So I finally got around to taking my engine apart and discovered it has a GranCor 59 cam. Does anyone know the specs on it? All I can find is info on the 59A cam. Maybe they're the same thing?
That’s a very interesting cam you’ve got there. As already stated, definitely not a stock cam. It appears that the nose on the lobes is cut off flat and rather low. That would work in an Ardun with a rocker ratio of 1.25. A modest .280 lift would give .350 at the valve. Of course, this is all speculation based on your pic. Measuring will tell the true profile. I see that you’re from Chicago, the origin of Granatelli Corporation, known as Grancor Automotive Specialists. They actually built and sold hundreds of flatheads. You mentioned in your truck build thread that your flathead was possibly raced back in the day…maybe this is one of those old Grancor flatheads. One thing that strikes me is that the pic in your build thread shows your flathead is an 8BA but the cam is for a 59A. Did it have a bolt on gear on the front that is not in the pic? Also, here’s a link to an old thread of another HAMBer with the same cam…maybe you could contact him to see if he came up with ant info. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/grancor-motor.703704/
Hey thanks for the reply! Yeah I thought the duration looked a little crazy haha That's actually the thread I was reading and was wondering if there is a difference between the 59A cam and the 59 like I have. The flathead was in a 48 ford gasser that was raced at a local track back in the day. I saw somewhere in that thread grandcor engines would be ported and polished, which mine is. Also they would possible have Elgin pistons and were stroked. Which mine also is. Could be? My intake is stamped Von Esser Chicao where the carbs bolt to. If I remember correctly it does have a bolt on gear.
"59" (or "59A" or "59L" or "59X" or "59Y" or "59Z") are numbers used by Ford for postwar engines (46-48). How Grancor cam grinds relate to these numbers is anybody’s guess without actually measuring them. These engines used front mount dizzys with a tang that fit right into the slot on the front of the cam. The 59 most likely refers to the engine type that the cam blank was made for. However, it can be used in all later engines with the right adaptation. Your cam was adapted to be used in the 8BA with upright dizzy by bolting a gear on the front that meshes with the lower dizzy gear. Good luck with it…wish it was mine.
Ok thanks, that makes sense! Actually really interesting. How do I go about measuring it? So I guess it's a pretty rare piece?
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