Winning The War Of Mechanical Attrition

These days, paying extra close attention to the small details when doing a cam swap can save you a huge amount of grief. Here are three critical points to cover that will tip the odds of success in your favor.
*MERCHANDISE:
Get Your UTG T-Shirts Here: uncletonysgara...
Get Your UTG Stickers Here: uncletonysgara...
OUR STORE: uncletonysgara...
*SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: / uncletonysgarage1
Instagram: / uncle_tonys_garage

[@ohnoitisnt]

RETURN YOUR BAD PARTS Dont just launch them across the shop or bin them. Send them back. This is how your suppliers take the hint

[@Broken_Yugo]

Yup, the only problems that a corporation considers worth solving are the ones that hurt it's profits.

[@elmerfudpucker3204]

Always use cam break in lube, always follow the cam maker's instructions. Every tip UT gave here is invaluable, and it doesn't matter if it's a stock replacement or a top fueler, they're all steps that need to be taken. I've been a mechanic for most of my 59 years, and the most common thing that fails on breaking in a new cam is when people shortcut the weaker springs on break in. They put the strong, running springs on the valves, and think they can just run it at 2000 on break in and it will be fine, because they don't want to go back and redo them. That is 100% the easiest way to wipe a new custom ground, weeks long waiting time to build, cam out.

[@Hydrogenblonde]

I recently sold a engine I rebuilt to a guy (a idiot), it was a complete running engine on a stand with starter, radiator the works. I ran it in on the stand because I didn't trust anyone to run the cam in properly. This "guy" gets back to me 6 months after he bought the engine and says it overheats. He pulled the entire engine apart to "fix" this so called overheating problem. He took the sump off and sent me pictures of a mettalic looking paste in the bottom of the sump with the caption "it doesn't look very pretty". He had discovered the remainder of the moly cam break in lubricant mixed with oil. He thought it was worn out I'll fitting pistons. You do the right thing and you still get accused of being a shister.

[@patrickwhitehead7584]

@@Hydrogenblonde THIS! This is why I don't sell anything. It isn't worth the hassle.

[@Hydrogenblonde]

@@patrickwhitehead7584 you're dead right. This was a bloody good engine ready to go straight in a car. I'd spent a ton of time on it. This dick put salty water from his local supply in it and rusted up the cooling system and tried to say I sold him a engine full of rust and then made up a whole bunch of other fictional problems to say the engine was crap. He said there was not much coolant flow to the radiator so he tried it with no thermostat and wasn't any better. What the dumb ass didn't know is if you run this engine with no thermostat the coolant will just recirculate in the block and only a small amount will go to the radiator. Exactly the opposite of what this goof thought and actually producing the thing he complained about. I should have kept the engine for myself.

[@charlesangell_bulmtl]

​@@Hydrogenblonde Few know how to tune flow for their specifics aka " NASCAR types"

[@pdmustgtd1013]

@@charlesangell_bulmtl Exactly NASCAR guys run orifice or washer with smaller hole you have to have pressure difference. Even most of your home short track guys do the same.

[@eurekasevenwave2297]

I was actually completely unaware cams were ground unevenly on the lobe for that purpose. You teach me things all the time, Uncle Tony!

[@sydrider6023]

Same here, well said!

[@pdmustgtd1013]

On flat tappet cams but not roller cams

[@pdmustgtd1013]

@@AndyGeesGarage Thats because cam gear driving dist gear it pushes

[@pdmustgtd1013]

@@AndyGeesGarage Yes you do. Thrust plate or button both do the same

[@chrishensley6745]

I remember years ago when guys would change cams and not even know about breaking a cam in and just start it up,adjust timing and go.......talking about taking things for granite back in the day.

[@mikescherrer4923]

Granite?

[@austindoud273]

Granted taking things for granted not granite lol

[@stevelacker358]

Let’s be honest here: that worked great with putting a mild cam in sixes, 2-bbl engines, or a luxo-barge 4-bbl big block with factory valve springs. I’ve done it on a 2-bbl 383 myself. It NEVER was a good idea with really big valve springs on radical lift or high lift-rate cams, and people did sometimes accidentally wipe cams that way back in the day. The difference today isn’t so much “you can’t get away with shortcuts anymore,” it is that people are wiping cams EVEN when doing everything correctly. Which says the problem is with the parts themselves.

