I am about to send my cam to be reground. It is a 55 Desoto 291 cam. Should I remove the retainer plate that holds the cam in before I ship it to Neilson? Is it very difficult to remove? I know it has to come off somehow,,I just want to be careful and not damage anything. How is the best way to remove it? Thanks. Tommy
It doesn't matter whether you take it off or not. I would like to see your cam grind after. How much lift are you shooting for? I've not called yet about mine, but would like it be as bumpy as possible. Seems like S****s got somewhere around 480lift out of his. Steven.
We often get cams with the retainer still in place but it only take a minute, literally, to remove it in the press. No big deal. As for the amount of max lift, it is often a function of the condition of the lobes and whether or not you want to see the base circle close to the shafts core diameter. 0.480 is about max on most Hemi cores although we have got as much as 0.515 on 354-392 cores. .
I sent my 276 Hemi cam out to Delta Cams in Tacoma. "Thanks ****gy"! They rewelded a flat lobe, ground it on a better profile and a bit more lift and then sent it back to me for $91 and even included a bottle of cam lube and a bottle of Zddp and that also included shipping!!!! I left the cam plate on and when it was sent back, it was back on. I just bought another cam off of Ebay for $40 and $20 for shipping for a spare. All the lobes look great but will send it in later for a change in profile. There are 2 on Ebay right now. The low deck Desoto cams are getting hard to find.
Delta Cams is a very old business and they don't seem to gouge people. This is their every day pricing and they charged me for the Zddp. I think just a typical custom grind was $60, welding the lobe was $10 and then $10 for the Zddp, I will always recommend these guys!!!
Guys here is a pic of my 291 cam and a 276 cam I bought as a backup. Both cams look great and have very little wear. My 291 cam has only .007 thousandths wear from lobe to lobe,,it will make a good one. The lower cam is the 291,,the upper is the 276,,notice the difference in the width of the lobes. The shaft core is about 1.200 thick between the lobes,,these cams are heavy.
With those small ports and valves you don't really want to go beyond .450 lift. The cam in Ron Capps funny car is making over 7,000 HP and only has a lift of .475". It's the unshrouded valves that work so well in the flow dept. Stay away from high lift as this only makes the valves float sooner and you'll actually gain no more flow. I need to find someone who can weld a cam and make a roller out of it. Bill
question for 73rr i have several desoto 330 firedome cams all measure the same and look to have the same lobe separation, then i have a 341 fireflite cam that measures a little higher on the lobes and has a much different lobe separatiuon, also this is new in the factory box never been installed. would the latter be the best one to have reground in a street driven 2200 pound hot rod ? im sure there is alot more info you would need to get a cam matched to my truck but if i can get the same out of one of the firedome cores then why not and save that new one for another someday. you seem very knowledgable and i probably be sending you a cam
Freeks, PLEASE don't changed that original boxed 341 cam! At least until the Hemi gurus catch wind of your question! Heavens to Betsy, there just couldn't be too many of these out there. If nobody posts, please PM me so we can chat. I don't have any money, so I am NOT pulling anything buddy.
Sorry 'bout the delay, sometimes the PM is the fastest. It seems a bit odd that you could actually see the difference in overlap..I guess my eyes are just getting old...lol As Jim points out, save the NOS piece, later it could fund your kids college education. For a 2200 lb car you do not need a giant profile, it just needs to be matched to the rest of the engine, trans and rear gears. That is, unless you need (want) something lumpy to listen to..... .
For a Stock low deck DeSoto engine, you don't have a whole lot of room between the piston and valve for too much added lift...
73RR: "save the NOS piece, later it could fund your kids college education." Wow. HOW often does something like THAT ever show up? (Rhetorical question, of course!) THX, 73 & 345.
345: Dude, why do I get the feeling "a good buck" was A LOTA BUCK? LOL Anyway, maybe we convinced him NOT to grind anything off a boxed, stock 341 cam. I'll rest easier tonight (easier, if he'd will it to me! tee-hee). If I had that cam, I'd lovingly hand-grease it and put it in a safe deposit box, 'til I was ready for the build!
yes i can clearly see the overlap difference, when i figure out how to post a pic i will. and no i wont get this one ground at least not yet. yes i will want a lumpity lump lump sound. been busy and will get back to 73rr for a regring
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