How we straighten camshafts

[@waynep343]

I was told by a former drag racer of a top alcohol team that kept wiping main bearings. The racer was told to take that to a crank shop at the next race. That racer kept borrowing dial indicators from other teams. He thought they were all broken as his crank had no measurable run out after coming back from the crank shop.

[@gsxrsquid]

In the late 70's I worked at Isky Racing Cams and started out straightening camshafts. The first time they told me to hit it I was sure it would break. We got soft chisels and rounded them so they would peen the shaft rather that put a stress point on it. I was impressed (and busy) with how many times they insisted a cam be straightened. At least 4-5 times or more. any time is was worked on it was straightened before the next step. If it was bumped on a wood work bench it was straightened before t went any farther. The hard face cams were miserable to straighten. Steel shafts like you have there I would tap about the same as you did. For cast iron I had a bigger hammer and hit them harder.

[@jeffalvich9434]

The quality of work that Ed and his son who now has the shop, most would never understand the level of expertise and craftsmanship that goes in to their products before they go out the door!

[@gsxrsquid]

@@jeffalvich9434 Yeah Ed and his stogie "Hey Pal" The boys were pretty much running the shop when I was there.

[@jeffalvich9434]

@@gsxrsquid the third camshaft that had ever ground Went in one of my dad's flathead engines. Dad was always a fan of Ed.... You might have you been the one to work on one of my cams..... And yes I'm showing my age... Back when gas prices hit the roof around 1979 i ended up buying a Datsun 620 with the 1800 cc engine... Of course the valves let go of a few thousand miles so I figured if I'm going to rebuild it I might as well hop it up...... Ed add what I think you guys called a dual purpose cam and man did that turn that engine on..... We ran Chevy valves with the Vasco Jets valve springs... All from that shop of course.... Cut .090 off the head, bored is .030.... Hd 4 speed and 460 gear from. Z in the diff, off dual por intake, 300 cfm Holley bug spray carb and a Hooker header ..modified the collector to be a 180 degree exhaust system with duels straight out the back..... 0-40 mph was absolutely brutal iirr around 4.5 seconds..... I had a friend of mine who had a V8 Vega..... 454..... No matter what he did he couldn't beat me the 1st 50 feet..... He either smoked the tires or lugged the engine......😁

[@follow-yeshua]

All that because gas prices hit the roof ? How much did you save ?

[@jeffalvich9434]

@@follow-yeshua reading is fundamental....... The valves let go...ie burning oil...... So if I am going to rebuild and machine the cylinder head I might as well rebuild the bottom end as well.....since it was getting up in miles..... And yes... I spent $1,400 in parts and machine shop work to have a reliable vehicle for traveling 60+ miles 4 days a week going to college.

[@ericstalker7973]

Hi Daniel I just watched your cam truing video from like 7 months ago or so. It's amazing how you do that. I would have never guessed that you would hit it on the low side. You are a priceless book of valuable information. I absolutely learn something new from every video of yours. ❤ Your amazing

[@powellmachineinc]

Ty!!, I really appreciate you

[@MC-de6tf]

At Pete's machine (when I was a kid) I remember Pete had the equipment to regrind cams and cranks, but I do not recall him doing cams, or many cams, he would normally buy a new replacement cam due to the cam lobe wear etc. instead of regrinding the old cam. You got some cool equipment in your shop- looks like you can do most everything or more that needs to be done to an engine. Good work, good job, thanks for the video.

[@powellmachineinc]

Thank you sir!!

[@HarborSite-7]

Daniel, your channel is a master class in all things to do with engine building. Thank you for all of the time and effort you have devoted to this type of detailed technical content. Amateurs like me find it really useful and interesting.

[@powellmachineinc]

Thank you very much! We really appreciated it

[@Charger1908]

Man I really enjoyed this episode. I bought a crankshaft for a build I was doing several years ago from GM, they guaranteed me that it was straight well I took it to my machinist and he told me before he even looked at it that it was bent. He put it in the same setup that you have and man it was bent bad. Well I came back the next day and he put a dial indicator on it again and it didn’t move. It was a 30 over 454 and I remember people telling me they thought it was a small block because it responded so well. I never had any idea how they did that until I saw your video. He was an old guy who did the machine work for the Bob Maxey racing team in the 70’s. He has to be gone now and I thought he was the only one to do this. All I can say is amazing and like I said in response to another video of yours is I wish you were near me.

[@GearHead4Lyfe]

It never ceases to amaze me to witness how much metal can move around from manufacturing processes. Great job showing how you true them up as much as possible before the finish grind. Top Notch!

