Technical Reusing old cam & lifters

I would understand your argument for reusing one or the other if this was a obsolete engine that had a limited aftermarket for parts. I just looked up a cam and lifter set for my Olds 394, it was over $500. But you're running a SBF, which aside from a SBC is the cheapest, most plentiful V8 you could possibly build. I just looked on Rockauto, and cam and lifter set for the SBF runs anywhere between $108 and $164. For everything. If $164 is going to blow the budget for your engine rebuild, you have bigger issues. Especially when the potential downside is damaging the whole damn engine, which will cost a lot more than $164 to rebuild. Seems penny-wise and dollar-foolish if you ask me.

And to those who say it's no big deal to swap a cam later, I call bullshit. It's a fucking pain in the ass to swap a cam. Pull the valve covers, rockers off, pushrods out, pull the intake which means carb and ignition need to come off, the Ford has a wet intake, so you need to open the cooling system, take off all of your front accessories, probably remove the radiator to get the old cam out.... by the time you're done you've just wasted $100 in incidentals like gaskets and coolant just to do the job that you should have done right in the first place, plus wasted a significant amount of time in the process. Dumb.

 

Rock auto has a new cam and lifter set for $108. Cut out a daily coffee or soda for a month and you have the money right there. You dont need a hydraulic roller crazy expensive cam set.

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Yep and there is no guarantee that the Rock Auto brand new cam made in bumfuck is better or even as good as a already tested & proven used cam. As long as you keep the used lifters on the same lobes or use all brand new lifters the used cam most likely will be perfect. I just assembled a 283 for a 64 pickup. Just a light hone new molly rings new cam rod & main bearings. new timing chain and stock oil pump. Installed a set of 602 casting 305 heads with a valve lapp job. and a used 305 cam & lifters. Total cost for everything less than $150. not that im broke. I just hate spending money when it is not necessary. Years ago we used to buy low buck Honest Charley No Name 3/4 Cams. A machinist told us they where crap and lobe consistency would be terrible. So He took new one and measured it. He was biased against it. However He had to admit it was very good & ground as close a possible. Stated it was better than the high dollar name brand cams.

 

Of course


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He also said he did not keep track of which lifter went where. So in this case I would be willing to try a rock auto BFE made cam before using old lifters on the wrong lobe.

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The only reason to reuse a questionable used cam in any combination of used or new lifters is because you are a broke dick dog and have to have that car to get to work on Monday. As stated earlier, "penny wise and dollar foolish".

 

Or if you are in the points lead and your motor goes down and you only have 45 minutes to get running again for the championship !!!

 

I'll buy that! I shoulda thought of that!

 

Where do these guys come up with this crap?
I have enough trouble keeping a good motor running without helping it destroy itself!

 

Ive seen more brand new camshafts go flat and ruin new engines than good used already broken in cams. Of course some idiots don't believe a new cam & lifter combo needs 3000 RPM for 30 minutes on initial start up.

 

"Of course some idiots don't believe a new cam & lifter combo needs 3000 RPM for 30 minutes on initial start up."

Is it likely that the car companies ever did this with cars as they came off the assembly line?

 

I did a tour of the Corvette plant in Bowling Green several years ago and at the end of the assy. line a guy gets in and fires it up and drives it to the rollers and floors it for about 5 minutes!!!

 

I want that job

 

after assembly and before installation. Every engine is test fired on natural gas. a big impact turns the engine from the front balancer to start it. and they break them in at a high RPM for the prescribed time.

 

One of the very first new cams I ever installed was a Chet Herbert. and The instructions clearly stated 30 minutes at 3000 RPM. and Ive always done that ever since. never had a new cam go flat. Had a rod bolt break once!

 

Kinda like reusing a condom, it will work, but the results may not be the best lol

 

One interesting fact I have observed is that the pushrods will rotate with the lifter as it rotates. At least on a little chevy

 

You just gotta turn it inside out and shake the fuck out of it! After that it'll be fine!

 

You can be sure he didn't start there, probably did his share of less than stellar positions.

 

If @s55mercury66 wants that job, he has to be really flexible. I might have wanted the job when I was 20 but now, the assembly line would come to a screeching halt while I leaned out of the Corvette, put my elbow on the concrete and rolled my fat ass out of the seat. Probably have to have a helper to get me up so I could waddle back to the next car and repeat the process

 

I ended up with two kids that way.

 

Your condom or one you found