Would you risk it? What would you do?

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StreetSleeper

StreetSleeper

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I have a machined 360 block
And hydraulic flat tappet camshaft ( Old Stock Lunati 60401,

Do you think cryo freezing & then nitriding an old stock, LA, hydraulic flat tappet camshaft
AND
running Howard’s Cams HFT Liifters would help prevent Camtasrophy or am I still rolling the dice with the build with today’s lifters. Over kill? Insurance? I have the LA HFT cam & machined block but not the HFT lifters.

Stock stroke 360 engine for the street driving.
Going to follow proper break-in procedures, run high zinc dedicated break in oil, above 2000 rpm’s for over 20 minutes, prefilled carburetor, no inner spring…



Hydraulic Flat Tappet Performance Lifters; AMC / Chrysler V8 Howards Cams 91711 | Howards Cams

Lunati Cam 10200701
Intake Duration @ 050 inch Lift: 213
Exhaust Duration @ 050 inch Lift: 220
Duration @ 050” Lift: 213 int./220 exh
Valve Lift w/ Factory Rocker Arm Ratio: .454 int./0.475 exh.
 
NOS cam is probably not going to be the problem , Lifters more likely . Find some NOS Lifters or run Johnson top line or crower camsaver
 
i wouldn't bother with cryo and nitriding the cam. i'd run the howards without a second thought. morel is their supplier.
 
I had Crower camsavers fail. They didn't fail to break in or wipe lifters and lobes. They failed to pump up when hot and the engine sounded like it had solids when warmed up. I snatched them boosheet lifters out and put a set of the cheapest Melling lifters Summit had in stock in it and it's been running great ever since. Over two years. And come to find out, all of Melling's engine parts are made in USA. I also very recently used Melling cam and lifters in a Chevy 283 I built for a friend's father in law and it broke in and did fine.
 
The biggest issue I have seen as a engine builder, is incorrect machining on the lifters themselves. I reface EVERY lifter I use. The new ones right out of the box. I also save all the old lifters out of core engines and reface those too.
 
Here is a example, this is a brand new, fresh out of the box elgin hyd lifter. Just took a very light cut, you can see the spherical radius ground on the face is off center. This lifter would have never rotated properly, and would have failed. Not to mention, surface finish looked like it was done with a DA sander

20241011_095155.jpg


20241011_094856.jpg
 
FYI,
My Hughes HE3037AL and their better lifters at the time, was new in 2004. I've been waiting a loooong time for that cam to die, so I have an excuse to take that engine down.
I run enough spring pressure to hit 7200 on a regular basis.
 
If you do NOT want a Camtastrophy, have a set of factory lifters refaced. None of today's [ last 25 yrs ] FT lifters can be trusted......NOT to be made out of crapanium....
 
you can certainly have a set of lifters refaced but this malarkey of everything being crap for the last 25 years is just FUD

i've installed countless cams in the last decade alone and out of the very few problems i did encounter maybe one of them was attributable to lifters. maybe. i also don't use crap lifters and adhere to a very detailed and strict break in procedure.

maybe i'm just lucky. maybe it's all that clean living that i've been doing. who's to say, really.
 
replicaracer43 said:
The biggest issue I have seen as a engine builder, is incorrect machining on the lifters themselves. I reface EVERY lifter I use. The new ones right out of the box. I also save all the old lifters out of core engines and reface those too.
Click to expand...
What's the average cost to do this? Does any engine machine shop do this?
 
Went to adjust my Hyd. flat tappet lifters the other day and have 3 spongy lifters. This was after running the engine :( I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a solid mechnical cam and lifters. I may be in touch about surfacing my new lifters before installation.
 
Kendog 170 said:
Went to adjust my Hyd. flat tappet lifters the other day and have 3 spongy lifters. This was after running the engine :( I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on a solid mechnical cam and lifters. I may be in touch about surfacing my new lifters before installation.
Click to expand...
If I can help, let me know. And as far as the spongy lifters, I would disassemble them and clean them. That's something I allways do on new lifters, there is almost allways some grit and contamination from manufacturing in them. That will probably cure them
 
I have Eddy heads, so I'd have to remove intake and galley cover. I never cared for how the engine sounded from the get-go 8 years ago. Ran great! Always made noise. If it's going to sound like a flat tappet, I'll go flat tappet. I've been told due to the fast closing cam ramps and stainless valves this can happen but don't really know. Don't want to revisit this rabbit hole.
 
replicaracer43 said:
Here is a example, this is a brand new, fresh out of the box elgin hyd lifter. Just took a very light cut, you can see the spherical radius ground on the face is off center. This lifter would have never rotated properly, and would have failed. Not to mention, surface finish looked like it was done with a DA sander

View attachment 1716316935

View attachment 1716316936
Click to expand...
That's rough. I've never seen one that bad. That was new. LOL
 
replicaracer43 said:
Here is a example, this is a brand new, fresh out of the box elgin hyd lifter. Just took a very light cut, you can see the spherical radius ground on the face is off center. This lifter would have never rotated properly, and would have failed. Not to mention, surface finish looked like it was done with a DA sander

View attachment 1716316935

View attachment 1716316936
Click to expand...
Good lord! That's a problem just waiting to happen.
 
I didn’t read every post but YES get the cam AND the lifters cryogenically treated.

I’ve done it and will continue to do it. It’s cheap enough and it makes a big difference.

I use 300 Below but there are others.

Money well spent. Do it.
 
If either the cam or lifters are machined incorrectly, treating them isn't going to make any difference. They'll still likely fail. Get the parts examined and/or touched up by someone who knows what they are looking for if you aren't capable. Checking lobe taper on a cam is fairly straightforward but finding an improperly ground lifter may not show as easily. Then, if you want the benefits of the cryo treatment, have the known good components treated.
 
Newbomb Turk said:
I didn’t read every post but YES get the cam AND the lifters cryogenically treated.

I’ve done it and will continue to do it. It’s cheap enough and it makes a big difference.

I use 300 Below but there are others.

Money well spent. Do it.
Click to expand...
Newbomb, what is cryogenically? I don't mean to highjack the op thread but I've never heard of this process.
 
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