Avoid Failure! Camshaft And Lifter Wear Patterns - What They Mean And How They Are Established

Lobe taper, lifter crown, valve train weight and oil distribution all contribute to the unique wear pattern that mates all solid and hydraulic flat tappets to their respective cam lobes.
Here's a rundown of the various forces at work, and how you can visually read a cam to make sure it's break-in went well, and it will live a long, healthy life.
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[@bobsmith-mh7xz]

I work at a high school technical center. Your information is perfect for the kids to comprehend. Also, just short enough to keep their attention. You make everything very easy to understand. I’m in my mid 50’s and grew up with all of what you are teaching. I especially like that everything you teach is universal. I’m a Buick guy and I have thought back for several years now.. “ hmm what did Tony say”.. thanks for your time man.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

Ever thought about missing oil thrower paddles on aftermarket conrods? Original GM Small Block rods have so called Splashers that throw oil on the cam lobes, most aftermarket rods dont have these oil throwers

[@jonoh4883]

As the elder Boomers are aging out and the youngsters are moving in you should do videos like this. How to READ stuff, bearings, gears, etc... and those of us still invested in HotRodding love the content as well.

[@noneed4me2n7]

His stuff is so easy to watch. As someone who was out of the hobby for a time for reasons, it’s like the easiest to understand refresher courses I’ve ever had. He keeps his explanations simple and backs up most of what he shows with physical examples of the how and why.

[@richardprice5978]

426 hemi/440RB's are actually off set by about 1/16' back ( on top of original usage of a crowning on the lifter's ) on the cam vs lifter's i know because i measured it for my roller viper-cam style im using

[@johnkendall6962]

More than 40 years ago I bought a 68 Chevy truck from a garage that acquired it with a mechanics lean. What happened was they put in a used engine supplied by the owner and it ran like crap. They told him the cam was bad and what it would cost to replace it. The owner didn't want to put that kind of money into a 15 year old truck but also refused to pay for the work already done. I bought it by paying off the amount owed thinking I was going to need to replace the engine. My father in law owned a garage. When we checked about 4 lifters had no tension against the rocker, "very early Chevy 350" But my father in law noticed that when the engine turned over the push rod moved as much as ones that seemed normal almost like the pushrods were too short.. Pulled and measured, all the same length, started pulling lifters. All were fine except the 4 in question had wore clear through to the hydraulic center. My father in law ordered another set of lifters. We dropped them in adjusted the lifters and the engine ran fine. No smoke no noise. I ran it for another 12 years and sold it for a lot more than it cost me to buy it.

[@daveo532]

Don't care if you got another 12 years out of it. You do not put new lifters on a used cam. Period.

[@johnkendall6962]

@@daveo532 New lifters are put on used cams all the time. All you do is act like a new cam break in.. Run the engine at about 2500 for half an hour an very the speed up or down 200 rpm. If there would have been a problem it would have showed up. It was not a high performance engine so the valve springs tension was not very high and we readjusted the valves after break in. We put other used cams in without problems. I put a used cam with higher lift in my 289 mustang motor out of a 351. There wasn't any problem. Just had to change the firing order.

[@reallifehardtruth4465]

Change lifters all the time. No biggie.

[@Jonhobbs64]

@@daveo532 I think you got it backwards buddy you never put used lifters on a new cam..

[@NGH99999]

I thought I knew a fair bit about cams and lifters, and their operational dynamics, but man oh man, there's a lot of good info here that I'd never even considered. Thanks for the great lecture, Tony, you are a true master.

