Hi all I'm working on my new flathead project... 286 cubic inches... The question is , do you think i buy a regrind cam ...or go with a new one like isky.... if some of you have good adresses for camshaft regring, let me know.. thanks
A buddy here in Texas (53Ash) had his cam re-ground and is badass with no problems BUT the machinist that did it was very good with many years of experience and impecable reputation. So my advice would be know who you a dealing with before you jump in and if he is good then go with it. The guy here only charged $40 which is a whole lot cheaper and like i said its a badass cam. Hope this helps ya.
We are just breaking in our 8BA with an Isky 77B which is VERY mild. We used all new springs, retainers and all with adjustable lifters. The thing runs SWEET!
Pete. Most of the early flathead cam grinders didn't have access to new cores so they reground stockers. In fact the baddest-ass flathead cam ever, the original Potvin 425 Eliminators were ground from 32 Ford cams. I had H&H Flathead grind me a Winfield SU1A cam a few years ago. They're here on the HAMB. Good luck.
From what I've heard, 99% of the cams are reground. I know you can get cams ground on new cores from Cam Techniques but the $$$ sure go up. Id just swap your core for the re-grind of your choice. Danny
Had EGGE machine regrind my 394 Olds cam, cost about $75clams, 1/4 the price of a new one. Ended up bending some valves during break-in, only because of valve to guide clearance issues. (Ross machine said they needed to be .0018, which is crazy for most modern engine. Crossing my fingers for a successfull roadtest in the upcoming weeks. Engine ran sweet till it heated up. JT
The reason the engine rebuider of my Merc flathead chose a re-grind instead of new is because he says the origonal Ford material is far superior to the new material. Has anyone heard of that reason?
I think Big Tony nailed it when he said it depends on "who" does the regrind. With the sometimes suspect material in new castings these days I'd have to think using a good original stick and having it reground by a respected grinder would be the way to go.
Just like the others have said,90% of old flathead cams were regrinds. Select a cam to fit your needs and go from there. The advice of Mr48chev is right on.
Dean Moon partnered up with Chuck Potvin to mfr front drive blower systems, and Chuck brought along his cam grinding operation. After Chuck (and Dean) died, Chico carried on the 'Moon Cams' service...For the Potvin Eliminator grind, he still requires a '32 Ford cam core: They were steel, all other flathead cams were nodular iron. Dean and Chuck had a large stock of '32 V8 cam cores. But they were pricey...
Just a "heads-up", but you have another recent player in the Flathead cam business. Comp Cams, and they also have the Nailhead pieces now as well. I know Johnson tappet supplies Comp with many of their lifters, so I'm assuming these will be available with their Flathead cams. Being a Comp dealer, I know they do the Nailhead's as custom grind if necessary and most likely the Flatheads as well. Thanks, Gary in N.Y. P.S. Have used numerous Isky's (Flathead's) through the years, never a single issue. Have one Isky recently made some decent power on a 292" stroker.
I had Reed Cams here in Ga to regrind the cam out of my flathead and have been well pleased and used adjustable lifters from Speedway.Told Reed that I wanted a good lick to it and he gave me what I wanted
Just to let you know, there was a recent thread about how off spec new flathead cams are. The OP ended up having his stock cam re-ground.
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