[@brunojuarez8140]

@@austindoud273 kzbin.info/www/bejne/roGQiJdqapiqp5Y

[@terrypetty9822]

During the 80's I was a Cadillac tech. We put thousands of cams in the HT4100 V8's. I probably did 100 of them, NEVER spent an extra minute to break in a cam. The cams did come with cam--lube, and EOS oil additive. Never had one come back on me, and never heard of the other guys having problems either.

[@PickupsAreNotTrucks]

Hey, you guys may get a kick outa this. I’m rebuilding the Detroit Series 60 in my semi truck and yesterday I was putting the cam bearings in the cam caps and I picked one up and notice something in the oil galley of the cam cap. A rock. A little tiny rock jammed in the oil galley. That cam came straight off a $3000 reman head. Glad I caught that.

[@lonnygil]

Bang on uncle tony! No professional here but i have been rebuilding and retrofitting GM small block engines for almost 20 years. However the application i use them for is in generators and to power oilfield equipment. I DO NOT use a special oil for break-in or any dditive. Using conventional 5w-30 always after checking lifter convex. Do a run in at 2000-2500 for 15-20 minutes. Then draining oil? Swishing a magnet through oil and cutting filter apart. A few “specs” of metal is pretty normal. If the filter has half a camshaft in it something went wrong. Has happend. Thank you for the video! Great contenr

[@royadams9071]

What a coincidence you put this video out I literally just bought lifters the other day and I checked for the crown and they were actually concave

[@terrypetty9822]

OMG I hope you took them back. I ordered a new cam, received a used on with a flat lobe in the box for the new cam. The vendor made good on it though, I believe the supplier screwed him. Hope he got his money back as well.

[@cutl00senc]

“Price is a one time thing, quality is a lifetime thing”. Zig Ziglar

[@suzieq2193]

Chuck Fina! Their garbage parts put us out of business. No way to stand behind your work with garbage parts that force you to eat TONS of labor to make good on a job for a loyal customer of over 20 yrs.. Time after time after time....

[@davidleonard8369]

If you are going to run super stiff or multiple valve springs only install the outers or a set of mild springs for the break in period.

[@jamesspain5049]

No doubt. Even the 1.2 ratio arms help.

[@Videoswithsoarin]

why

[@davidleonard8369]

@@Videoswithsoarin why what?

[@sejnitram]

@@Videoswithsoarin cuz…

[@shadowpatriot1948]

I know exactly what the people are talking about that are afraid to build an engine anymore. I got the head for my Uncle Tony's super slant six back from the machine shop yesterday. Everything is ready to go together, I'm using NOS parts everywhere I can even down to the copper head gasket. Everything should be perfect... I just sat out in my shop for two hours just looking at everything. For the first time in my life (I'm in my 70's) I am afraid to put a motor together and see it run. There's a lot of time and money out there just waiting for a cheap ass Chinese part to make scrap out of it. GOD I do miss the 60's so...

[@jetmr_5043]

I don’t trust comp’s lifters. I order a 268h kit with cam, lifters, timing set and valve springs, and 11 out of the 16 lifters were .005-.009” oversized. Quality control is nonexistent

[@ronniecox109]

I quit using any comp products some years back. Strictly Howards now. Made in USA.

[@pissbridge]

You are so friggin awesome uncle Tony!!!! And your an amazing woman Uncle Kathy!!! Thank you for making these vids for us to watch much appreciated!!!!

[@joediewhiting8351]

Uncle Tony you're the greatest you've taught me so much that I did not know about cars engines I love watching your channel I hope I can share it with many people

[@63jeepj20]

You forgot where the cam lobe sits when installed. FabRats recently built a 454 and he admittedly cheaped out on an ebay cam. The cam destroyed itself almost instantly. When he pulled the motor apart the cam was about 1/16th of an inch shorter than it should have been which caused the lobes to sit too far in the block. Something that could have easily been caught if they had looked down the lifter bore.