[@ejgrant5191]

Good Stuff! I've been building motors for over 30+ Years and actually learned something I didn't know...The reversed tapers on a properly ground "A series" MOPAR motor. Myself, I build GM motors these days, specifically Z/28 302/LT-1 motors. The last LT-1 I built I wanted it to "run a little better" than OEM, called up Bullet Cams and ordered a couple of UltraDyne solid flat tappet lobes I always liked. The OEM GM solid lifter came in 2 types, the "piddle valve" and "edge orifice" type that cuts top end oiling by about 15-20%...Fun Fact the majority of late 60's solid lifter HP motors had the "585" series edge orifice in them. I was running roller rockers and didn't need the full oiling. The OEM GM lifters have a stellite hard face on them, they are far better than anything else ouside of a tool steel lifter and the best for long term street reliability... the last time they were sold through Gm they ran about $32 each,this was in the late 1980's!!! Not cheap. I had a 302 Z/28 motor that had some in it with less than 5,000 miles on them. I sent them off to a service that would re-radiuus the lifters...Guy said I might be better off going with a 100inch radius rather than the 120inch that was OEM specs....I called Bullet Cams and asked them....Yes! They said that would be better, so today after 20,000 miles, the 70 LT-1 just ran 12.98@109MPH through the mufflers and on street tires....TKO600 5 speed with steep 1st gear helps get the job done. Not bad for an old "dinosaur" without EFI or computers....Does have a factory breakerless ignition, and ported "186" heads, factory intake and 0.030 overbore....better rods and 10.5:1 lower compression.

[@jeffrykopis5468]

Very interesting. I saw a video tour of a small cam regrinder in Tacoma a few years ago. They said they not only regrind stock cams, but reface stock lifters as well! They said factory lifters, reground, are much more reliable than the offshore crap sold nowdays! I'd never heard of reground LIFTERS before then, or since...until now.

[@MechanicCompetence]

Absolutely brilliant video Tony!! This is why I love you and your content so much dude, you don't just talk about things, you KNOW about things. The taper being a part of harmonising the cam shaft when off throttle... Genius! Its stuff like this that I just love. Superb stuff, thank you very much for all your work dude!

[@chevystuffs5971]

Hit the nail on the head again Tony! Love how you break down these tiny details and make the knowledge accessible. Entertaining and informative. Thank you!

[@easycrider7453]

I'm 65 almost 6. I used to wrench on my vehicles out in the backyard all the time back in the 70's. Mom told me once she asked dad to go out and help me (WW2 military mechanic) she said that's how he learned. 40 something years later, thanks uncle Tony ! Very informative.

[@michaellehmann2803]

Uncle Tony: “heavy duty gear head nerd stuff” Me: leans in closer and turns up the volume

[@unclejessiesrodshop8432]

I just don't buy the zinc part. Camshaft manufacturers needed an excuse as to the reason for all the failures. "Yeah, there is not enough zinc in modern oils, yeah that's it". It couldn't be the REALLY steep lobes, or cheap offshore materials/manufacturing . "Nope, it's definitely not that, it's the oil."

[@unclesquirrel6951]

Personally I blame squirrels

[@craigcontofalsky4387]

I raced 340 Super Stock in the 70's. I knew about the cam taper but not about lobes being ground to cancel out the thrust. Thanks for teaching a old racer something new!😀

[@minnesotatomcat]

Have you ever built a “balanced and blueprinted” engine and weighed everything out and got it perfectly balanced? Does it produce more power or is it more to reduce vibrations and try to increase longevity?

[@kramnull8962]

Balancing and blue printing would add life to the bottom end to an extent. But it would take a magical machinist to calculate the twist of each engine block and machine it for the twist that individual block produces under load. It would also need to be disassembled by that same machinist, in order to see the imperfections that the old parts had fingerprinted into them from the previous mileage put on that block. Block twist would be hard to control the wear of cams and lifters unless you could regrind your cam custom to your blocks twisting problems. All V8 have twisting issues. That's where shade tree mechanics doing their own work could possibly do the footwork and make "iron blocks" better than they were. By actually taking the time from teardown to assembly. Most machine shops aren't concerned at all above what box you checked on your order.

[@BigBing1987]

They can make a bit more power, but the main goal in my experience for balancing and blueprinting is to do everything possible to reduce harmonics/torsional stress on rotating parts to increase longevity in a motor thats gonna be leaned on HARD (big power, big rpm's, hard use etc.)