[@lazyhoundracing9621]

I understood the concept but have never actually seen it done. That's really cool. Thank you for your time.

[@powellmachineinc]

Glad it was helpful!

[@RealWorldGarage]

Cool stuff, I didn’t even know you could straighten a cam. I figured it would shatter.

[@shelbyavant5081]

The surfaces of the lobes in bearing journals are generally hardened, but not the entire cam.

[@WhiteKnight5775]

Well at 66.8 yrs of age, learned something new. I love machine shop stuff. No chrome, no frills just the guts of making a engine perfect.

[@powellmachineinc]

Thank you

[@rogersibilsky3786]

Nice. Never knew cam straightening was a thing. Great job as always with the videos Andrew !👍👍

[@powellmachineinc]

Glad you liked it!

[@obbzerver]

This channel is a master class in engine tech.

[@powellmachineinc]

Thank you, we really appreciate that!!

[@budlanctot3060]

About 40yrs ago, I was installing a Comp HiEnergy cam in my (now late)friend's '71 340 Demon. I was a machinist at the time, so I chucked it up between centers in a lathe at work and found it was bent 0.015" at center journal. So he sent it back and got another which was out 0.020". He sent that one back and got one that was less than 0.005". We decided that was going to have to be good enough. It was and it ran strong. I wondered if it could be straightened, and had it been my own used cam, i would have done it just like you did.

[@kylemilligan752]

This is really fantastic information the average hot-rodders would never know. Thank you Sir. It also starts to make some sense why building engines with "loose" bearing clearance seems to survive better given the ?quality? Of most aftermarket parts

[@jesse75]

Good comment. Is anybody listening ? If I build a racing engine, everything is loose. If it's a figure 8 , super stock, or drag car, the engine is taken apart after every meet. Checked and freshened up. And I clean off the magnets I put in the pan.

[@Mercmad]

I had a Isky cam years ago which was pretty unusual thing being a roller tappet cam with Hard facing welded into each lobe. This process caused massive bending. Isky's had a team who would straighten the cams using a hammer and chisel to tap them straight. This left odd marks on the camshaft but it was perfectly straight. Pretty much the same method used here. BTW that cam would be 60 years old now and still working perfectly in a Chrysler 354 Hemi.

[@gorilla_with_jetpack4102]

I have no idea what's going on, but its fun to watch. Your videos are really cool!

[@JacobNNorton1982]

This is my favorite channel on KZbin right now.

[@douglash3129]

Hi Daniel, I have seen this done, and I said to myself, what the hell!! I was amazed how little it took to move the metal!! Very cool Daniel!👍👍👍

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

I just subscribed.. I have not been around an engine shop in 40 years, but I grew up with car guys, and a family operated shop. I always enjoyed the process of engine rebuilding back then, and now in my 70s, enjoying it again on youtube.

[@powellmachineinc]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@GG-ef2dm]

I really enjoy the videos you make and watch them all religiously. I'm in Toronto Ontario Canada and if I were closer I would get you to do the heads on my 2007 C6 Z06 corvette also get a cam. There's hardly anyone around here that either doesn't know what they're doing or they're trying to rip a person off. Keep up all the great and very educational videos. Thanks Gus

[@thomasfrost6993]

There are two channels I watch because they obviously care about their craft and are very good at what they do. One is Cutting Edge Engineering and the other is you. I really appreciate you showing me your skills.

[@danblythe2979]

Recently found your channel. Really enjoy the content you are providing. Excellent work💯

[@powellmachineinc]

Welcome aboard!

[@mineown1861]

Craftsman at work . Definitely counterintuitive but great explanation and execution. Excellent video , so you were right about that too.

[@powellmachineinc]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@RvengePerformance]

That's really amazing it moves that much so easily

[@jimflammer9370]

Thank you for taking the time to explain that process, well done video.

[@wastelander89]

Thanks for making these videos ive been learning alot. I never seen alot of machine work on engine parts thanks for showing how things get worked on and fixed. Now i can see why it takes alot of time to get things done right. Because u have to go back and recheck everything after the work. Great video

[@TimothyArnott-m7z]

Hey Daniel, Tim here, WHAT A KILLER vid!!!......know-how/expertise.......i THOROUGHLY enjoyed that, watchin you get it strait......i noticed you moved around a bit, not just next to the journal.....i'm sure its an expertise thing....GREAT SHI%!!!...TY my brother!!

[@montyrayza7220]

This channel is awesome - buddy is masterful at his work !!

