Hi- I recently tore apart an old-flogged, greasy, nasty 8CM motor ( no history ) and after removing the cast ( 8BA) camshaft's (fiber) timing gear there was stamped the following: 'SUPER 386' Anyone have a guess or ANY info what grind this might be or whom may've ground this ? regards, Tom ps. Many of the 3-ring pistons ( as removed ) were also stamped STD on the top, but obviously, they were not as they measured nominally 3 5/16.
My guess is the lift will be .386 not everyone who reground cams would put a company name on the cam so who did the cam would be a mystery. Here's a quick way to determine if the 386 is the lift Using a dial caliper measure the max height of the lobe then measure the narrow width of the lobe subtract the width from the height and that's the cam lift. Thats todays backyard how to flathead tech.
That might work on old flathead grinds but modern cams start the lift so much earlier and end the duration so much later you need a degree wheel and dial indicator to find the true heel (zero lift) on the cam. Frank
Hey Guys- I VERY much appreciate ALL 4 of your input(s)... .386 lift makes sense afterall...I'll do the quick vernier caliper ck as per Ronnie in Ct as that much I can do as I've no degree wheel or a setup with which to do otherwise. regards, Tom
Some manufacturers considered each common hotrod size like 3 5/16 and 3 3/8 as a standard, and stamped them like yours with a full range of rebuild sized too...I have seen 3 7/16 pistons stamped as ".030", presumably from a dragster overhaul. Imagine some poor mechanic holding one of those up to his '40 Ford. Where in NJ are you? I can turn up a wheel and indicator for loan. Note that a degree wheel for quick and dirty temporary use can be PRINTED online, and that Chinese indicator setups quite sufficient for checkups like this can be had dirt cheap.
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