5.0 cam bearing question

[fastpakr]

Quick question... I have to replace the crank and rod bearings in the 5.0 in my Ranger. It's probably a good idea to swap the cam bearings as well while I have the engine out (long story short - I screwed up and lost oil pressure on a brand new rebuild). Can the bearings be swapped with the upper end in place? I don't have any other reason to remove the heads or pistons. Would love to save the time and money of disassembling any further than necessary.

 

[974X4BLACKSPORT]

To get to the cam bearings, you need to at least have the crankshaft removed. I have never tried it, but you might be able to pull the crankshaft by pushing all the pistons as close to the heads as possible (TDC), then lift the crank out, this should give you room to access the cam bearings. I assume the engine is on an engine stand.

 

[fastpakr]

Yes, engine is on a stand. Pulling the crank isn't a problem.

 

[Gary Crist]

I think you will have to pull the push rods and lower manifold.
Dog bones on the roller?

 

[fastpakr]

Yeah, I'll definitely pull the lower intake/pushrods /lifters to get the cam out.

It's really just the heads /pistons that I'm confirming. I can't imagine why they'd need to come off, but wanted to be sure. Saves me time and some money on gaskets /bolts if I can avoid doing anything with the .