Reinstall the air box, and any other accessories you removed.
***IMPORTANT***
Before starting or doing anything else!!!!
Do an oil change!!! Coolant will be in the oil pan from removing the timing cover.
After the oil change is done, pull the fuse for the fuel pump; use the lid of the fuse box to find which one it is. Reconnect the battery and start the engine. The starter will begin turning over the engine but since the fuel pump isn’t running the engine won’t start. Run the starter for 20-30 seconds, this will push oil through the entire engine so you don’t start it bone dry. After 20-30 seconds, turn the truck off, replace the fuel pump fuse.
Upload any cam tunes you have and then fire up the truck and enjoy your new power.
Run the engine for several minutes until the thermostat opens and follow the normal engine/radiator burping procedure to remove any trapped air and refill the coolant until everything's full.
Torque specs:
Cam bolt- 90ft-lb
Timing set tensioner/slider bolts- 21ft-lb
Rocker Shafts- 195 in-lb
Crankshaft bolt- 195ft-lb
Oil Pump bolts- 21ft-lb
Oil Pan bolts- 9 ft-lb/108in-lb
Timing Cover bolts- 21ft-lb
If you decide to remove the head to check/replace lifters here are some additional torque specs you'll need:
Main Cylinder Head bolts- 1) 25ft-lb 2) 40 ft-lb 3) 90*
Small Head bolts intake side- 1) 15ft-lb 2) 25ft-lb
Intake manifold bolts- 9 FT LBS
Lifter hold downs- 9 ft-lb/108in-lb
**UPDATE**
After doing another cam swap on a friend's truck where we replaced the lifters with the Hellcat ones, I was able to get pics of the head and lifter removal that I didn't get when I built this how-to as I didn't remove the heads.
Once you have the valve covers and rocker arms removed, following the directions above, you need to remove the heads from the block. There are 2 sets of bolts, 5x 10mm on the inside of the cylinder valley, and 10x 15mm head bolts. Now, some people will say you can reuse these head bolts, and if you're doing this on a budget then go far it, but you really should replace these with at least new OEM or even better use ARP head bolts or studs, it's your call.
With all the head bolts removed, pull the head off the block. If you didn't pull the block plugs to drain the coolant out of the block then expect there to be coolant when you crack the head off the block. If there's coolant, just soak it up with rags or towels before reinstalling everything.
Remove the head gasket, you must replace this with a new one, either OEM or aftermarket. I like Cometic gaskets and it's what I used on my heads since I could get a thicker one and drop my compression ratio a bit more.
If you need to swap springs for your cam, I highly recommend getting the hemi-specific spring compressor, the CompCams one was about $125 but has been worth it for me. A tip, before putting the compressor on, hit all the springs with an 18mm socket and hammer (it should sit over the spring retainers but clear the valve stem and keepers) to loosen the keepers so they come out of the retainer easier. Install the spring compressor and replace the springs with whatever ones you will be using. I used the PSI 1511 with the locators on mine.
With any springs replaced, we can remove the lifters. Remove the lifters before you pull the camshaft out. They are held in place by an 8mm bolt IIRC. Just loosen the bolt and pull the lifter rail out. If any lifters get stuck they will just pull directly out, it's entertaining to watch this when you have oil all over your hands and they are slippery as hell.
With the lifters removed, replace them with your new lifters in the rail then reinstall these AFTER you have swapped the camshaft following the above steps.
To reinstall the heads, place the NEW head gasket onto the block making sure you have the correct gasket for the side of the engine, they are specific to the side and if you put them on the wrong side you will block the coolant holes. Place the head onto the block and install the NEW head bolts or studs. Put all 10 bolts in loosely then the 5 small bolts in the valley. If you are using studs, torque these in the following stepped sequence:
Step 1: M12 bolts to 25ft-lb, and the M8 bolts to 15ft-lb
Step 2: M12 bolts to 40ft-lb, verify M8 bolts to 15ft-lb
Step 3: M12 bolts turn 90 degrees, M8 bolts to 25ft-lb
With the head in place and properly torqued you can carry on the rest of the swap.
***PRO TIP for the timing set.
Instead of dropping the timing chain like I did in my original how-to, here is a fast and very effective way to keep the timing set intact without having to try to reset the timing from scratch.
BEFORE pulling the chain tensioner, mark the phaser ring and timing chain in multiple places with a felt pen. Mark it so you can't accidentally put these on the wrong marks.
With the phaser and chain marked, you can remove the phaser from the cam but KEEP THE CHAIN TIGHT and remove the phaser from the chain. Pull the chain to the side and zip-tie it tight to the frame or somewhere semi-out of the way. Do this all without dropping the chain off the crank sprocket.
When it's time to put the phaser back on, cut the zip-ties and line up the marks on the phaser ring with the chain, keeping the chain tight on the crankshaft sprocket. Spin the cam so you can install the phaser onto it and mount with the bolt. IF you've kept the chain from moving on the crank sprocket your timing will stay perfect but if you let it slip, follow the timing instructions given above.
If there's anything that someone wants added to this let me know and I will get it done.
