Looking to get a set of used Johnson solid tappets done rather than use the off-shore Comp Cams lifters that my new cam came with. Anybody have experience or results both good or bad with getting this procedure done? There is only one place in town that has the machine to do this so I'm thinking of giving them a shot.
Many years ago had the cam and lifters reground for an off-thread four-banger as new parts were extremely difficult to find at the time, came out great.
Ive watched a couple YouTube videos on it. Very specialized piece of equipment to get the right crown and taper on the face of the tappet. Not much call for it nowadays as most everything is roller or unfortunately thrown away.
I thought I would see a bunch of negative comments on this but I like the idea. I just have a question about lifter and cam hardness because of new cam and season lifters, will they wear they same?
I wondered the same thing. Do the people who regrind the cams and lifters also reharden the wear surfaces?
'Good' lifters are through hardened, not surface hardened so no issues with resurfacing. ...wondering what the OP's application is....
Cam grinder Pete on here can do them for you. If the shop has the right tools to resurface with the correct radius then you should have no issue having this done.
Make sure that whoever does them knows this: https://www.enginebuildermag.com/2009/04/flat-or-tapered-cams-and-flat-or-crowned-lifters/
Have done hundreds vilas machine shop,Bryan,Texas —-comes back looking nice just a small crown cutting from the outside toward the center—-makes the lifter spin!!
Shadbolt is apparently retiring. I'm having a cam ground and lifters re-faced by a guy in Salmon Arm thru a bud that has just retired from Lordco. Don't blame you on the Comp lifters. Mine had maybe 40 minutes of run time when I decided I didn't like the cam. Blessing in disguise.
Egge lists they do it. I did a set on a surface grinder in my dads machine shop for my mothers 55 Olds. My dad taught me how. We didn’t need longer push rods either. I took every lifter apart and cleaned them up also.
I called Shadbolt cams on Thursday and the owner or new owner said he'd be in Monday and to bring them by. Dont have bucks to go roller or tool steel tappets either so I'm giving this a shot.
I had a FE Ford set refaced years ago (a very lo-buck build) and had zero issues with them. It was something like .50 each at the time... LOL.
Over at yblocksforever Cliff has a grinder and has been checking hardness on various lifters. the link goes to the hardness test, the next page has a link to the grinder he bought. Not necessarily relevant to the OP, but a bit of education for those like me who knew very little about the process and testing. http://forums.y-blocksforever.com/Topic159972-1.aspx
.50 cents! The shop is going to charge me $6.00 a tappet, so around $100. If it works out, which it should, it's money well spent. Valve lift on this is around .590/.640.
.50 each in 1967 would be about $70 per set now accounting for inflation, so the price hasn't gone up too much... LOLOL
Yes, Oregon Cam Grinders (in Vancouver) have done many a cam and lifter sets for me for inline GMC engines . . . they have good equipment and the competence to run it correctly producing good results.
I had a set done at Shadbolt's in your fair city a couple decades ago for a friend's car, so far as I know it worked out well.
Several years ago I had Delta Camshaft in Tacoma resurface a couple sets of flathead lifters. They did a great job.
I had my original Johnson lifters and a cam ground to an Isky Max1 profile last year at Shadbolts off of Burrard and 6th I believe. They’ve been around since the mid ‘50s. Sometimes hard to get a hold off so if you have difficulties PM me.
Delta Cam in Tacoma has done many cam and lifter regrinds and they all come out great. Never had a problem with any of their stuff.
I have had two cams done by Delta in Tacoma damage lifters when improperly ground which is why I switched to Oregon Cam Grinders. The difference in valvetrain audible operation, lifter rotation consistency, and number of miles between required valve lash adjustments is significant with the Oregon Cam running quieter, all lifters spinning equally well, and valve lash adjustments needed less than once every 10k miles rather than once every 1000 miles. These are inline six cams and all run with ZDDP oil additives with proper break-in procedure.
Thanks! I appciate that. I called on Thursday and it didn't sound like he was at work. Mentioned something about Covid and he will be in on Monday. My cam is custom ground from Delta cams in Tacoma. Operator said it was ground off a Comp Cams Extreme Energy profile. I got Comp Cams solids with it and never felt comfortable using them, so I'm going this route. Should work out fine.
If you start with quality lifters that have never been resurfaced, go with someone who knows what he's doing. I second Oregon Cams, if they will do it. Ken is a great guy. I know they do Ford Y-block mushroom lifters, but I don't know about others.
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