Can I get away with refitting main part of head, then the cams/cam carrier after?

The Rover service manual for the 1.4 K16 engine I am working on implies that
the cams are reinstalled into the head before refitting the head, although
this may be just the way the separate procedures are described.

However, it would be a damn sight easier to bolt the head back without cams,
lifters, etc, and then install them once the head bolts have been torqued
up. My only concern is that the head might rely on the cam carrier for extra
rigidity, and that the cam bearings won't be true if there is any distortion
in the bottom part of the head following tightening the bolts up. Or, I
might just be being paranoid!

If anyone has enough experience to comment on if it's ok (or not) to do
things this way, I'd appreciate it...

Andy.

"Andy" <nospam (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote

The Rover service manual for the 1.4 K16 engine I am working on implies
that the cams are reinstalled into the head before refitting the head,
although this may be just the way the separate procedures are described.

However, it would be a damn sight easier to bolt the head back without
cams, lifters, etc, and then install them once the head bolts have been
torqued up. My only concern is that the head might rely on the cam carrier
for extra rigidity, and that the cam bearings won't be true if there is
any distortion in the bottom part of the head following tightening the
bolts up. Or, I might just be being paranoid!

If anyone has enough experience to comment on if it's ok (or not) to do
things this way, I'd appreciate it...

Andy.

ive done it both ways head on or head off, how did you intialy strip it ? if
i remember one or two of the head bolts cannot be removed without moving a
cam shaft first.

im assuming you timed it up first before removing the head ? otherwise your
going to have to be careful when refitting the cams and tightening them down
with the head fitted first as ive seen heads & cams fitted with the timing
out, pistons up valves down & then the head torqued down, tends to bend the
valves a tad !!!!

"reg" <reg (AT) ihatespam (DOT) com> wrote

"Andy" <nospam (AT) hotmail (DOT) com> wrote in message
news:f2kr2k$8pk$1$830fa7a5 (AT) news (DOT) demon.co.uk...
The Rover service manual for the 1.4 K16 engine I am working on implies
that the cams are reinstalled into the head before refitting the head,
although this may be just the way the separate procedures are described.

However, it would be a damn sight easier to bolt the head back without
cams, lifters, etc, and then install them once the head bolts have been
torqued up. My only concern is that the head might rely on the cam
carrier for extra rigidity, and that the cam bearings won't be true if
there is any distortion in the bottom part of the head following
tightening the bolts up. Or, I might just be being paranoid!

If anyone has enough experience to comment on if it's ok (or not) to do
things this way, I'd appreciate it...

Andy.

ive done it both ways head on or head off, how did you intialy strip it ?
if i remember one or two of the head bolts cannot be removed without
moving a cam shaft first.

im assuming you timed it up first before removing the head ? otherwise
your going to have to be careful when refitting the cams and tightening
them down with the head fitted first as ive seen heads & cams fitted with
the timing out, pistons up valves down & then the head torqued down, tends
to bend the valves a tad !!!!

Yes, the cams have to be rotated to get at the bolts. Timing was set 90
degrees BTDC before stripping, so the valves will live to tell the tail...
Sounds like I'll put the cams in later then!

Andy.

Yes, the cams have to be rotated to get at the bolts. Timing was set 90
degrees BTDC before stripping, so the valves will live to tell the tail...
Sounds like I'll put the cams in later then!

Andy.

Why not just put all the head bolts in but only finger tight to locate it
before putting the cams and followers back in? Wouldn't that be easier?

Chris