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Head, Cam, and Valvetrain Tools
Pontiac V8 Head, Cam, and Valvetrain Tools
Geometry Sets the Result — Head, Cam, and Valvetrain Tools for Pontiac V8s
Head, cam and valvetrain tools cover the half of a Pontiac V8 build where geometry decides whether the combination lives. Degreeing the cam, checking pushrod length, setting installed spring height and installing seals without tearing them are all jobs that want the right fixture, not improvisation.
Butler stocks the Butler Cam Degree Kit and the Pontiac camshaft installation tool, COMP adjustable pushrod length checkers, head-on and head-off valve spring compressors, spring height gauges in two ranges, billet valve seal installation tools and a guide cutter for positive locking seals.
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1. Degreeing the Camshaft
A cam that is not where the card says it is will never make the power it was ground for. Degreeing it is a one-time job with a known set of tools.
| Butler Cam Degree Kit, BPI-4936-KIT | The most complete Pontiac cam degree kit we know of, usable with the heads on or off. It comes with the COMP 4798 crank socket, the 4925 cam checking tool and a cam degree wheel kit. |
| Camshaft checking fixture | An aluminum fixture cut for Pontiac lifter bores, for flat tappet and hydraulic followers. Order a dial indicator with it, because one is not included. |
| Light checking springs, set | 0.875" diameter at a 2" spring height, so you can turn the engine over by hand and take valve motion readings without fighting full-pressure springs. |
| Butler camshaft installation tool, BPI-1020 | A 7" handle that threads into the cam snout and can be turned with a box end wrench, so a long Pontiac cam goes into the block supported rather than dragging across the bearings. Listed for the Pontiac 301, 326, 350, 389, 400, 421, 428 and 455. |
2. Pushrod Length
Correct pushrod length is what puts the rocker tip in the right place on the valve, and getting it wrong wipes out the results the cam was supposed to give while it chews on the rest of the valvetrain.
| COMP adjustable pushrod length checker, 8.500" to 9.800" | A thin wall 5/16" checker with over 1" of travel and a 5/16" ball on each end, covering the wide range you need when heads, gaskets and rockers are all changing at once. |
| COMP Hi-Tech pushrod length checker, 8.800" to 9.800" | The steel ball-end version, where each complete revolution equals .050", so you can count turns instead of guessing. |
| Valve lash wrench kit | A 5/8 in. wrench with 3/16 and 7/32 in. Allen ends and insulated handles for polylock assemblies, which saves fumbling two separate tools over a hot engine. |
3. Springs: Compressing Them and Measuring Them
| Head-off compressor | Steel, heavy duty, lever actuated with an adjustable head, rated up to 700 lbs. of pressure. The bench tool for assembling heads. |
| Head-on compressor | A stud mount tool that fits 3/8 and 7/16 in. rocker studs, for pulling a spring with the heads still on the engine. |
| Valve spring height gauge, 1.400-1.800 in. range | Reads in .001 in. increments. |
| Valve spring height gauge, 1.600-2.100 in. range | The taller range, for the installed heights a performance spring package usually lands at. Pick the gauge that brackets your target height rather than working at the extreme end of one. |
4. Seals, Guides and Head Bolt Holes
| Pontiac valve seal installation tool, billet | Butler's CNC milled tool in solid 6061 billet aluminum for .500 and .531 seals, so seals go on without being torn or warped. A red anodized aluminum version for .500 and .531 one piece seals is also stocked. |
| Valve guide cutter for positive locking seals, .500 | Carbide tipped on an 11/32" shaft, cutting the guide to .500 in. OD, and supplied with the arbor. This is the machining step that lets a positive lock seal sit where it belongs on a Pontiac guide. |
| Step reamer and spot face tool for 1/2" step washers | Machines cylinder head bolt holes to accept step washers, reaming to the correct diameter and depth while spot facing in one operation. |
| Spark plug air hose adapter kit, 14 and 18 mm | For holding a valve up on compressed air with the head on the engine. On a Pontiac, 14mm is the thread you want. |
Check pushrod length after the heads are surfaced and the cam is degreed, not before. Every machining operation on the deck or the head moves the geometry, and the checker is cheap compared to a set of pushrods you cannot use.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.