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

Had my big block olds balanced, it's smooth as glass. Worth it, IMO! Would it have been just as smooth? Maybe, but I wanted to make certain because I had no idea if parts had been mixed and matched (flywheel, damper?), it was getting new pistons for the 0.060 rebore. Just making sure, while it was apart. Also, I commissioned the machine shop to assemble it, not that much more and I felt obliged to support the business. I think he did a great job, no startup rattle, perfect oil pressure, etc. Couldn't be happier. If the machine shop sucks, you're done and so are your parts.

[@AmalgamationofMan]

It can free up a little HP but is more for longevity especially during extended periods of WOT and high RPM . That's why balancing and blueprinting is more prevalent in racing .

[@benwinter2420]

Harmonic vibrations perfect kill . . ask chopper pilots

[@CarGuyV8]

Very informative video. A video like this showing how to read crank & rod bearings would be great too, if you ever get a chance.

[@lilmike2710]

I love this stuff. Uncle Tony, if you'd do an automatic transmission disassembly while naming each parts function I would be tickled. Then reassemble part by part. If that's too much to ask, then how about doing a shift kit install whilst explaining how it improves shift performance and why. There's plenty of videos on that subject but I retain the info better when I hear it from you... Thanks, Little Mike

[@timothyarnott3584]

Hey Tony, Tim here, altho i know about the wear patterns, and lifter spinning, i LOVE gearhead nerd stuff!!!!!...i am a gearhead nerd!!!!!...ur vid was spot on, concise, and usefull for all them youngbloods......enjoyed it......u can make a gearhead nerd vid EVERYDAY as far as i'm concerned...hahaha.....good stuff...PEACE to you sir!!

[@AtZero138]

Uncle Tony's Cam Talk Corner... For Talking about Cams ... Get some info .. it's free so shut up about it . @∅

[@grumpycarlsworld]

Might be motorhead nerd stuff, but it's very important motorhead nerd stuff. Thank you for another very informative video UT.

[@derekhobbs1102]

My uncle's engine of choice in his race boat was Australian Chrysler hemi 6, but he kept breaking oil pump drives due to non retained cam in early version. Fortunately he worked in the local Chrysler factory, so his boat became a R & D rig.

[@renaissanceman4054]

Hey Tony I was troubleshooting an ignition problem, had a big backfire and now it burns oil. Any guesses as to what happened?

[@andrewbutton5580]

How about a 340 with a factory windage tray vs 318 without. Same stroke. Will the 340 splash better ?

[@budlanctot3060]

You FAILED to mention oil shot at the cam from the spit holes on the connecting rods/caps. Care should be taken when mounting pistons on rods. Not only do you need the pistons facing correctly, but you need the rod chamfers facing the crank pin cheeks, AND the spit holes facing the cam.

[@rustybritches6747]

if you're going to do this then you may as well do rear end ring gear wear patterns! anybody who's built a rear-end knows that they show you 50 different wear patterns when you apply that yellow paint some that are acceptable some that aren't but I'd like to get your input on this and take a look at a ring gear that has a hundred plus thousand miles on it!

[@henryyunick3433]

Tony... I can relate to your old school ways, since i am 62 now. I love the fact that you have dirty, greasy hands and finger nails. Your not one of those modern pussy boys that wear the surgical gloves to do everything on a car... Great video, as always !

[@8000RPM.]

This guy's finger has more automotive knowledge than my whole body.

[@donaldhill2775]

Good stuff 👍 something on oil control inside the engine, pros & cons windage trays etc would be good !

[@slipknotiskool1313]

I love this nerdy stuff! I also love learning the little intricate stuff like the taper is actually ground on opposite sides of the lobes to help with cam endplay! That's awesome! They really thought of everything when building these engines back in the day.

[@stanlomax4615]

Thanks Tony for the super informative cam tutorial, I learned a tremendous amount. Pictures with words is golden! Well you are at 100F, we've got 50F in NE PA, I'd take my temps any day! Have a good one Tony!