[@powellmachineinc]

Thank you kindly

[@theastronaut2276]

Linear stretching… I have linear stretch dies for our Pullmax and planishing hammer, along with a few hand chisels and a couple of hammer heads reground to stretch sheetmetal this way. On sheet it’s much stronger than using a shrinker/stretcher to stretch metal because you’re compressing instead of pulling to lengthen the area you’re working.

[@aceallenk]

Man it's enjoyable watching a mechanic/machinist that knows his sh*t. Stumbled upon this video and watched a few others, all good stuff. There are so many people that only know how to collect and throw crap out the door making stuff worse than when it went in. Good vid, good job, good service, good deal. I tip my hat.

[@snguyn796]

Have always wondered if they used hydraulic pressure. Thanks for sharing.

[@jimgandee2570]

Is this level of exactness industry standard or are these high standards only found in one off high performance shops? So interesting to learn the in depth secrets of quality engine building! Thank you!

[@mhardy216]

Great informative videos as always!

[@powellmachineinc]

Glad you like them!

[@granteldridge2080]

I have had several cast cams arrive broken even though carefully packaged rolled in cardboard inside a cardboard box from the manufacturer. One was actually in 3 sections- hard to believe how easily they can shatter if dropped or hit. We tried to straighten a cam in the hydraulic press and it snapped- wish we had used your technique….lol

[@Darrenlawrence89]

Amazing video Is there a chance you can do a video on how you go about clearencing cam bearings , I’d like to see your approach/ take on it

[@thisisyourcaptainspeaking2259]

Makes me wonder how many cams I've installed were actually bent. :O

[@shelbyavant5081]

All of them

[@MrChevelle83]

after 20 years of installing cams im sure all of mine were bent too but they all ran for years without issue.

[@shelbyavant5081]

@@MrChevelle83 Yes, there is an acceptable runout, as described in the video.

[@DURRIESVISION]

Great video Daniel, very informative as always. Cheers Rick ( down under Oz...🇦🇺 )

[@powellmachineinc]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@hoofarted8709]

Hey man, i discovered your channel on a suggestion list from youtube and i watched a few videos and subscribed...one of the videos i watched was about you had done some heads/valvetrain or whatever for a customer and they sent the heads back and blamed you and it was clearly their fault but anyway, im no expert but i do have automotive training and have built my chevy 350 and after seeing your shop and all the invested money into the equipment and also your knowledge, i just want you to know that i think you are a great builder and know what you are doing:)

[@ellieprice3396]

That's how Joe Rumpt at Holman and Moody's did it in 1961. Joe used an air hammer with a similar chisel on the end. Rat-a-tat-tat on several areas followed by checks for runout. Fred Lorenzen was our H/M driver back then.

[@MrBamafan2570]

That’s awesome! Never knew you could do that!

[@brewskywayne3716]

Addicted to this channel ❤❤

[@jamestregler1584]

WoW never knew ! Thanks from old New Orleans !

[@powellmachineinc]

You're welcome!

[@MorganBrown]

That grinding wheel was making me nervous 😂

[@billyleblanc5930]

Daniel, that is freezing amazing

[@powellmachineinc]

Ty, it's a pretty std practice across the industry

[@jamesbergman4917]

Are roller cam cores as brittle as flat tappets? I was surprised you smacked it, I thought it would have been done with a press.

[@powellmachineinc]

A press is how you break a cam in half

[@stevenbelue5496]

I honestly wonder if it even matters when you consider the load or pressures from the springs pushing against it. But we strive for perfection, it's the best we can do.

[@MrChevelle83]

i agree with you. by the time the cam is installed with lets just say a set of 100#springs on the seat plus a few open valve how much down force is on the cam. lets not even talk about the high pressure racing springs. id venture to say if a engine set for a day and you just removed the cam and tested runout it would be bent from sitting. ill never test that theory so ill just have to wonder. lol.

[@jeffhopper3526]

Enjoying the channel! Thanks a bunch.

[@powellmachineinc]

Thanks for watching!

[@robertluther8057]

At Forberg engine remanufacturing I watched the owner's son mark the spot where a cam had excessive runout and literally hold the cam between his knees and strike the marked area with a chisel. He would put it back on the grinder, recheck the runout and it would be perfect. That's skill.

[@JohnLittlepage]

Very interesting, although, even though you straighten it out, whats to prevent it from happening again during engine run cycles?

[@powellmachineinc]

Running isn't the issue removing metal is.

[@marktrevisan4431]

The cam journals / bearings keep them true

[@bobmutchseo]

wow loved that one! so those hammer changes you make stay that way, they don't change back over night lol?

