I had ISKY cut me a 1007LD camshaft for my '39 flathead Ford V8. Should have known there was going to be a problem when it came as a '42 -'48 style instead of the long nose. I bought a CNC drive adapter from H&H to make up the difference. Installed the cam "straight up" and it was 30-degrees retarded to the cam card at 50-degrees lift. Called their tech guy, Noel for advice, he basically said it was a custom grind so I would have to make accomedations to compensate. {Instead of them cutting me the right grind to start with, or fixing their screw up by replacing the cam, IMO} So I slotted the cam driven gear so I could get the cam lobes in the right spot. Problem solved, right? Wrong!! Installed the timing cover and the distributor won't engage the cam drive slot? Hmmm? Maybe the distributor is off a bit? Swapped the cam back to an OEM and the distributor lined right up. Measured the offset of the cam slot and it was off .065-inch more to the center. Making it more "centered" then offset as it should be. Sent it back to ISKY, Noel said they put it in their "test jig" and it was within spec. All the lip service doesn't help me fix their screw ups so I'm having Mike Herman cut me another Winfield.
It's too bad that a long time name like Isky has such poor customer service. It kinda makes you ask whether you want to do business with then or not. We vote with our dollars, meager as they may be, and believe me each one counts. Wake up out there and pay attention to your customer base, or you may not have them.
I have been hearing rumors of bad isky cams for a while. I returned my last new Isky flathead cam to speedway on the hunch it was a turd and ordered one from mike at H&H He always picks me out a good grind and I am pretty sure its done right No more Isky cams for me Till they get their act back together !!!
The Camfather is still with us but he must not be running the day to day operations any longer. Before I put the stock cam in the block to check the dist fit, a few other flathead engine builders told me of their problems with Iskenderian Cams! And their issues with the dist cost one of them a dist housing because it did go together and then it broke off at the mounting ears, took him a while to figure the cause too. That was with a Max 1 that came off the shelf. I've had good luck with parts from Mike at H&H too.
I was spoiled by the Potvin Eliminator. A customer insisted on the "NEW" Isky Max 1 in his 3/8 X 3/8...a month later, I imstalled an old Weber F2, pulled your head off. New tech for old flatmotors...Bah!
Any one have the specs on the Weber cams? "back in the day" I had a 296 with the Weber F5 very wicked sound and ran like a raped ape.
Remember the duration numbers as well as the open and closing points are not at a defined lift ie. duration @ .050-iinch lift.
Many years ago..maybe 1984 I sent a cam to isky for a regrind to lumpier specs. It came back and like all my cams I dialed it in with a good degree wheel. just for grins I checked every lobe. The first two were spot on. After that things got wrong, they kept getting wronger as I progressed down the cam.(it was a 6 cylinder) I sent the cam back told them what I did and what I found. They sent it back to me some time later with a note saying that they checked the cam and found nothing wrong but they reground it anyway. HHHUUUMM? I checked it this time and all was well. I guess I musta checked it wrong the first time huh?
I thought I would feel better venting but the more issues I see with everyone else the more pissed I am that I didn't do more research and find some of you guys who were having these same issues with Iskenderian Cams. At least I didn't break anything in my engine but having to buy another cam and a set of adjustable lifters, head, intake, pan, timing cover gakets and installing a new front seal, degreeing the new cam, breaking it in and putting the engine in back in the car. If I where 16 I'd be punching something!
Used a few Isky cams in flatheads in the last 10 years, and no issues with any of them. If I had experienced the issues you did, I would have gone up there (you are local right?) and tired to work it out.
2X, all cam grinders that are not doing a regrind use pre machined blanks that have cast lobes that only allow a few degrees advance or retard or they won't clean up in the grinding process. I can only guess that for someone to break their distributor it must have been installed 180 degress out of time or they had the wrong combination of model of dist. & cam. Did you take any pictures of your setup?
Nope sounds like 777 was talking to the wrong guy. I keep talking to more higher ups until someone is tired of hearing me and makes it right. Although that shouldn't have been a problem with Isky. Maybe one of the fellas who has Ed's ear can help out with this one.
Yes I am local and I did take a stock cam with me and the adapter with some measuring tools and the dist. They could see that they cut a '42-'48 instead of the '32-'41 no big deal to them since I was able to get the adapter. They had no excuse for the 30-degrees retarded. The distributor slot issue just happens to be something the guy doesn't understand because he doesn't build flatheads.
A buddy had a lobe center issue with a SBC Isky solid roller years ago, but he was able to get them to re-grind him a cam. Good luck with your episode, hope you can get it sorted out.
I agree keep going up the ladder, more so Ed himself worked on this car in '41 with Sandy and I know him pretty well. He just hasn't been available yet.
My third grade teacher, Sister Mary Attila the Hun, told my parents I was 30 degrees retarded.... I complained to the Pope but never heard a word.
I'm aware of the parameters involved with respect to cast camshaft lobe profiles and grinding cam lobes. Which makes it all the more unusual for it to be retarded that far given how much they reduced the base circle diameter. The grinder should have easily been able to bring the profile into the master. Where not talking about half an inch of lift on these cams and in this case they did not alter the lobe centerlines. Doesn't sound like your a Flathead guy, no offense, but there isn't really a way to bolt flathead distributors on 180-degrees out and the engine to run and then break the housing. It would also be pretty dificult to mix up a two or three bolt flange and make it bolt together. I suppose someone could do it but I doubt it in my friends case, He's built 100's of these engines over the years. I'd mention his name but he is a big Isky dealer, probably one of the top three when it comes to flathead stuff and I don't know if he would want me to mention him.
So far..no issues with a Max 1 I sure hope they get things sorted out....Hate to see a great name go downhill like that. 4TTRUK
Yes I have the "specs" as I run a Weber f5s in my 284 flatty. .please let me know if you still need 'em....
I also drive a Weber F5 in my 296 Flathead in a very light model T racer...I would be very interested in the specs and an adress where I can buy another of this sticks! The sound and performance is just awesome!
I went thru something similar with chet herbert cams back in the day. Building a 455 pontiac, wanted a cam to my specs but he wanted to sell me one of his. I didnt like any of his and wanted mine instead so after a good 10 minute lecture from him why my cam wouldn't work I told him I still wanted mine he tells me " when I can afford one of his cams call him back" at which I replied " do you take visa gold card?" He replied yes at which point my exact words were " good, grab you a piece of paper and a CRAYON and write these specs down!" 3 weeks later I received the cam, problem is it was an oldsmobile cam. I call him back and explain the problem, he tells me thats what I ordered and NO returns on custom cams! I said no, Pontiac! Is what I ordered, he says olds, so I had kept the part numbers he gave me on his cams. I read back his part numbers and ask him what they fit? He replies pontiac at which point I ask him "if im building a damn olds why the hell was he trying to sell me pontiac cams for then!?" He gets mad and yells " send the damn thing back and he'll get around to building a new cam!". 2 months later I get the right cam, degree it in and it ran like a striped ass ape. One of the hottest pontiac motors I ever built. Still keep the specs to that cam laying around.
This thread is 8 years old and the person you quoted hasn't been on the HAMB for 3 years so unfortunately I don't think he will be answering your question.
Why do people such as Runlikestink make a post saying they have the information, instead of just posting the information? Then even an old dead post could still give anyone that golden bit of info in the future.
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