[@Monaco-BuilditFixitDriveitEver]

Just love this kind of information! Thanks Tony! Reminds me of your air scoop video. Fantastically interesting to me and others , I’m sure!

[@JayMalone26]

Who still remembers in the 80's when GM had soft camshafts .

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Got into wrenching towards the end of that. Diagnosed one once ,and not seeing some valves open as much as others, called the boss over to ask wtf and he chuckled.

[@prevost8686]

Easy diagnosis. If you revved one and it backfired on decel it was camshaft time.

[@JP-eu3je]

More nerd stuff! Thank you sir! This is exactly what ppl like i need. Some tuner guy told me my cam was shot but could not explain me why he came to that. I now know he just wanted to sell me a new one.

[@jamoshotrod]

Good info. I always enjoy your tech vids, because of how you explain stuff. I have such a hard time explaining these to "normal" people, and end up way over their head lol

[@davidclark7584]

Zinc very important. But the oil manufacturers took it out a few decades ago. That's why I always add about 3oz of Lucas assembly lube when I do an oil change. I have a dodge ram with the 5.7 Hemi which are supposed to eat lifters. I have over 160K miles with no issue's. I credit that to the zinc. Also have a 98 Nissan frontier with 300+K miles and it runs like a top.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

I started running royal purple HPS in all my older cars,even the diesels.

[@prevost8686]

Hemi engines did have lifter issues on some but it wasn’t a ZDDP related problem. All your SP engine oils have approximately 700-800ppm of ZDDP which is more than sufficient for any stock roller cam engine. It is woefully lacking for old school flat tappet cams whether stock or not.

[@oliverdiesel]

Great content! Would you please explain the relationship between decelaration of the engine and cam pushed at front? Thanks!

[@GhettoWagon]

I had old crappy gas and in my 305 Chevy in my truck It Collapsed the number 3 intake lifter (Flat tappet) or it just ate the cam lobe it was tapping like crazy after a bad start from the old gas. The day before it was running fine at 75 mph. Still wondering how it happened at startup. Still have to take it apart maybe this weekend its been broken for like 4 months now. Real strange why this failure happened at startup when It had crappy slimy gas. Oh yea it was slime. Real sticky

[@bw3506]

Interesting. I knew about the taper on the cam and of course why it's there but never really paid attention to the difference between how it's done on different blocks or manufactures.

[@tomashton1781]

Whats your take on lifters that have a hole in the bottom, for cam lube?

[@jeffduncan9140]

That was a very cool video, Uncle Tony.

[@mavicpro7494]

I recently pulled the cam out of a AMC 360 after a 25 MINUTE CAM BREAK IN . 15 nos flat tappet lifters and 1 China lifter . The China lifter did not servive. I spent a bit of time looking at the cam ware patterns and could definitely see all of the wear patterns that you talked about on this type of cam style. Your vids are in sink with my build progress. New cam and lifters on the way. Johnson hylift lifters, made in michigan coming with the new cam . I'm that nerd

[@burgegerm7878]

I looked at the website, and it seems they only make roller lifters. I wonder why people can't make solid lifters anymore. It seems it would be simple to take a bar of the right material, machine it to size and machine (or grind?) a taper on the face.

[@northernrednecklife6268]

I learned something new! Makes me really lean toward roller next engine I put together. I loved the little truth bomb about the zinc pennies as many people still think they are a copper alloy as they were before 1982. Great video again!

[@burgegerm7878]

These videos do help demystify the issues with camshafts that I keep reading and hearing about. I think they went back to non-tapered camshafts for some newer USA overhead cam engines. I have a 2007 2.0L Ford Focus duratec, and it has flat tappets. I am pretty sure I read that they are offset to keep them rotating, but do not recall 100%. By the way, as far as modern USA engines go, I think that the 3.0l Ford duratec (like in the 1996 Taurus) and the 2.0L Ford Duratec (Like in the USA Focus) are pretty good. I have about 295 thousand miles on my 2007 Focus with manual transmission. Though I did remove the intake tumble flaps.