[@craighansen7594]

I have seen quite a few flat tappet lifter bases with a faint square shadow starting to show, it's ready to go flat. The properly broken in lifter has its crown, polished with a faint bullseye pattern.. Remember a lifter too loose in its bore also will fail to rotate. The cam really only has one chance to break in properly.

[@fredericklozon5838]

back in 1995 i was running late model circle track car on asphalt,a dodge 360 with cast iron heads heads and roller lifters.i had t run on 7 cylinders, took off rocker arm and took out rocker arm and lifter that lost its needle bearings,i still won the main event,went to isky roller lifters with bronze bushings instead of needle bearings,i lost the lifter in a heat race,we had 2 hours till the main event.all the chevys and fords werent happy at all since i was the only mopar there

[@evanc6110]

what late model CARs had a 360 in 1995? I can't think of anything. I can see trucks/vans, but I can't think of any cars.

[@elmerfudpucker3204]

@@evanc6110 Late model dirt cars aren't based on a manufacturer. They are fully jig built, all sheet metal bodied race cars.

[@evanc6110]

@@elmerfudpucker3204 Thank you for informing me, I do not know much about circle track cars. Now I am really curious what car he had set up.

[@heavymetalmadness666]

Back in the day we swapped cams in engines, used used lifters anywhere and never lost a cam. They are skipping steps and trying to pass the blame.

[@terrypetty9822]

Been there, done that.

[@heavymetalmadness666]

@@terrypetty9822 A funny thing about metal and countries of origin... I just bought an OTC ball joint press and it is now made in the USA. The one I've been using for the past ten years was OTC made in China. Why would it go back the other way? Perhaps quality control, maybe China's over acting lock downs. If I ran a big business China would be axed.

[@evanc6110]

Personally I blame Uncle Squirrel

[@67L-88]

Another thing that gives the lifter spin is the lifter is offset on the lobe. The spin gives the lobe and lifter face a rolling action and not a straight push or lift.

[@chuckthebull]

yes good point to make to clarify it actually acts as a sotra roller that way..kinda brilliant!! . if you think about it this would reduce wear by allowing the cam lifters to spin with the movement of the lobe. i think also paying attention to cleaning the rod contact points.. i remember noticing my sunbeam alpine engine push rods moving in circles as i was checking valve lash.

[@jamesspain5049]

Another reason cam button on non roller Chevy sb bb not necessary.

[@brettjohnson8009]

Thats why you check the face on EVERY lifter , if its not convex , you are going to wipe a lobe ,and it doesn't matter what brand or where you got them either

[@jamesduffey4442]

He said that like 5 times in the video

[@MikeBrown-ii3pt]

I normally use the lifter on glass method to check the crown. If I end up using the lifter on lifter method, I always hold the 2 lifters up to a light source the make sure that they're good.

[@cuzz63]

25 years ago changed the plug wires on wifes car. Had to put the old wires back on since car would barely run. Autozone wires were crap.

[@HeadFlowInc]

Back in the early 2000’s when cam/lifter failures first blew up, there were several methods to help. Washing the camshaft clean then coating it with a Spray on Dry-lubricant, coating the lobes/lifters with Isky Rev-paste and using mineral base oil with higher levels of lubricants. ie zinc etc. Always pre-lube the engine. I personally switched exclusively to Crower “Cam Saver” lifters adding more oil to the lifter/lobe interface. JD

[@atticstattic]

"...come around this side." -- Jeez, Tony - I almost got out of bed!

[@6h471]

One thing I've observed. The old Toyota 2T engine, which was a solid lifter pushrod hemi 4 cylinder, the lifters had flat faces, ran centered on the cam lobes and never rotated at all, which was apparent if you looked at the lifter bottom. You would see a center wear stripe on the lifter face, with a varnished area on each side. There may have been a key or pin in the lifter preventing rotation, not sure, never got that deep into one, the dang things usually ran until the body disappeared. but they just didn't turn. I worked on many of these over the years, and never once saw a camshaft or lifter failure.

