I have a roller cam and I need to store it away for while. (getting married and need a house) The cam might be sitting for awhile. I wanted to know how I should store it; should I spray something on it like oil and wrap it. I have shrink wrap too to keep any lube in. I would imagine just using motor oil should work or PAM???? I have it laying flat on a shelf indoor as well. I also have a heavy duty zip lock bag. Any advice? Thanks
Motor oil will probably suffice, engine assy lube may be better, and bag it. I've been warned in the past that you don't want them laying flat during storage; you have to stand it upright. Don't have any evidence to back that claim up, just was told by an old timer to store it that way. JM2C Jay
I use white lithium grease when storing bare metal for any long periods. If moisture gets near it, the grease will skin over, protecting it.
Try getting a piece of all thread that can be screwed into the cam threads. J hook the piece. Hang cam. Take wheel bearing grease coat it. Cover with some handi wrap.
Great thanks a lot guys. Already has all tread on it! Thats funny about the how to store it...I was told to lay it flat! If it stand up or leans against something it could change shape....still not sure on that either. I figured lay it flat since it lays flat in the motor. Any seconds on flat or upright? Thanks again.
Get some cosmoline (you can buy it on line) and coat it, then wrap it up. If you can find the rust preventative paper that many OE's use it is the best. Some gun stores carry it. If not shrink wrap will work. As for laying it down, look at how Every cam manufacturer ships and stores their cams - laid down in a box with no additional support. Don't worry about that, it isn't going to warp from it's own weight. If you go to your local machine shop you can probably get a cam box from a motor they are building and it should have the paper wrap in it and they just throw them away!
I think the main reason to not lay them down is that the surface may not be perfectly flat. At least in a motor, it should lay in there true. I've always heard to hang them or set them on end.
the v8 one aren't as bad but he inline ones are longer and have more of a tendency to sag. even new it's hard to find them with less than .003" droop. they are hung to not put stress on it. you don't store you straight edge laying down do you?
I cover in marine grease, bag then put bolts in the end and hang 'em vertically from the bolts on a bracket I made attached to the rafters in the garage.
i too have always been told to stand them up or hang them.it probably has to do with perfectly flat surfaces to store.
Basicly any non acid or alkali grease or oil will do, used to store skates tthrough spring summer and fall in vaseline, oldtimers like unboiled linseedoil, they used that on anything from steamengines to ships, cosmolene, 50w or better still 90w for manual gearboxes, and you can hang it from a wire if you don't want to lay it flat but I never came across a bent cam from laying on a shelf..
every cam i have got was out of specks or real close. sealed power it took getting 4 ones in to get one to .005". even a brand new clifford was .0035" prob closer to .004" leo, how did you know they weren't bent from laying on the shelf? these were all inline six cams, part of the curse of a longer cam.
I have always hung them or stood them up. When I worked in the machine shop the cigar chewing, tobacco spitting crotchety old bastard always said thats the way you do it. I have never had one warp so I think I will stay with the old way
.006 of warpage on a cam isn't gonna do a damned thing once it's in the motor and running...the first time it gets up to temp and cools it'll be straight again...an extra .006 of lift isn't going to matter, unless you're building the tightest tolerance "squeeze every last hp you can out of it" motor in the world...
I have used LPS 3 with good results. When you are ready to use the part, you clean the stuff of with solvent. http://www.lpslabs.com/product_pg/corrosion_pg/LPS3.html
When storing a cam it is best to lube very well and I don't mean a can of spray lube like WD 40 ! I have used stinking gear oil & even vasoline or grease . Then I wrap in cardboard to protect from damage . I also put a bolt on the cam and hang from a rafter so keep from warping from laying down on uneven surface . I also store cranks the same way to prevent from warping from laying down . The cranks have a lot of weight hanging when layed flat ! Just lube well , cover for protection and hang !
i had to store a freshly turned crank and my builder told me he reccomrnds white lithium and then roll it in a bed sheet not plastic.as plastic would draw moisture.anyway i did it with a sheet and when it came time to build it was perfect...................dave
Grab a piece of suitable diameter PVC Pipe, cut to proper length, cap/seal one end, place camshaft in it , fill with oil, cap/seal the other end. Lubed and protected. Permanent marker ID/Date on pipe.
I went on an insiders tour through Comp Cams and if memory serves, all of theirs were flat on the shelf
Yer right, and laying a cam any way it ends up layin ain't gonna bend it in a million years. Hell, maybe even two million. Worry about something that is real. Package/store to prevent corrosion/inadvertent dings is important. Don't use it for a jack handle Don't lay it on the bench and then pile stuff on it.
i was just going by what the shop manual says- anything over .003" replace it. i have never bought a new cam, checked it, sat it on it's side for years, then checked it again so i have no way of knowing. maybe it's all a old wifes tale about storing them on end! even though .006" prob wouldn't do any harm i wouldn't want it doing the shimmy shimmy for a 20 min break in with my new cam bearings so it can cool down and straighten out. if i pay for a new cam i want one close to specs.
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