[@williamvanriper665]

I wish I could explain it as clearly as you do

[@harriettedaisy2233]

All I got out of this video is confirmation that Uncle Tony is a sorcerer dealing with black magic of the highest order.

[@davidhammons800]

This is absoposolutely the best instructional video! thank you Uncle Tony!

[@brucecapron9344]

What is the app to mushroom tappets, :)? I know same but you won't discuss this wonderful solid lifter.

[@gregmckinney6977]

Factory cams for thrust plate engines used to be configured so that one lifter would usually be forward, the next in the valve opening sequence, intake or exhaust, would be the opposite, back, then front, back etc.

[@americanbigfoot7881]

I’m currently installing a CompCams “Thumper cam” in my Chevy 350, a little nervous about break in but really excited to see the results! I got 6qts of CompCams break in oil and then for the oil to run after that I got Lucas “hot rod” oil that has the added zinc for old school engines

[@thepoopsoup]

Use the silver never sieze on cam and lifters for break in do not get any on the sides of your lifters they need to rotate 15 min 3000 rpm change oil.

[@MrTheHillfolk]

Don't be timid on the startup. Once it fires up and you don't see gushing fluids in 10 seconds ,bring the revs up to 2000-2500 to get those lifters spinning and proceed.

[@Texasmule]

Flat tapping 4 ever 🥰💞

[@passionfortheword9817]

Personally, this is the type of stuff I watch your channel for. I like the tech videos best.

[@forthwithtx5852]

I got something outta that!

[@brianalbrecht4423]

Excelant video U.T.....your presentation was excelant....!..."motor head nerd stuff"..lol...love it...another U.T. clasic...!...thank u...

[@mrl22222]

nerd on!!!

[@ercost60]

Bummer, some of Daniel's lifters finally got wiped out with #350 spring pressure on a parkerized cam: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rGSbYXykn9KdiK8

[@PhillipRivara]

Been watching you, subscribed and sending friends to you for several yrs. Have a question regarding 95 Isuzu Trooper and Hydraulic lifter noise/ tapping ( inherent) , is there a better oil flow lifter design available or, just a bad oil passage design I'll have to live with? I know this isn't you forte' but, thought If anyone could / would know; it would be you

[@moparmatt5896]

Every gear head should know and understand this great video!

[@crisper1614]

Second!

[@robertkoontz7865]

Thanks Tony, that was very helpful. The other topic was valve guide seal. Teflon its what my brother used back in 82' on 77' 351mod. 400 heads. Economy performance cam. holly 650 dbl pumper. I saw your vid where you covered it. A company makes them now. It prevent the morning puff of smoke from the drain down on an older motor.

[@Anthony-vq1wn]

UT, another excellent educational video. 😎👍

[@ercost60]

Excellent video shows wear pattern and checks cam hardness: kzbin.info/www/bejne/en6pmp6gYrl0p9E

[@paulshea2560]

ANOTHER GREAT VIDEO TONY. THUMBS 👍! I Learned something new. Thanks for sharing .👍

[@dinomilo2801]

Gotta luv the gearhead monk....luv the topic I always learn something new with UT....never a dull video or topic with this guy. The cams survived the video...lol.

[@biggie9817]

A very nice explanation of the wear pattern, thanks. Now here's where you need some help. ZDDP is NOT the be-all to end-all, and I've also seen a past video (think it was on Vizards channel) where you said you are using Rotella. Rotella "gas" formula is better than the diesel for wear protection, but even the best Rotella, does not compare in film strength to the better synthetics. As a matter of fact Rotellla gas truck motor oil has about 37% less wear protection than the best synthetic on the market. Zinc/ZDDP additives may or may not work. Film/sheer strength is what you want. A fllm /sheer strength of 120,000 psi is desirable for flat tapped OHV engines. Rotella is about 96,000 psi. vs something like a 10W40 Quaker State All Mileage (conventional oil), which is rated at 126,000 PSI. If you added ZDDP to Rotella, I highly doubt you would get the same protection as the Quaker State. And how much do you add? Unless you know what the Film strength is, you're pissing in the wind. Want to know where to obtain this info? Respond, or you may know it already. So for anyone interested, reply and I will divulge where to find what every motorhead needs to know. I'm sure there are others reading this , who know what I'm talking about.