[@powellmachineinc]

No

[@fasst5511]

After you grind a roller cam do you re heat treat them? There is a cam regrinding shop here and when I asked the operator of that shop if he does he said no.

[@powellmachineinc]

Nobody does, it doesn't work that way, watch my cam core video for a explanation

[@dennisyoung4631]

Steel tends to *move* when it’s heat-treated, some kinds (much) more than others. It’s common to 1) rough machine; 2) heat-treated; 3) finish machine for heat-treated parts.

[@kennethward3354]

Thank you for Todays Lesson Sir

[@powellmachineinc]

Always welcome

[@jsmith9970]

I didn’t know you could to that. That’s impressive!!!

[@uxbridgelibraryfriends8635]

Hi Daniel, you are a true American craftsman. Amazing to see a hammer and chisel used with a dial indicator in the same process. Question, would run-out be a common issue on new cams? Specifically, might it be the cause of a new camshaft binding in the tunnel with new cam bearings installed during an engine rebuild? Thanks

[@powellmachineinc]

Yes, even shipping can bed a cam if it's dropped, handled rough,

[@v8packard]

I straighten by peening all the time. Both by hand like you did here and I keep an old air hammer that's not too strong by the straightening press. Customers get suspicious when I tell them they aren’t allowed to watch the straightening process 😂😂

[@powellmachineinc]

Lol

[@MrChevelle83]

ive built a shop full of engines and have never herd of a bent cam. i clean and assembly lube em and as long as they rotate easy i roll with it. so far never had an issue. i dont build many engines anymore mainly due to the cost of machine work. our local shops want $400 labor to rework a set of cast iron heads. ill just buy crate engines from now on. so far so good after i think were on #6-7 engines and 0 issues with the crate units. the next engine i want to try is one from blueprint engines.

[@leathermule4824]

Great and informative Videos

[@totensiebush]

How far out do the cams that come in for regrind tend to be?

[@powellmachineinc]

Anywhere for .001-.010

[@peted5217]

DIY's could check Cam Runout on a piece of thick glass, kinda like done w/pushrods. Then keep Wacking Hi Spot till it runs True !

[@theodoreshasta7846]

Black Magic! Very informative. Thank you!

[@tomstrum6259]

That appears to be a Cast iron core ?? ....Had no idea a Cast iron cam could be manipulated like that because of Cracking risk.....Thx for taking time to share..

[@powellmachineinc]

Yes it's Ductile iron, I have a video on cam cores if you would like to watch it.

[@montyrayza7220]

How bent can this be done - say it was bent a 1/4 inch - just for argument sake, could you fix that and would it be as good as new almost?Ty

[@powellmachineinc]

We never see a cam that bad, probably the worst I have straightened was probably a 1/32"

[@ericdavis219]

So if you have over head cams you can’t grind the journals because you don’t use bearings to go oversized and you can only hammer and punch the low sides and that’s it?

[@powellmachineinc]

U can do bearing inserts in them

[@patrickwendling6759]

Thank you for your knowledge and video's USA 🇺🇸

[@milojanis4901]

Have you ever tried heat and coolant?

[@powellmachineinc]

Not on a cam

[@nickkiofetzis5667]

nice job dude

[@powellmachineinc]

Thanks!

[@ButchNackley]

Fascinating

[@copperaudio9664]

That was very interesting - thanks.

[@powellmachineinc]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@roncoburn7771]

does it stay that way ?

[@powellmachineinc]

Yup

[@100amps]

Great video. Thanks!

[@brianalbrecht4423]

I hope "all" cam grinders do that...!...can a cam get bent from shipping...?...have u had to strigh'n a new finished cam for a coustomer...?...can u strigh'n a finished cam....?...thank u...great video..!

[@powellmachineinc]

Definitely, shipping can be rough on them

[@brianalbrecht4423]

@@powellmachineinc i bet u have to strigh'n more than u dont have to....&...wounder...how many companys/builder even bother to check...?...thanks 4 the great content...

[@johnwilburn]

I usually see this done with an air hammer. I like your method better.

[@powellmachineinc]

Right on

[@bobwhite4344]

very interesting.

[@inscoredbz]

How much can you change the lsa on a cam regrind? I have a comp cams xr294hr and I would like it to be cut on a 107 or 108 lsa and about 8°-10° less duration on both the intake and exhaust duration @ .050" without losing much lift. Is it possible or would a new core be required?

[@powellmachineinc]

None

[@inscoredbz]

@@powellmachineinc the cores are made with a set amount of lsa? So, lift and duration are probably have a small range they can be charged due to the heat treatment?