[@michaelvrooman5681]

I spun a rod bearing in a 77 2TC. It actually locked the engine. I pulled the engine and took everything to a machine shop. That crank was still good to go with standard bearings. I don't know what kind of steel was in that crank, but it was GOOD STEEL. The only odd thing about that engine was " hone to fit" cam bearings. It took 2 sets of bearings before the machine shop figured out why the cam would not go through all the bearings. Ran the crap out of that little Hemi for 5 years. All my friends called the Corolla it was in the "Silver Bullet"

[@pauldulworth2768]

Yet another masterclass from the Master. Mille Grazie!!

[@kontrarien5721]

"You're an American. You should never be afraid." Fantastic, sir.

[@chrislittle9419]

Last flat tappet cam engine I built the cam did not come with lube, it was just a cheap RV cam. Asked my machinist what to use, he said red wheel bearing grease. So I used wheel bearing grease, cam break in went fine. I think I was lucky rather than good.

[@elmerfudpucker3204]

That works, just can't gob it on things. It can possibly restrict oil orfices, until the oil in the engine gets hot enough to melt it. In a pinch, I have used Vaseline with success on main and rod bearings, but I have always used break in lube for the cam, I will stop assembly until I gat it, for those.

[@MFM556]

Finding parts for my diplomat is already an indiana jones worthy treasure hunt. Finding parts that are worth putting in it just makes it extra fun.

[@charlesangell_bulmtl]

😂😂😂

[@ericcaves7530]

I have seen it first hand, now. I have a 1983 Chevy Impala, 229 V6, TH200C transmission. The water pump quit last week. Well, while the car was still in town on the trailer carrying it, I stopped at AutoZone and bought a brand new Duralast heavy duty water pump. A little bit of struggle and strain, and I had it back together. Go to start it, and the person helping me says, "Whoa! You have a leak". A closer look revealed that the water pump fitting boss was split! Not a little crack, but a full-on fissure, all the way down

[@mindeloman]

Anyone mess with a new out of the box Hurst competition shifter. Man......the quality today is just deplorable. So much slop in the assembly and it's supposed to be new. Better off finding one used from the 70's and just rebuild it. Bit it's not just automotive. As a guitarist, there's a reason Gibson has been back in it's heels for a while. Quality got worse and worse and worse to the point no one will lay down 3K for a new Les Paul with problems. Gibson, came to their stark realization and had to admit in a press release that they had gotten sloppy and recommitted itself to their customer. But a lot moved on.

[@samuelgoodman2825]

Getting ready to find out on my buds 71 Charger

[@ericbrandt829]

It's been that way for over 10 years....Overseas JUNK! Lets go BRANDON!

[@chuckthebull]

I also work in music and electronics for the studio world and the problem exist here as well..bad or wrong parts is epidemic and corporations stop supporting older equipment before they are even old enough to be out of service life. They want you to just toss it and buy new..Expensive units too that fail in a few years or so.

[@robinarrington5498]

Check out Gear Box Videos.hes in fl.tell ya anything u need to know..also sells improvement parts on his site.a very good guy and very trustworthy.

[@davidmiller9485]

@@robinarrington5498 Both him and automatic transmissions (hiram) are worth the watch. For what it's worth Gearboxvideo is run by Paul Cangialosi who came up with the Jaguar transmissions used for racing back in the 90's, he does know his shit. He has a few vids on Hurst and how to rebuild and adjust them. Edit: thought i would post the vid about the Jaguars from Paul's KZbin channel: kzbin.info/www/bejne/o4WWf6aZg9Gghsk Fun stuff.

[@gavindowell8239]

You can use the side of another lifter for a straight edge

[@terrypetty9822]

Good point, as the side is flat.

[@mytmousemalibu]

If your lifter bores are in need of attention to get free movement or maybe glazed over. They make little dingle ball hones for lifter bores or a master cylinder hone might work. A quick hone can clean them up and put a little crosshatch in them for better oil retention. Don't want to open them up, just a surface prep. Even a little hand scotch brite job helps or small scotch buffs.

[@63jeepj20]

Cheap brake hones are great for this. They will clean up any ridge or buildup at the top of the bore too.

[@jeremymcnicol9585]

I was hoping Tony would go over cleaning the bores.

[@hardhead5700]

Just had my whole transmission rebuilt and had to wait a month for parts. I did get a warranty but now I'm concerned it may not last much longer than the warranty

[@chrgrmke]

if you use a stock cam and stock springs you wont have a problem, get a big cam, use lighter valve springs for break in.