[@richardlarson2969]

Excellent video Tony. This is stuff I never even thought about. You are brilliant and you know so much. Please, keep sharing, I love it.

[@foquai7458]

need to modify your "I HATE CARS" t-shirt to "I HATE COMPUTER CARS"... lol give me a carb, points and condenser any day.

[@jonathangehman4005]

There's so many details that seem trivial but are really foundational to understanding what we're trying to do with our cars. You keep teaching me stuff I didn't know I needed to know

[@lordphullautosear]

Thanks for the informative lesson! Please consider doing more on cams, like lift and duration and what that boils down to in practice, with different rocker ratios. 👍👍👍

[@jeremysanders8138]

Why can't you see wear or damage from roller lifters? This is particularly surprising to me because I've been reading on it and some forums say hydraulic lifters are more at risk to damage the came than flat lifters...can anybody explain to me why and what I'd have to do to find out if my cam is damaged from valve float...I'm getting a fairly loud tap only when accelerating but no issues with power, no misfire, no backfire. Just a loud tap. I've gone down to the intake manifold to change the lifters and the gasket (as I was having significant, more than normal vacum in the crankcase which changing the gasket fixed and the lifters have definitely improved the sound as well). I plan on doing a compression test to see if it's the valves but a mechanic friend of mine said it definitely sounds like top end tap, and if it's not the valves I want to be read to test the cam some way if possible. I already inspected it when I did the manifold and there's was no noticeable wear...so I'm not surprised you wouldn't be able to see wear from roller lifters. I just want to know why? How to know if it is the cam if said cam is broken? And if it's possible to hear a tap without the other symptoms...

[@eugenepolan1750]

I haven't heard the word Tapir mentioned this much since the last time I watched Mutual of Omaha's WILD KINGDOM with Marlin Perkins. Take care of your cams.....there are only about 3000 South American Tapirs left in the wild!

[@jeffrykopis5468]

I have a stock 67 383. It runs, so I'm gonna do what I always do: flat tappet hydraulic cam (probably a regrind), lifters, timing chain, oil pump, windage tray, valve seals, and springs. Since the cam is oiled by WINDAGE, should I wait until AFTER the cam is broken in, to install the windage tray??

[@geneva760]

Interesting - thanks. CHEERS from AUSTRALIA.

[@andrewnewman1248]

Thanks. Tony again for sharing your wealth of knowledge. Regards from Australia 🇦🇺

[@tomstrum6259]

Informative topic.....I'm fairly certain the distributor gear's Location generates the Majority of the camshaft's Linear thrust Direction so the Rear located distributor engines require a Front located camshaft thrust plate....The Front distributor engines use the camshaft sprocket to function for the thrust plate so no Separate plate is needed.....

[@chrisleggett685]

I got my license in 1987. I had lots of camshaft problems. Lost a lobe on my 20r Toyota, the 302 in my 79 ltd,a1973,340,a 318 I used while the 340 was out, too many 350 Chevies to remember. One finally got a blue racer cam that was advertised as having more slope to help the lifters spin. Also a 345 international ate a lobe.

[@MrMopar413]