[@shelbyavant5081]

​@@inscoredbzheat treatment is generally when the core is manufactured. Nitriding is the common surface hardening process

[@MrChevelle83]

youd have to clock the lobes to a different degree to change the lsa. look up some cam tech vids and its easy to see. a reground cam can only be manipulated within a certain window on specs. and you would probably want a much oversize cam to grind down to your engine needs. the base circle can be cut to add lift then grind the lobe to get the desired profile and duration.

[@dalewesley6172]

😀😀😀😀 more events, take care again.......

[@Anthony-nw5zv]

I had no idea, I mean I thought the cam has to be put in a hydraulic machine and just give it a couple tweaks and WOW 😳

[@powellmachineinc]

Using a press is not as accurate and much more likely to break a cam

[@TimothyBecker-m5q]

thats amazing!

[@powellmachineinc]

Ty

[@creverett9]

What causes a camshaft to become bent?

[@MrAhoy1957]

Porn

[@ellieprice3396]

Residual stress.

[@xxkingslayemxxgamer5553]

It is crazy that it doesn't take much to get it right

[@marktrevisan4431]

Awesome and real, what can i say.....I can hear the complainers from my house....

[@powellmachineinc]

Right on

[@Airsally]

Who taught you your trade? It becoming a lost art. I was lucky enough to have the owner of Reynolds machine in Bakersfield CA. Do the machine work on my 302. He was getting ready to retire. He had all girls and there husbands weren't into it. Its a shame he cant pass it on . Very nice machines and a super clean shop. He did a lot of race stuff .

[@powellmachineinc]

I taught myself, had no other choice, I have naked kids to feed!

[@Backyard_Racing]

Why are you hitting the camshaft with the chisel?

[@powellmachineinc]

Yup

[@GearHead4Lyfe]

The video says why.

[@Backyard_Racing]

@@GearHead4Lyfe yeah I heard that part I was hoping for more details

[@ellieprice3396]

The blunt chisel expands the metal slightly and the shaft moves upward towards the low side. Takes several hits and checks as he demonstrated.

[@Backyard_Racing]

@@ellieprice3396 thanks brother

[@robertchall8576]

I didnt know that . Thanks

[@victoroneill7924]

If you drop a cast camshaft on a concrete floor it will break. Forged streel and aluminum can be straightened safely but not cast,

[@powellmachineinc]

I straighten cast daily

[@blkcoupequattro]

Had no idea you guys grind cams…

[@powellmachineinc]

Yes sir, for the last 8 years

[@MrOzonkiller]

Hmmm... It's almost like you've done this before 😉

[@kennywhiddon1497]

I enjoy your video's but please crank up the audio.

[@powellmachineinc]

Sorry about that

[@eazyrider6122]

Im going to make a tech video so we need some background noise, Bing! i know, Lets spin the grinding stone.😂😂😂

[@tonycs-9]

nice..

[@chewyexc]

That will all change as soon as the engine is running!!!

[@BigJohnson1566]

Who would have thunk it👍

[@jareddahlseid551]

Oh the stresses of material stresses 😂😂

[@strokermaverick]

Thousandths of an inch, are so easy to manipulate.

[@misterhipster9509]

Let's get that cover on the power box back there. Not a good plan to leave that off. Just saying, I know how it is to get blind in my shop.

[@teagreen2220]

Not straight cams are why you twist them gently to install, with lots a lube!

[@dirkmcghee1604]

Gucci Bananas here.

[@Failure_Is_An_Option]

Lots of stress in a camshaft.

[@shawnmccutcheon6873]

Why would you do that at all I know a guy that recked his sprint car and bent his rear axle and he found someone that could straighten it put it in and on his first race it broke and all most killed him cams are cheap so don't kill a engine with a hack

[@totensiebush]

he says in there that they end up with runout in the manufacturing process

[@kq2799]

@shawnmccutcheon6873 I know a guy, who knows a guy, who bent his axle and cam then had them straightened. 🚙He then went on to win the cup! 🏆

[@GTIFabric]

way over your head chief

[@savagenomore]

🤣😂🤡👆

[@GearHead4Lyfe]

You don't understand metallurgy or machining and it shows.

[@richardperry21]

can you regrind our 50mm roller barring roller SBC Super Late Model drysump??

[@powellmachineinc]

Yes we can

[@richardperry21]

Ty

[@davidbaldwin1591]

Anybody can beat it with a hammer and chisel. Knowing where...now that'll cost you🪒