do your research!  Make those too tight and you'll have problems shortly.
As noted by BWs instructions, make sure there is no interference. 
When replacing the timing cover, ease it on and gently spin motor via kick start and apply pressure to the cover to engage the oil pump gears. It'll make sense once you see it and try to replace the cover.

The longest part of this for me was removing the old gasket material. You'll need a new gasket but no special tools needed.

[armando_chavez]

is permatex form a gasket good enough as a gasket?

[Adrian]

As the joint faces on the timing cover and crank case include some fairly small but vitally important drilled holes for the feed and and scavenge oilways I would want to use (after cleaning, as DanB reminds us) a proper gasket from our hosts with a thin smear of jointing compound or even high melting point grease, having a certain paranoia about the risk of excess instant gasket causing blocked oilways.

I checked the Permatex web site, suggested applications do include valve covers, which might be a better place to use it.

Regards,

A.

[ace.cafe]

is permatex form a gasket good enough as a gasket?

Not really.
The timing cover gasket serves as a spacer which is involved in setting cam end-play. Get a fresh timing cover gasket, definitely
If you change cams, it is a good idea to get some extra cam shims and set the thing up dry, and check to see that the timing cover does not bind the cams up tight when it is tightened down. The way this is done is to put some shims on each cam spindle after the cams are already on there. Then, put the timing cover on, and lightly tighten it down. If the engine binds up when you do this, you need to remove a shim from each cam, and try again. When you reach a point where you have removed just enough shims to allow the timing cover to be put on and tightened down without binding up the engine, then you have it set.

[DanB]

The timing cover gasket serves as a spacer which is involved in setting cam end-play. Get a fresh timing cover gasket, definitely

Forgot that part. This is very important.

[armando_chavez]

is the origanal gasket unusable? i took the primary cover off once and reused that one.

[ace.cafe]

is the origanal gasket unusable? i took the primary cover off once and reused that one.

If it is not damaged after you remove the timing cover, you should be able to re-use it. Sometimes it gets destroyed during disassembly.

[armando_chavez]

anything special needed to remove the decomp??

[armando_chavez]

took ten allen head screws off and the timing cover still wont come off....

[DanB]

Thats the old gasket holding it in place. Had same problem with mine. It had been 'glued'. I used a putty knife and razor blade. That will destroy the gasket.

[ace.cafe]

took ten allen head screws off and the timing cover still wont come off....

I would also take the quill bolt out.
At the top of the "horn" where the distributer used to be on the old Iron Barrel bikes, there is a little tab of aluminum that hangs over the edge where you can tap with a rubber mallet to try to separate the timing cover off the engine.

Remember that when you take the timing cover off, you need to sort of rotate it out of engagement with the worm nut that drives the oil pumps, by about 1/8 turn toward the left.
Once you take off the timing cover, try very hard to not rotate the crankshaft or turn the engine by any other way, until you put everything back on.

[Kevin Mahoney]

I would agree that this is a part where the gasket should be used and not a sealant of some sort. You can (and I often times do) put a light coat of grease on the gasket, but even that is not really needed. In the case of one that isn't baked on you will see that it was installed with no grease and no sealer.

[DanB]

Once you take off the timing cover, try very hard to not rotate the crankshaft or turn the engine by any other way, until you put everything back on.

Why is that ace?  I had to do a lot of engine spinning to make certain I had no valve interference.

[ace.cafe]

Why is that ace?  I had to do a lot of engine spinning to make certain I had no valve interference.

Well, it was just a cautionary note for those who aren't too savvy with knowing how to do cam timing, so they don't get lost. If the engine is at TDC, and the cam dots are lined-up, then you can't really get into trouble.
If the cams are out, and the engine gets rotated, then it can be a bit daunting for a newbie to figure out how to get back home again.

The engine can be rotated after the cams are put in with them on the dots, and then TDC and cam dot alignment can be recovered and verified. If the one-tooth retarding must be done, then it should be done with the engine placed back at TDC, and the dots aligned first, and then the inlet cam plucked out of engagement and rotated one-tooth counterclockwise, and then placed back into engagement with the teeth of the exhaust cam.

For people who understand the process, this warning is not really needed.
But for a person who is "super nervous" and has no idea what he is doing, it might be good to stay safe.

[DanB]

Got it! Thanks.   I had an interesting time offering the cover back up (not hard, but did a few trials).  Specifically to get it as flush as possible i needed to spin the worm gear to engage the oil pump gear.  If i recall, I had to apply gentle pressure and lift at the same time.  My first thought on your statement was with regards to getting the spindle gear back aligned to the worm... I still have a very slight leak there at the bottom; right at that locating / spacing pin.

[armando_chavez]

I Appreciate all the feedback, and thank you all.  Im going to wait until the Gasket gets here to do it.  I dont think i should be running into any more bumps.  Do i need to buy anything else to cover the decompressor?

[DanB]

Nothing special needed. A small flat head screw driver, needle nose may come in handy and patience. It's the little circlip that's a pita. I worked my up and over once out of the ring. Then the lifter just slips right off. It's v easy but small and fiddly.

[mattjohnson207]

Haven't started mine yet but watching intently.
                                Another nervous mechanic
                                 Matt in Glendale

[armando_chavez]

currently have it all apart. I guess i didnt realize that there was going to be a hole left after i took the decompressor off so ill have to figure out how to plug it up.  Also i Installed the inlet cam one tooth retarded.  I honestly dont know if there is any valve interference.  Would it be a loud noise if there was any???

[ace.cafe]

The decompressor on the AVL is a valve lifter.
There is no "hole".
Maybe you can take a picture of said "hole", or describe where said "hole" is, and we can help.

If you install the cams retarded, if they didn't need to be retarded, it is not a good idea.

Valve interference would be obvious because when you turn the engine SLOWLY by hand, with the spark plug out, you would encounter resistance of the valve hitting the piston. IF that happened, you would not want to turn the engine any further, or you will bend your valve.

I'm a little concerned, because you appear to be in this WAY over your head.

[Ice]

currently have it all apart. I guess i didnt realize that there was going to be a hole left after i took the decompressor off so ill have to figure out how to plug it up.  Also i Installed the inlet cam one tooth retarded.  I honestly dont know if there is any valve interference.  Would it be a loud noise if there was any???

 The easiest way to fill the hole in the tappet cover where the lifter gizmo went through is to replace the cover with a tappet cover from an Iron Barrel.

 Bill Harris has one of his S cams installed one tooth retarded to avoid interference which was due to the way his particular head was machined.

 You might PM him to ask which cam it is.

 His Harris Scrambler is quick despite the revised cam timing and has earned him the new nickname "Hole Shot".

[ace.cafe]

Thanks, Ice, for clarifying that "hole" for me.

And +1 on using an Iron Barrel tappet cover as the solution.

[Bullet Whisperer]

It is the inlet cam which has to be retarded in some cases [two that I know of, including the Bill Harris machine]. I have already explained the procedure in the topic 'S Cams', as I have already pointed out in this thread and I have exchanged e-mails with anyone who bought my cams, as required, to get the job done right. Yours came second hand from Hitchcocks, but they should be the same as mine in any case.
 Read what I have already written about fitting them, be careful and it should all be ok. If you are having doubts, best get some help with it. The decompressor lever and cable were just left on the two machines I upgraded, they just didn't do anything anymore.
 B.W.