This example is a big one that my daily driver, a 1977 Buick Regal with a 350-H with over 310k miles on it this is how I drive it and I’ve converted the RGS-2 carburetor to manual choke and I’ve installed remote oil cooler and engine oil filter assembly with a lot of oil lines for the installation. In the morning cold start I watch the oil pressure closely and bring the rpm up gradually to 1,500rpm this procedure happens in probably less then 60 sec. Then I hold the engine at 1,500 rpm for 1 to 2 minutes then backdown to maybe 1,209 for a minute or so. A lot of this depends on the time of year. Now I’ll talk about curb idle settings. Factory is 750 in gear 850 out of gear; to me that’s to slow and also effects engine oiling. About 99% of my driving is in-city. With long wait times at traffic lights ; some as much as 2 minutes. So I’ve set my curb idle out of gear to 950 rpm which has a positive effect on oil pressure. Every stoplight I’m at I will shift the transmission into neutral as I’m waiting for the light to change, then slam it into drive when the light turns green. Sometimes I will raise the idle at a stoplight to 1,100 rpm if I feel need be. All this happens real fast and I’ve been doing it for years. It’s become automatically for me. One thing if your wondering about my transmission????. The car from the factory and I’ve had rebuilt is a TH400, with a transco level 2 shift kit and a high stall converter. So it goes into gear real fast. All this is about maintaining better oil splash lubrication at low engine rpm.Also I use valvoline VR-1 racing oil faithfully. My engine is one happy smooth running motor on valvoline oil. It doesn’t matter what it is my engines run smoother on valvoline motor oils and I’ve used them for decades.

[@Sc2ner]

Most people don't relize that this info applies to modern engines including that OHC/DOHC I took my 95 Saturn Twin Cam apart with 90,xxx to modify. Note I ran oil without zinc. Upon inspection, the cams had bad wear. No tapper wear look to the cam. It uses a flat style tappet, (called a bucket) that sits between the cam and valve tip. The crown was now a concave. It will get a zinc rich oil or additive.

[@c-man5679]

You said probably too much information... it's never too much just not everybody will absorb it all. I love the nerdy engine tech stuff.

[@thewholls7176]

I’ve seen a KZbin video in Australia where an engine builder took a brand-new Ford 7.3 L Godzilla motor He then pulled the lifters out and machined 2° into the lifter face because they didn’t believe the factory had enough dome on the lifter……. So after the machining they had the motor on the stand they turned it a full 360 you can literally watch the lifters spin twice in their bores…. No joke….

[@michaelgray7138]

Oil pump doesn't know if the engine is accelerating or deaccelerating. Oil pump doesn't drive the cam that would change the movement of the cam.

[@7CAJONEZ]

I am building a Studebaker v8. The camshaft has thrust plate and helical timing gears, no chain. Mechanical lifters, not hydraulic. The old cam is worn as in this video and every lifter is slightly concave. Use a felt tip pen on the flat of the lifter and swipe it across 400 grit emory paper and every one will show a circumferential ring about 1/4 inch wide but the center is untouched. So even after 168000 miles the lifters were still rotating with no crown at all.

[@timothyproksch2915]

I don't forget stuff like that. I don't remember what I had for breakfast but I don't forget stuff like that.

[@yallainrite3658]

25 years ago, I had a cylinder head remanufactured for a Ford Escort. 3000 miles later, loud lifter clacking and loss of oil pressure. Turns out, they resurfaced the lifters when they rebuilt the head. The lifter foot ground all the way through to the inner bore. All that metal went through my engine. I was a pissed off fellow. Resurfaced lifters are a thing especially with large engine remanufacturers. Powell machine has a great video on this problem.

[@doughelmle6575]

One additional source of lube is the rod side clearance .Always check this when building your engine and err on the larger size . I"ve run up to .030 side clearance on a mostly street build with less than 450 hp. I also use a lifter galley shield that has 3 functions . 1- keeps hot oil off the bottom of the intake, 2- helps keep oil around the lifters and 3- helps retain the lifter incase of a push rod failure. Also ,when building the engine always check the lifter bore with a new lifter before you have any machine work done . Make sure it spins freely ! this way you can tell your machine shop weather to hone the lifter bores or not { or just give them the lifters }. One last thing , before assembly , slide the new cam in and make sure it goes all the way in ! Sometimes blocks have a core shift from the factory .I found this out on a 1968 440 block. I took it to a shop and they confirmed it and used a cam bearing cutter to take a couple of thousandths off. Hope this helps a few people.

