FEATURED Competition Cams 13702-KIT GM LS Series Retro-Fit Trunion Kit
- Converts a stock LS series rocker arm into a captured roller trunion rocker arm for race applications
- Increases stability and stiffness
- NASCAR specs LS engine proven
COMP Cams GM LS Series Retro-Fit Trunion Kit converts a stock LS series rocker arm into a roller trunion rocker arm. This increases the stability and stiffness of the rocker arm. It allows the stock type rocker arms to be used in race applications sufficiently.
Nice upgrade, needs more quality control,
Ordered this kit from here. Included in the kit are 2 thick washers to assist in installation; there is a install tool kit on the market, but you really don’t need this. I used a horizontal bench vice with my 11 year old son helping for my installation, but it is best with a vertical type press device with one operator (arbor press or drill press will work). I knocked all the OE bearings out of the NEW OE rockers with a punch, hammer, and socket.
Pros:
fairly easy to install (best with a vertical press device)
good upgrade from factory rocker bearing set up
Comp Cams is the seller through Amazon?? according to first rep- 1st rep said replacement was easy deal after proof of invoice since “it was purchased through Amazon”, 2nd rep implied that he was doing me a favor, and I was reaching my limit since “it was purchased through Amazon”.
Cons:
Out of the units for 16 rockers, 2 units were not right. After install, I could feel a “bumpity bump” in the bearing as I tested the rocker. I called CompCams, and they agreed to send me out another single unit (2 bearings and a trunnion). Initially, I thought I had only one that was not right. After the call, I went through the group again and discovered another unit that was not smooth rolling– another call, another wait period to receive the 2nd unit. What could have been a 1 hour job, turned into a week+, primarily waiting for replacement.
Luckily there were only 2 units bad. The impression I got from the reps was that I was reaching my limit on replacement without effort, even though these are supposed to have a 1 year warranty. Luckily I tested these before putting in the engine, and found the 2 bad ones. At 6500 rpm, don’t know how well these would have done. Nor do I know how CompC would have honored the warranty after running in the engine.
(As an experiment, I took the 2 bad units apart, and played with switched components. No combination/permutation worked to give me smooth rolling rocker arm. Either both the trunnions were bad, or at least 3 bearings were bad. Replacements are smooth).
Also, in the kit, there were 2 retaining rings (ring clips) that were bent even before install– I did not bother asking CC, but did make a trip to the local ace to replace these.
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|Great fix and also will prevent stock bearings from breakage…,
These are a great idea to install on any LS1 motor such as was installed in both 1998-2002 F bodies (Camaro and Firebirds) and C-5 Corvettes. Even if your LS1 motor is completely stock I highly recommend this kit. The stock rocker arm bearings on the LS1 have uncaged needle bearings which means that they can and often do come out of the races. If this happens then you will have lots of tiny needle bearings come out of the rocker arm which will at the very least mean you will have them floating around in your motor which can be very difficult to find once this happens. Obviously small pieces of metal floating around in your motor can cause damage by themselves. Further it is possible that there can be even more serious damage due to a rocker arm failure. If these bearings do come out there are many places they can go or get lodged and can cause immediate damage or perhaps hide somewhere and come out later down the road unless you do a complete motor tear down (this really is a big project vs installing this kit before it happens to you). In my case I found out through research of dealer records that the stock rocker arm bearings in my LS-1 powered 1998 Pontiac Trans Am WS6 came out at only 16,000 miles, the dealer replaced the rocker arms with newer upgraded ones and flushed the motor yet STILL there were loose bearings that stayed lodged somewhere in the motor for another 24,000 miles. This can happen to a stock motor in good condition with low mileage as it did in my case. Still I just found several of the pins from one of the rocker arm bearings on the oil pan drain plug when changing my oil. The engine was running as good as ever and did not show any signs of bearing failure, it was only seeing them that alerted me to this issue. If you have an LS1 motor do yourself a favor and install this kit. The stock rocker arms are very well designed in the LS1 and very lightweight, however this is a vulnerable area that I would urge anyone to fix by using this upgrade before you experience the bearing failure. There are 33 of those pins inside of each of the two round bearing races per rocker arm so it can be a big problem with LOTS of tiny bearings.
This kit upgrades those bearings so that the trunion bearings are steel roller bearings and most importantly caged and they will not come apart such as can happen with the stock rocker arm bearings. The cost is not very much for the insurance you get from this kit. Installation is pretty straight forward. One needs to remove the valve covers and use one of a variety of methods to remove the stock bearings and replace them with the ones in this kit. This kit comes with parts you see in the photo, a full set of new caged bearings (a total of 32), a full set of trunions (16), new rocker arm bolts (16) and new retainers (32). The kit also comes with two washers to aid in removal and installation of the new bearings.
The bearings are pressed in so there are a few different ways one can go about installing these. One can use a hydraulic press if one has one available. If not then one can use a drill press with the included washers and some sockets. Sockets and a bench vice can be used. Or you can purchase an installation tool to use with a bench vice sold by Summit Racing which is the way I went to ensure I had proper alignment when installing the bearings, a $40.00 tool I think is worth purchasing for the job. There are instructions that come with the upgrade kit and the tool, there are also several videos online showing the installation process. It is a very straight forward process, one just needs to make sure the rocker arms are replaced in the locations they came from after installing the new bearings. Also a torque wrench is needed along with a #6 hex socket to install the included new bolts to 22 ft. lbs..
There are kits that come with aftermarket rocker arms along with the upgraded bearings, for example rocker arms with roller tips however this is more costly and debatable as to whether it is a good idea, especially if one is not using a very high lift cam. There have also been companies that will allow you to send in your stock rocker arms and do the new bearing installation for you. Some options to consider. I did not want any down time so I went with this kit and the installation was not difficult.
This is not an expensive kit and not difficult to install but can save you a lot of trouble whether you have either a stock LS1 motor or a modified one. These are an upgrade that are even used in racing applications so it is a great permanent fix.
If one has any questions about this there are some good web sites where you will find many others that have done this installation and much more. LS1tech.com is a good one.
So whether you have had a bearing failure or are trying to prevent one from happening I would urge anyone to go ahead and buy and install this kit, it is well worth…
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