Technical Wiping new cam problem solved?

You can do roller cams in most old engines if you are willing to have the parts custom built and then do the proper machine work. It is a pain in the ass for something that a good mechanic can overcome. Most of the people reading this thread have never done a run in and would not know for sure how. That is where the real issue is.

it helps to buy quality parts and not cheap out on your build. You can get good parts even from The Zone if you ask. I normally choose Mexican parts if I cannot get Made in USA. They build good pieces and contrary to common belief it is not "slave labor". Yes paid less then a Union worker in the USA but paid really well in their economy.

Roller cams are probably the answer for most.

 

If ALL lifters are reconditioned then why is there no core charge? Where do all the used lifters come from?

 

Unless they are cherry picking defects to put more "good" lifters together? With general shortages, this could be a thing.

 

I thought those were called Rhodes lifters?

 

I grow weary of wiped cam discussions…. After back to back cam wipes, I just want to drive my car, listen to my tunes, and believe in a world where all machine parts are perfectly manufactured by honest, caring people, who’s only concern is my complete and total satisfaction.

 

How about this, if you have dealt with a cam/lifter being wiped out in the last, oh i don't know, let's say 5 years, how about posting the brand of camshaft and lifter? I'd love to see those numbers. I'm gonna go start a poll....

 

My machinist is rebuilding a 351W for me and suggested/urged me to go with a roller lifter cam, but the difference is $1,000 more, which for me is far beyond my budget. So we are going with an Edelbrock RV grind cam/lifter kit with roller rockers. Once I get that together and broken in, I'll report back.

 

The Chevy problem in the 70s was in the cam not the lifters. Surface treatment/hardening and smog lobe designs.
Look at the specs for a 267 cam. No duration but a bunch of lift makes for a steep lobe.

 

After witnessing several cam wipe-outs, I've decided to drink the Kool-Aid, whip out my wallet and pay up for a roller set-up. Crazy expensive, but it only hurts once!

 

Any cam I buy going forward will be a roller cam. I have a few kits that will be candidates (from Howards) for my 396 build.

 

It only cost me the price of roller cam from Ford Performance.... $149.95
The lifters and tie bars plus the spider I already had.... Plus a new set of pushrods.... I don't think I paid more than $200.00 for it all....

 

Yes solid cams need more attention compared to hydraulics.
Conventional lifters, solid or hydraulic, need to be broken in carefully and deliberately so the cam and lifters get a chance to shake hands and get to know one another. If not done correctly the two can potentially destroy one another and load the entire oiling system with metal grindings that can only properly be gotten rid of by completely tearing down the engine.
A hydraulic roller cam & lifter set needs virtually no break in initially and further adjustment is usually un-necessary. Very expensive but cheaper and easier than an engine re-build.

 

I think this theory of reconditioned lifters has so many holes in it, I'm unsure where to even begin? Everyone I know tosses old lifters in the trash. And if the makers were getting old lifters from engine builders we'd have heard somebody mentioning they sell old lifters, or requesting old lifters get turned in when buying new lifters. It's just total BS.
Now as for roller lifters. I last year built my first roller lifter engine. I went roller lifter because it's a 1990 SBC and already was a roller cam, so I could use less expensive OE style lifters, not retrofit roller kits. All went well, and of course no cam or lifter failures. But not long after getting some miles on my engine I began to hear some lifter rattle. I pulled the valve covers and readjusted the rockers, and all was fine for a short time. Then more rattles.
I have a Howard's hydraulic cam and lifters, so called their tech line, and asked the tech what was happening to my cam and lifters? He immediately asked me what weight oil I was running, and I told him straight 30w, as I'd run almost all the time on engines when they were fresh rebuilds. He told me roller lifters have tighter clearances, and I should be running either 0w-30w, or 5w-30, but not straight 30w.
I went to the shop and drained my oil, and refilled with 5w-30w, and drained the filter, and refilled it with the same. Started it up and no more rattle instantly. I pulled the valve covers, and reset all the lash to zero plus 1/4 turn, and never had anymore lifters rattle.
If it wasn't for the Howard's tech I'd still be chasing my tail, and wondering what was wrong. Or swapping the engine to a flat tappet cam.

 

Bologna Tony has been watching too many of those Pakistani mechanic videos

Joe

 

What's the "core charge" for old lifters...

 

I don't think there is any mystery here. Garbage quality lifters sourced offshore and manufactured from substandard materials to generate maximum profit in conjunction with cam companies who will walk on their hands to blame the end user for the failure. It defies logic to accept that both pro and backyard engine builders alike are suddenly "doing it wrong" with regard to breaking in a cam and lifters.

 

Can you imagine the lawsuit a cam or lifter maker would open themselves up to if they were found to be reconditioning lifters, but selling them as newly made? I don't think so!

 

Replacing those cheesy wire clips with internal circlips is always a great idea! I've had two engines that had lifters come apart when those wire clips failed.