New Camshaft question

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Daniel Dugas

Daniel Dugas

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need some help here. So I order a new comp cam, right before all the problems with them started, and I heard problems once I got it in. I no longer feel comfortable putting it in my engine, so I am curious if cam manufacturers like crower or bullet are having the same issues, or if they are safe manufacturers to get a new cam from. Thanks in advance!
 
I bought a new comp cam for my 440, about 6 months ago. Got it from AZ for 265.00. Bought the lifters(300.00) that have the spurt hole in the bottom of them, to help oil the cam lobes. So far so good.
 
Most cam failures are owner induced BUT I lost a cam a couple of years ago.

It **** the bed for no reason. IIRC the lifters may have been a little suspect but I don’t think so.

Bought a replacement cam and lifters (same everything) and it lived.

If you can’t do it, have someone verify the lifters have a radius on them. It can’t be a wedge cut or shaped like a symbol. It needs a radius.

Make sure all the lifters rotate in their bores and that none are loose.

There are two and only two cam lubes I will use. One is Torco.

The other is Isky rev lube. I have used some Crower lube and it was essentially the same as the Isky stuff.

I never used to but now I pull all the inner springs, run the cam through a complete break in cycle. Then I install the inners and do it again.

One other thing I have started doing is cryogenically treating the cam and lifters.

I send it to 300 Below and let them do it. I’ve only seen one cam after I’ve done it and most would be stunned how it looked.

Some of these lobes these days are very quick. That makes it hard on cams. Plus, too few understand what a flexing pushrod does.
 
Rumor going around is bad lifters causing issues. It's pretty much how uncorrect or bad the crown is ground on the lifters from china is what I hear.
 
Ant said:
Rumor going around is bad lifters causing issues. It's pretty much how uncorrect or bad the crown is ground on the lifters from china is what I hear.
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I’ve heard that as well as I’ve heard the cams being ground out of a cheaper mattress and/or being hardened incorrectly.
 
Ant said:
Rumor going around is bad lifters causing issues. It's pretty much how uncorrect or bad the crown is ground on the lifters from china is what I hear.
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With Comp, I'm unsure it's "just" bad lifters. We'll likely never know.
 
4spdragtop said:
What about getting cam and lifters "nitrided" or whatever that coating is?
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We shouldn't have to, but it's not a bad idea. The thing is though, if the metallurgy is crap to begin with, I don't know how much nitriding will help. At this point, I'm trusting a reground stock core more and more.
 
Yeah I wasn't sure if the nitriding would help if metallurgy was ****?
I'm wishing we had kept the set cam/lifters from the 273 when we redid the top end:BangHead:
RustyRatRod said:
We shouldn't have to, but it's not a bad idea. The thing is though, if the metallurgy is crap to begin with, I don't know how much nitriding will help. At this point, I'm trusting a reground stock core more and more.
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4spdragtop said:
Yeah I wasn't sure if the nitriding would help if metallurgy was ****?
I'm wishing we had kept the set cam/lifters from the 273 when we redid the top end:BangHead:
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Steve, I don't know either. I'm no metallurgist nor coating expert so I have no clue. I can tell you this, though. Ken Heard says all of the factory Chrysler camshaft cores are hardened dang near to the center of the core. THAT, I trust.
 
Newbomb Turk said:
The cam was a Comp. They did replace it. I’m not sure about the lifters.

@lead69 will remember better than I can.
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Comp hydraulic flat tappet thumpr cam and lunati microtrol lifters in a chevy small block, Comp claimed the cam was good after sending it back for inspection but replaced it anyway. @Newbomb Turk had checked the lifters before installing them and they were good. The second go around with new/same spec comp cam we couldn't get the lunati lifters so we went with some basic ones from howards cams and they actually ended up being diamond finished and were extremely nice.
 
I had the first ever camshaft failure in this Chevy 402 about a year or so ago. I did everything right by the book. ZDDP paste, high ZDDP break in oil, primed the heck out of it, you name it. I stopped countin at nine wiped lobes and just threw it on the shop floor. Lifters were all junked up too. First wiped cam for me in over forty years of engine building. I'm fixin to bust off a Chevy 283 soon I'm helping a friend with. Melling cam, lifters and timing set. A high end Melling timing set. Yeah they actually make one. I'm bitin my nails, but ultimately, I have a good feelin about this one.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I had the first ever camshaft failure in this Chevy 402 about a year or so ago. I did everything right by the book. ZDDP paste, high ZDDP break in oil, primed the heck out of it, you name it. I stopped countin at nine wiped lobes and just threw it on the shop floor. Lifters were all junked up too. First wiped cam for me in over forty years of engine building. I'm fixin to bust off a Chevy 283 soon I'm helping a friend with. Melling cam, lifters and timing set. A high end Melling timing set. Yeah they actually make one. I'm bitin my nails, but ultimately, I have a good feelin about this one.
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Use the GM Performance lifters.
 
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