2.2 turbo cam caps missing

[monstaomni]

I picked up a turbo engine out of a 1988 or 1989 shelby daytona z. Everything was there except the cam caps and valve cover. Valve cover is no big deal, but cam caps are impossible to find. Can i use regular caps from a non turbo 2.2?

[supercrackerbox]

The short answer is yes, the caps *should* be the same, unless you're dealing with a cam with oversized journals. However, the problem is during the manufacturing of the cylinder heads, the caps were bolted in place, and then the head was line-honed to establish a true, on-center row for the camshafts. This basically means you have to have the caps that originally came with the head, as replacements won't line up perfectly, leaving a ridge at the seams. The repair for this problem would be to have a machine shop mill a few thousandths off the caps and then re-do the line hone, but due to the small diameter, very very few machine shops have the equipment to do this properly. Believe me, I've tried. The only ones that do are companies that specialize in remanufactured cylinder heads. If our heads had replaceable bearings like most engines, it would be a different story, but that's not the case here.

Your best bet would be to find a remanufactured head and use this one as a core, with some caps from the junkyard or whatever just to be able to send a complete head. But then you have to make sure you have the correct stainless valves instead of the non-turbo valves. If it comes down to it, I've got a few sets of caps kicking around.

[iTurbo]

The short answer is yes, the caps *should* be the same, unless you're dealing with a cam with oversized journals. However, the problem is during the manufacturing of the cylinder heads, the caps were bolted in place, and then the head was line-honed to establish a true, on-center row for the camshafts. This basically means you have to have the caps that originally came with the head, as replacements won't line up perfectly, leaving a ridge at the seams. The repair for this problem would be to have a machine shop mill a few thousandths off the caps and then re-do the line hone, but due to the small diameter, very very few machine shops have the equipment to do this properly. Believe me, I've tried. The only ones that do are companies that specialize in remanufactured cylinder heads. If our heads had replaceable bearings like most engines, it would be a different story, but that's not the case here.

Your best bet would be to find a remanufactured head and use this one as a core, with some caps from the junkyard or whatever just to be able to send a complete head. But then you have to make sure you have the correct stainless valves instead of the non-turbo valves. If it comes down to it, I've got a few sets of caps kicking around.

+1 to everything Adam said.

I'm actually trying to find a machine shop that will line hone the cam bores in a TIII head now. The machine shop that I usually go to was able to do the main line hone on a few blocks for ARP main stud fitment, but the cam bores are too small a diameter for them to do.

If you can't find a local machine shop, I'm betting TPiS in Minneapolis could do it.

[4 l-bodies]

+1 to everything Adam said.

I'm actually trying to find a machine shop that will line hone the cam bores in a TIII head now. The machine shop that I usually go to was able to do the main line hone on a few blocks for ARP main stud fitment, but the cam bores are too small a diameter for them to do.

If you can't find a local machine shop, I'm betting TPiS in Minneapolis could do it.

Just saw this. Actually TPiS does not have the equipment to line hone our cylinder heads, but Import Engine in downtown, Minneapolis does. Contact Dan at 612-377-5745. As far as I know (and I checked a couple years ago) they are the only automotive machine shop in MPLS, MN area that has the proper equipment to do this. I know of another company that could help you; Torvinen's Machine in Menahga, MN. Contact Randy at 218-564-5385 that would almost for sure have the equipment too. TPiS and Tovinen's machine shop work together on various projects.
Todd