[@terrypetty9822]

I removed a cam that was wearing perfectly, still looked new it was supposed to be an HO engine and I was curious to see if it had .407" valve lift. So I started checking the lift and base circles. The base circles were all over the place, and despite the normal wear, the valve lift was only .373" on all, (.250" lobe lift). SO glad I checked it. Logically it must have been a cheap re-grind; not a good idea on a Pontiac because the valve train is non-adjustable.

[@Ratridez]

Moog balljoints is a good example , they come pre worn out in the box .

[@scotcoon1186]

We rebuilt an n14 a few years ago with all Cummins parts. One of the main bearings had a 1/4" babbitt tit on it. We rebuilt another the next year and I found a bad part (cant remember what it was) so I started checking other parts, and the main bearing set was missing a shell and the thrust bearings.

[@hajikelist]

thank you! you explain everything so clearly - no matter how complex the topic.

[@wfd805]

So much of what you said sounds just like what Scooter Brothers told me, almost 30 years ago. Good stuff!

[@tomashton1781]

not only do the lifters, turn, but cross hatch patterns on cylinder walls cause the rings to rotate untill they get seated, and they move but its much,like may be FEW THO

[@terrypetty9822]

Again with the Cadillacs. Every HT4100 engine I tore down had all the ring gaps lined up. Didn't seem to matter, but of course I always spaced them out again. On a modern, precisely machined engine IMO the rings will walk all over the place.

[@OverlandOne]

Don't forget the bad points. Excellent information 99% of people did not know. I didn't know this.

[@gregmckinney6977]

When you drop the lifter through the lifter bore, make sure too that it doesn't rock side to side. Name brand cam kit, lifters, cam, springs, keepers and retainers for a 350 SBC. Lifterswere .080" smaller than minimum diameter.

[@gtv6fan]

I think this applies to all parts these days. not just stuff for MOPAR Ford etc. Check your stuff for Honda, Chevy Ford truck, YUGO, whatever it is. No one can afford these failures.

[@CadillacZachOffical]

My best advice on this matter is, if you have a known good OEM part. Re use it. Not everything needs replaced during a refreshing. Focus your money on the actual wear items, and buy the best quality you can find. I love using Napa to source my parts, summit gets pretty good stuff too.

[@DrShankenstein]

As always thank you so much for posting this video. I'm definitely one of the people whose apprehensive about building this engine. I have everything I need except the cam and lifters. And apprehension is the big reason. Have an awesome weekend UncleTony and Uncle Kathy

[@stevelacker358]

“I don’t want to talk about zinc in the oil, I want to talk about the mechanical stuff…”. BRAVO! It’s so easy to blame the oil, but IMO that isn’t the problem. 1) if you’re smart, you can still buy oils with more than enough ZDDP. Nobody says you have to use supermarket Castrol, Pennzoil, Valvoline, etc. intended for new cars. People still see failures with high zinc oils. 2) ZDDP wasn’t even a thing until the 60s. A lot of people don’t seem to know that even into the 70s, joe blow on the street could (and did!) still buy and use oil without ZDDP. Lifter failures weren’t rampant. Therefore: It. Is. Not. The. Oil!

[@ziggassedup]

I hear ya on the cam break in...I just chuck 'em in and straight onto a drive to bed the rings and break in the cam at the same time...Knock on wood my luck continues..

[@williamhenk1030]

I like to use weaker springs for the break in. Good information from this video.

[@johnny0454]

Great video! Loads of information but simple and concise, please make more videos like this one. You truly are performing a valuable public service by sharing your knowledge. Thank you, and keep up the good work!

[@robertclymer6948]

Perfect timing on this video UT! I want to do a top end kit on my 460 this winter and now know what to look for. Thanks for sharing. Cheers from Motown.

[@jasonrackawack9369]

I once read a few years ago in an nhra tech story that on a top fuel engine the cam lobes for the front cylinders and rear cylinders are ground with a slight offset to compensate for the camshaft actually twisting under full throttle. Incredible to think about the internal forces involved to cause that problem and thought involved to find a solution to it.

