Okay, since the physics of it all just sorta BAFFLED me, I got to wondering just exactly HOW you get the cam out of a Vega 140 cylinder head...the followers are spring loaded and press UP against the lobes. It woulda been easy if they'd designed removeable "caps" sorta like main caps to hold the cam in place, but it has to slide out the front. Baffled and intrigued, I consulted the Chilton's manual, and at first I thought maybe Curious Rash had gotten ahold of my copy and written in some bogus funny instructions...you KNOW you're in trouble when it reads... "Use special valve follower compression tool designed for Vega..." (I also got a kick out of the part about popping the rear cam bearing out so that it falls into the distributor area, then CRUSHING it so it'll be able to come outta there!) So, after seeing a blank stare on the face of the local Chevrolet dealer parts guy when I asked for this "special tool" (the look basically started when I said Vega...if I'd asked for a PICTURE of one he'd likely have been equally as baffled!). I'm kinda betting that flagging down a Snap-On or Matco guy would yield similar results... So...anyone out there maybe got one of these SuperSecret tools left over from their Glory Days as an original Mr Goodwrench (the BALD one!) back in the 70s??? Long shot, sure...but what the Hell???
That tool was a plate that bolted to the head with what amounted to a set of rocker arms made to compress all the springs at once. There were a number of makers, and they were once plentiful--but alas, no Vegas survived long enough to need a valve job--everything else failed first. I would bet the truck tool dealers could locate one cluttering storage space somewhere--there have to be more of these tools around than Vegas.
your welding skills must be improving enough now you can weld up them pits and irregularities on your current cam, its a chev just toss in some emery paper between the lobes and lifters she'll grind down to your likeing and your off to the races!
You could go to ebay and buy this one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2481422722&category=43998&sspagename=WDVW If you bid, I hope you don't get into a bidding war with one of the obscure vega tool collectors out there.
The Jalopy Journal