[@peacemaker6156]

Im getting my education on small block mopar as i go thru these videos. Ive heard that putting a cam in a mopar engine is different than a chevy ? Not like putting a 280 cam in a sb chevy. What would u recommend for a mostly stock 318 ?

[@barneymiller7894]

Hey Tony, if you dont know about the kids over at Gen 2 Garage and their nitrous 340 Dart build you should, so here you go kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3zVaGZog7yZfdU First test drive, street races incoming!

[@Jonhobbs64]

Thank you for all the fantastic info I'm fixing to pull out three or four old cams and check them out that wiped a few lobes back in the late '90s when Mobil 1 oil was all the rage and it had no zinc in it even the Chevrolet instruction manual that came with the camshafts said do not use anything besides natural crude based oil and specifically warned against using synthetic motor oil with their camshafts they were ground by crane this is for big block Chevy (l88 cam in 454 , 781 heads, 11:1 etc) once again thanks for the great info!

[@WiSeNhEiMeR-1369]

HOWdy U-T-G, Thanks for the INFORMATION COOP ...

[@nerd1000ify]

ZDDP is a family of chemical compounds: zinc dialkyl dithiophosphates. They work by undergoing a chemical reaction at the surface of metal parts that forms a sacrificial film on the metal, basically it wears away rather than the steel underneath. ZDDP in the oil keeps rebuilding the sacrificial film until it is all used up.

[@fredschmidt6802]

I did not know about the thrust plate . I did Chevys Pontiac & big block Chrysler . Never did a Ford they have a lot of stuff that dose & dose not interchange with & the 351 Cleveland is one way the winser is different but the modafide is just wack a do . They loved the Cleveland in alstrala but not really in the USA .

[@TaekwondoFitForLife]

Yes, physics! Love the as you say “nerd stuff” I like to be the detective on old parts as it makes it possible to give full understanding of the engines operation health etc. Cool “nerd stuff!” The nerds go faster..😂

[@cbobmonster]

Great video I was curious summit 6901 camshaft for small block Mopar what do you think of it

[@charlesgall7829]

Read countless cam catalogs over the years and never saw ANY of this info.Only dyno charts proving their cam was the best. If they would have mentioned that the lobes were ground specifically for a given engine design,that would have been more convincing.

[@UnclePunkRockChannel]

Are there any products (oil additive) that can clean the lifters from the build up with out physically going inside the engine? Also what ever happened to the Junkyard Jet guys?

[@ericburns2421]

Yeah I use solid I use the solid lifter cam in my 327 Chevy build up you know it's a LT1 solid lifter cam now this is a used cam but I use new lifters does that same does that same rule apply send me an answer

[@unclesquirrel6951]

🐿🐿🐿🐿🐿🐿✅

[@oldreliable303]

On a 300 l6 ive swaped what hole the lifters were in, many times, and did not flaten a cam. But!!!!!!!!!! Spring pressers were low, and on low lift cams. Ive have had the same luck on tractors, dozers, gen sets, lawn mowers, water pumps....

[@jeffwombold9167]

You might have a post on the lifters. There is a lot to know about them too. Seen 'em flat, mushroomed, burnt, many internally stuck, etc..

[@doughelmle6575]

1 more comment,then i"ll shutup .when assembling your engine, do a prelube with the intake off, crank the engine around by hand while priming and watch for the lifters spinning and oil to the rockers.

[@reedsilvesan2197]

Another interesting fact is that the cam lobe against the lifters has the highest force of pressure than any other part of the engine. By far. Think about it. Let's say that the valve springs are rated at 350#s, all that spring pressure is applied to the cam lobe on a surface area that is probably not more than 1 or 2 thousands of an inch, and about 1/4 inch of the lobes thickness. That's a lot of pressure on such a small surface area. That's why proper lubrication is so vital for the cam/lifter survival.

[@nwyoda8792]

Can you talk about Toyota 22r/re cams and the expected wear? and the rocker assembly? May not be your wheel house but it would be apricated.

[@joejackson9172]

With today's oils....run zinc additive. Always.