[@eurekasevenwave2297]

I remember reading that all of the Big Three manufacturers had big electric motors to hook any given engine up to, to simulate the engine at high load, to see how the metal and parts would fare. I also imagine that if they had clear valve covers and a clear intake cover (in place of the intake and carburetor assembly), that would give quite a load of insight into how the metal could distort or warp under high load, or even under normal operating condition. I thought that was interesting.

[@gittnjiggy2]

Paul from FabRats recently had a new cam that had the lobes machined about 1/4" offset from where they should have been. Caused the cam to eat up the lifters, chew up the lobes and you can guess where all the metal went. You can see the video on his youtube channel.

[@addisonmoye2612]

I made the mistake of getting a white box special carb for my 1969 f100 and it wouldn’t stay running took the carb apart and they didn’t put a needle and seat in it

[@JOHNKESSLER88]

I assume it was the motorcraft clones from amazon/ebay? I say those and read the reviews which were what i expected for a "new" $75 carb.

[@davidleonard8369]

You got the racing version. Only Runs at wide open throttle and has less parts so it weighs less.

[@jodypierson3137]

People showing up for the pay check, not actually to do there job that would require a brain wave of some sort.

[@pipelinecowboy]

This couldn't have come out at a better time uncle tony ! I've learned more watching your videos than I could ever imagine in all my 42 years 🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@stevenbarnett2169]

Check your lifter bores! I use a stone type wheel cylinder hone to dress them up then I do a thorough cleaning.

[@ThePaulv12]

What you can actually do after cam break in if you don't mind a mess, is paint a vertical white line on each pushrod, take the plugs out and wind the motor over on the starter. All the pushrods should rotate. If they don't you've got trouble and there's nothing you can do about it at that point but at least you know. You can do it with valve covers cut open for the purpose and actually run the engine in 5 second increments but it probably works better on Wedge engines rather than Hemis.

[@Jonhobbs64]

I built my first engine back in 1989. I always knew about the crown on the lifters and how they rotated and all but I had no idea about the taper on the cam lobes! I have read hot rod - car craft - super chevy etc since I was a kid and this topic was never mentioned! Thanks again for fantastic info!

[@moparmatt5896]

Nice hit that one right out of the park summing up the facts

[@torymartinez2439]

that shop is looking tight and bright tony. big change from that old dark garage i seen you in not long ago

[@scottbrooklyn2995]

I had a Lunati Voodoo flat tappet cam installed in my 383 Chevy. No problems.

[@garyr9185]

Tony that is a great idea for a video. How to get your distributor “dead nuts spot on “ before firing for the first time ! I have always got it close enough to start right up but then tweak it with the timing light up above 2000 rpm when running a new cam.. Regards Gary..

[@paulfarghi]

Tony Tony Tony...... Please buy/build some shelving... For goodness sake. ... Bits all over the floor and , build some workbenches with steel tops... It will make your life so much easier. Great programs, great knowledge. Keep it up

[@MrMark1325]

Use the paste style cam lube as well. The runny red shit runs right off.

[@tsmith578]

Hey Tony , I know a guy that that has the Harley engine that you are looking for . it is actually still on a bike , or at least the last time I seen it , it was a project he was going to build . but I believe he ever had gotten back to it . But it is a kick only , and I think it is 1974 with the right side Shifter. .. Soon as see him I ask about for you . Tim from Wisconsin

[@benjudy4406]

Uncle Tony- Can you do a short video on changing a full set of Hydraulic Flat tappet lifters, measuring for custom pushrods, setting preload and best practices for breaking in the lifters on a 426 Hemi with stock adjustable rockers. Thanks

[@noiseismymiddlename5669]

Another example of Tony showing us al that the devil lives in the details!

[@MrMcbuck48]

Great advice and it only takes a few minutes.

[@tompat9166]

I love this type of content, details only a engine builder would know.

[@Terribleguitarist89]

I love the vibe of these videos, add a pull or five from a pint bottle of mccormicks and you'd remind me of the guys at my neighbor's workshop who would talk me through automotive shit as a kid/teen.

