Cam regrind?

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Mojoe9955

Mojoe9955

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I have a 5.2 Magnum motor I want to carbureate and put in a project. This is the cam with 3 damaged lobes. Is it suitable to be reground from stock to a mild performance profile given the condition?
I'm not looking for monster performance, just a nice cruiser with some character.
Lunatic has some "nostalgic" grinds which sound like they might work.
Stock pistons, some stage 2 heads with stock rockers, a speed master type intake, 650 carb, headers, stock/mild stall converter, 323 gears on 275/60/15 tires in a 72 Demon...

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Best thing to do in my opinion is send those pics to the regrinder you intend to do the work. Not sure how good it is, but cam lobes can be welded and reground. Probably a better idea to go to the junkyard and pull a good cam from a truck with a 5.9 mag. Price in my area is around $20 if you pull it. If you can't find one for less than $50 aleady pulled, you might juts consider buying a new cam. The price won't be much more and you will have more choices.
 
Look in the "For Sale" posts, I believe one of our members had some Magnum cams there.
 
I believe what you will find is that "whatever" grinder you choose will do one of two things. Weld that one really bad lobe up and regrind the cam or they will swap you a better core. That one lobe I don't believe can be reground.
 
How did a roller cam get worn like that?

...and new roller cams are considerably more than 50 bucks, Hundreds more.

I bought a used one from a FxBO member for $200 and was super happy.

At the time that was darn near half price.
 
YY1 said:
How did a roller cam get worn like that?

...and new roller cams are considerably more than 50 bucks, Hundreds more.

I bought a used one from a FxBO member for $200 and was super happy.

At the time that was darn near half price.
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Looks to me like what happened is it sat up for a while and got rust on the lobes. When it was restarted the next time, it ate some lobes. Just spitballin.

Oregon will regrind a roller for 125. Not bad.
 
YY1 said:
How did a roller cam get worn like that?

...and new roller cams are considerably more than 50 bucks, Hundreds more.

I bought a used one from a FxBO member for $200 and was super happy.

At the time that was darn near half price.
Click to expand...

The cams themselves are not that much more if you consider what I said. If you can get a cam for less the $50, go get a regrind. If you can't find one for less than that, and have to pay for shipping for the cam, and then TO and FROM the cam grinder, the costs associated a regind fade especially since the regrind costs is around $200, at least from OCG. So, you can get a new cam for $400(ish) or pay a high price for a core, then shipping, then time.... get the picture?
 
RustyRatRod said:
Looks to me like what happened is it sat up for a while and got rust on the lobes. When it was restarted the next time, it ate some lobes. Just spitballin.

Oregon will regrind a roller for 125. Not bad.
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Last I was quoted was almost 170 and last I saw referenced was almost 200. When did you get that number?
 
Thanks for clarifying.

Makes sense to me now.
 
Cuda416 said:
Last I was quoted was almost 170 and last I saw refernced was almost 200. When did you get that number?
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Ken Heard. I admit, it's been last year, though. Those over 200 are usually on a new core. I have one here that we just got for a Chevy big block. A solid roller with a cast iron gear so we don't have to run a stupid bronze or other high priced distributor gear. It was around 220 I think, but it's on a new core.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Ken Heard. I admit, it's been last year, though. Those over 200 are usually on a new core. I have one here that we just got for a Chevy big block. A solid roller with a cast iron gear so we don't have to run a stupid bronze or other high priced distributor gear. It was around 220 I think, but it's on a new core.
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Fair my quote was with me providing the core. I'm sure what core matters to some extent.
 
Aren't chevy cams $5 on the "impulse buy" peg hooks near the self checkout at wal-mart?
 
Cuda416 said:
Fair my quote was with me providing the core. I'm sure what core matters to some extent.
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Let me double check with Charlie, he paid for the thing. I could be wrong about that. I know it's a new core, though.
 
Cuda416 said:
SEE! I told ya!
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It was a lot more than I thought. 512.72. But like I said it has a cast gear on a new core. We're goin back with Herbert pressure fed solid roller lifters. I bet that beeotch doesn't wipe lobes this time. lol
 
I've read about sending a cam away to regrind but with shipping and handling it never really made much sense to me, I just wanted to confirm my suspensions.
Rusty is probably right about the lobes as the motor has 198k on it and has had long periods of inactivity, it would fire right up on the first crank though. It's been sitting about 2 years this time and I didn't start it before I took out and tore it down. It turned pretty easily, getting the lifters out was like pulling teeth though.
I'm going to Carlisle next week so I can probably find something I can use there. Any suggestions?
Thanks
 
I've had cam's reground several times.. I do have the advantage in this case of be able to drive twenty minutes to the place... I have brought in a cam to far gone...
Almost no matter how many miles. I don't see how a rolder cam gets worn out. Unless a roller falls off the end of the lifter.... If I was out for a core cam cheap. I would head to the pick and pull with a lot of tools and time...
 
Mojoe9955 said:
I've read about sending a cam away to regrind but with shipping and handling it never really made much sense to me, I just wanted to confirm my suspensions.
Rusty is probably right about the lobes as the motor has 198k on it and has had long periods of inactivity, it would fire right up on the first crank though. It's been sitting about 2 years this time and I didn't start it before I took out and tore it down. It turned pretty easily, getting the lifters out was like pulling teeth though.
I'm going to Carlisle next week so I can probably find something I can use there. Any suggestions?
Thanks
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There's a BIG advantage with flat tappet stuff, as the metallurgy from new cams is questionable.
 
I would think that a reground roller, from a factory roller motor, should be available and reasonably priced. Should be lots of cores avaliable. When you talk of a RETROFIT roller (440, for instance) prices go thru the roof.
I have a bbc roller with a couple damaged lobes like that. It was a very aggressive grind. It had several weak springs, when the valves floated (the owner, not me, was rev happy) it wrecked the lifters rollers and chewed up the cam. I probably (maybe, it's a billet cam) could have it repaired and reground, but I don't think I would trust it.
On the other hand..... I have had reground rollers in my max wedge and my 406 chevy, and had no problems with either. It also helps that the reginder is 15 miles away.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I believe what you will find is that "whatever" grinder you choose will do one of two things. Weld that one really bad lobe up and regrind the cam or they will swap you a better core. That one lobe I don't believe can be reground.
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Seconded. Most of the material removed from a regrind is off the base circle to increase the lift, not from the snout of the lobe. Thats why longer pushrods are sometimes needed depending upon how much is cut.
 
33IMP said:
I would think that a reground roller, from a factory roller motor, should be available and reasonably priced. Should be lots of cores avaliable. When you talk of a RETROFIT roller (440, for instance) prices go thru the roof.
I have a bbc roller with a couple damaged lobes like that. It was a very aggressive grind. It had several weak springs, when the valves floated (the owner, not me, was rev happy) it wrecked the lifters rollers and chewed up the cam. I probably (maybe, it's a billet cam) could have it repaired and reground, but I don't think I would trust it.
On the other hand..... I have had reground rollers in my max wedge and my 406 chevy, and had no problems with either. It also helps that the reginder is 15 miles away.
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I wouldn't be afraid to run a welded and reground lobe. Cranks have been repaired that way since long before I started messing with this stuff.
 
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