Have you flattened a cam?

I figured you knew better, but didn't want others to get the wrong impression. I was talking with a guy I know at Torco and he agreed that right at 1500ppm is a minimum accepted level for flat tappet motors.

 

Heres the original post,complete with quote from Mike Jones. Just some dumbass cam grinder, sure he cant hold a candle to your level of "expertise".
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=579543&highlight=mercruiser&page=2

 

Thanks Don, yes I like to tell folks 2100-2300 PPM, and I will be the first to say Torco is one of thee top lubricant manufacturers in the world, just about as good as my Pertronix ignition TR

 

Benno, funny you say that. In fact when I was building some Harley Evo race engines, I found the best tool for installing the inner cam bearing was a old cam. First it received the angle grinder/flattened cam lobe modification. Say that 3 times fast, TR

 

I have owned and built many big block chevs and have seen many that have flatenned out cams on first start up as well as others that have trashed cams after being used for a while. I personally never run in a BBC cam without first removing the inner springs.
I have seen many people lose brand new cams of all brands from not taking my advise and they havnt removed the inner springs and then they call me asking why this has happened. It always comes back to them being to lazy to remove the springs and then they have to do a complete pull down and rebuild with them usually asking why they cant just replace the cam and lifters.
With them asking this you wonder why they think they can do a rebuild or cam change in the first place.

 

Zinc and roller lifters for the heavily loaded needle bearings and during long periods of idle as the Merc Cruiser people say.....................
What oil is recommended for newer roller lifter LS ohv Chevys? And I think the new Hemis have roller lifters? Is there a warning about avoiding idling for long periods?

 

A friend on mine wiped THREE cams trying to build a motor for his race car. It turned out he was using junk cheap copy chinese lifters that didn't allow any oil in, or they hung up or something.

I doubt very much whether he stripped out the whole motor, bearings etc, as I heard he even wanted to re-use the oil.

I told you he was cheap.

 

Don't most motors have cams running in oil baths nowadays? And most have been that way for decades. That is why you don't have to faff about ruuning your HondaSuzuwasaki motor at 2000rpm for the first 20 minutes simply to lubricate and bed in the cam properly.

Did all new Chevy motors get that special treatment at the factory, because a buddy of mine who was a factory trained Chevy wrench tells me he never did it all the years he worked in a dealership.

 

It seems lately that Comp Cams are having the most issues. Not to throw a particular manufacturer under the bus, but the one cam that went south on me was one of theirs, and the first question or comment from local engine builders around here was always 'was it a Comp Cam...' Is something going on with their stuff? We ended up putting a Delta Cam in, and haven't had any issues since.

 

Dont all cam cores come from only three different manufactures anyway at least that has always been the word round here. If this is the case it would not allways be the cam grinders fault on the cams that have flattened would it?.

 

That's what happened in the motor for the '58. When the clip came out the plunger in the lifter took up the lash and it never made a sound. Hot oil pressure was really sketchy which is why I tore into it in the first place.

I'll gladly pay an extra $10 per oil change for zinc additive if it means that I won't have to go through the engine again...

 

I have popped the wire retainer out of hyd lifters in my old 440 Mopar before, was running it very close to zero lash and floated the valves, the plunger popped the retainer. If you run aftermarket hyd lifters with a snap ring, they wont pop the clip, but the stock wire retainers are prone to this, if you are beating it hard.

 

Well I should never have to worry about that I am always real gentle with my motors.

 

Oh yea, and I am a kindly, gentle, tolerant, easy-going guy...