[@drrrrockzo]

You could also buy a gauge block (not expensive) and if you can "wring" a lifer to it, the lifter is bad because it's too flat. Anything with a suitable crown will not wring to the block's precision edge.

[@tracychaffin4410]

Great important knowledge for anyone.

[@Piranhaz71]

Love your videos Tony, but a little creeped out with the mannequin head in the background, LOL. Keep up the good work!

[@mcfast52]

When I rebuilt an old 327, I had with 0 budget and installed a brand new cam, on special $50.00 back in 1970 with used lifters from a newer Z28 and no problems and it ran great! lucky me.

[@devillockj]

Not luck. You had good parts back then! Who ever heard of a cam or lifters going flat before 15?years ago

[@briang4470]

@@devillockj not entirely true, cams going flat had been a pretty common thing even 30+ years ago. Alot of the time they would go bad from people not doing the break in or having too much valve spring pressure upon initial run in. Also around the very late 80s and early 90s a good majority of motor oils had the zinc removed and there was a massive amount of late 70s early 80s cars with the factory cams going flat like crazy and people found out the zinc was needed for those older engines but by the early 90s most manufacturers had switched to roller cams by that point and due to the strict epa emissions laws there are no "street legal oils" sold with zinc anymore, the only way they can sell zinc oil is to legally classify it as "racing oil" or "for classic vehicle use only". And alot of people still believe that diesel oil has enough zinc for a flat tappet engine which is absolutely not true anymore, around 2008ish when the DPF systems were being introduced into the diesel word they removed almost all the zinc from diesel oils to protect the DPF filters, some diesel oils do contain small amounts of zinc but definitely not enough to keep a flat tappet cam alive and some diesel oils have no zinc at all. My point is that even though there are alot of bad parts put there today, not everything from the past was better. The biggest issue i have personally seen these days with cam breakins gone wrong is from people using the wrong oil.

[@ericbrandt829]

The old AC Delco lifter from the 60's and 70's had Stellite faces....Bulletproof material....Best of the best! I paid $20/lifter for a LS-6 restoration once to install OEM hardware...Last time they were listed in a GM catalogue the "585" edge orifice lifters retailed for $31 each....Whats a trashed motor from a failed cam worth when its "numbers matching" and has $3000 of parts/machine work in it (these are early 90's pricing)

[@jakemichael8586]

@@briang4470 the petroleum quality institute of America tested ck4 shell rotella t4 and phos was 1034 and zinc was 1130! phos/zinc in 1967 was 1100-1200! sum like chevron have lower levels.

[@briang4470]

@@jakemichael8586 do you know when they did that test? If that is in the new rotella that you can buy now I would be extremely surprised, because all on road diesel engines made after 2008 come from the factory with an egr valve and a DPF system which can be damaged by certain metals and other materials such as zinc and sulfur which has been almost completely eliminated from on road diesel fuel which has caused a whole bunch of fuel injector and pump failures. And I figured by now all the common off the shelf diesel oil would have almost no zinc content just like most gasoline engine oils have practically no zinc or phosphorus. With these old classic rides I like to use valvoline VR1 or use some of the joe gibs or "driven" racing oils. In a pinch you could use non detergent conventional oil and run a bottle of zinc additive which I myself and some other people I know have done so in the past with great success.

[@brentonk461]

Just done a successful Cam run in yesterday, with a good second hand used cam, and near new used lifters that were taken out of two other Engines. I will do a video of how i check the cam and lifters.

[@stevesadusky8634]

Excellent instructional video Uncle Tony! Thank you!!

[@bloodbathory4055]

I really appeachiate this video cuz i'm gonna cam swap my 95 chevy and I was not sure about some things but you put my mind at ease.

[@cdlbrown58]

Back in 2011 bought a custom ground Nitrided cam. I installed it in 2013 and one of the journals was .0015 over size. I was so upset because I bought it a few years before installing it. I called Gab at Comp, he had me ship it back and they corrected it very quickly. I used comp solid EDM lifters, Comp assembly lube & Comp break in oil additive. It is a weekend warrior and still going strong.

[@southjerseyjim5049]

Excellent Tony. Would love to see you do a video on valvetrain dynamics, spring rates, avoiding coil bind, etc. and a separate video on tolerance stacking.

[@simoncochran9824]

I'm so jealous of you you know everything

[@iseeconspiracies9579]

5.2 Durango; roller cams are great. Used the old lifters over again on new cam. Didn't even use brake in lube, just ran the starter with the coil off for 2 minutes to lube it. Ran it at 2000 RPM for like 2 minutes and I was done. Drove it 500 miles the following week. Everything is just fine.

[@cjbert6790]

The 540 rat oil blog has a lot of good info on engine oil as well.

[@johnk3386]

Awesome tips for success! Thank you so much! I did a cam last year and everything seems ok but now I'm sitting here thinking...were the lifters lose enough? Ive always kept them on the snug side to prevent excessive oil loss through this area..in Buicks it matters..as well as keeping oil from dripping on rotating mass. Now im contemplating snatching intake and seeing what it looks like after a year. Thanks for another fact filled video buddy!

[@w2tty]

Incredible video. Very good.

[@dandavis1923]

Thanks Tony, as a refresher or new Lerner. You are a grate teacher!

[@albertgaspar627]

If you're skairt to put in a new juice cam, change the rocker arm ratio :) Or hit the junkyard for an OEM roller lifter engine.

[@loganshotrod4x464]

I agree with every recommendation in this video. When it comes to proper inspection & break-in for camshafts - UTG is 100% on point! This is where I turn into one of those know-it-all nerds in the comment section, but I think this is important, especially if anyone runs into cam problems that are difficult to figure out. The camshaft is retained or “pushed” back into the block by the force exerted from the 45 degree angle on the oil pump drive gear on the camshaft. The more oil pressure there is, the more resistance there is, which in turn tends to push the camshaft towards the rear of the engine. The cam sprocket of has a machined surface which holds the cam in place & prevents the cam from “walking” back too far into the block. It’s quite possible that there are directional forces pushing the camshaft (front or back) which are exerted by the valve springs through the lifters as UTG described, but I think the forces exerted through the oil pump drive are greater & easily measurable…

[@markallen1413]

Great job again Tony, you teach this old dog new tricks 👍👍👍👍✅✅✅✅✅

[@joeculver43]

I worked at an engine exchange company for a few years and was never taught this older engines w out roller lifters wow I’m just mind fucked right now great information please don’t stop with the knowledge I really enjoy the videos I learn something every time 👍

[@brucew13]

Would it be good practice to film the break in with the phone so if it the cam/lifter craps out you got proof? Thanks Bruce

[@chuckthebull]

Great information no one really talked about.. i was unsure about all this cam stuff before even on my Flathead harley,,but they use rollers so it will be different for them ..Thank you so much for this .

[@catbird1759]

I've had numerous times that my buddies call me after they wiped out a new cam. It doesn't take but a few minutes that they had no idea what they should have done. I hate it for them. Now take the engine apart and clean it! Yep, that new cam lobe(s) are spread throughout the oil passages. Tom, I hope the younger generation is paying attention, we're a dying breed.

[@mschiffel1]

I use a brass wire bottle brush to zip thru all lifter bores. Works great.

[@nakedshorts6784]

If I find rust I use a wheel cylinder hone, seem to work too.

[@thedodong4268]

Thanks again UTG this great information!

[@centralbears3010]

Are you putting a slant 6 or a 318 in the motorcycle behind you?

[@brianlevan339]

Excellent ! Thanks !!!

[@chrisanderson6837]

I’d love to put big mutha thumpr cam in my bb Ford. Previous owner removed it for a small lift one but I’m not sure he marked the lifters correctly and to buy a new set seems dangerous. So here I sit starring at the box wondering what it would be like. It sucks

[@willkincaid5841]

Always clean prep and check. You can never go wrong there. I know guys that just swap out cams and think they can just go out and rip 7-8 rpm. A 5.0 mustang just got laid down because of negligence and supposed built engine. It made it through one good street block burnout and that was it. And they are blaming It on cam company when this person bought the wrong cam. Around here in ky it's hard to help some people. They really honestly believe they know it all!! And have no uttet clue. Live and live learn I tried to help but some just don't listen

[@beniamino939]

My favorite thumbnail for a video so far! Looks super professional!