Camshafts are the brains of your engine, also the most complex and misunderstood part.
This video is the first in a series to give you a solid foundation of understanding camshafts, which will give you the knowledge to make the best selection and produce the best engine at the lowest cost
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Very good explanation
Thanks, great information, looking forward to the next video. I'm about to start a 400 build, so I have lots to think about!
You need to use an oil with zinc in flat tappet cams as well. That’s why a lot of guys use she’ll Rotella diesel oil, ect. Companies like Amsoil make high zinc oil for flat tappet cams. I personally don’t trust adding a bottle of zinc additive personally.
Thanks for the cam video, this one was good for the rookies. Looking forward to the next one for sure. It will be interesting to see the follow up on the AFR valve seal problems. Thanks
AG I run a 4&7 swap on the firing order on my race roller camshaft. It came about from Prostock… Being said they claim it gains around 7 HP. It also cuts down the harmonics on the engine crankshaft to make the engine live longer… Valve spring seat and open pressure controls valve float. The main objective here is to keep the lifter down on the cam lobe and no bouncing off it! Use to be on the old days, GM made some hydraulic lifters that were anti float, # HL 66. AC is the one that made them and that is the ones I ran in my small block, plus the bottoms of the lifter were thicker than some others so they didn't have in as easy with the spring pressure. I have seen plenty of other cheap lifters cave in and go flat. Once the concave on the lifter is gone it no longer can be spinning like it suppose to. Causing the lifter and cam to go flat. I have seen many solid and hydraulic cams that went flat, due to poor process by cam companies and the wrong break-in procedures…
Good video mr gold
I'm installing a new solid flat tappet cam in my 454. What do you think of the lifters with a .015 hole in the bottom for extra lubrication? Sounds like a good idea, have you tried them?
Great video. Looking forward to the series. You're the same age as my brother, who unfortunately I lost earlier this year. He was a Mechanical Engineer and taught me so much. Been building engines and drag racing since my teens. I wish you much success with your channel. I have no doubt you will reach your goal of subscribers by your 75th birthday. Thanks for sharing your knowledge!
Can you cover in one of your videos about noise that a full roller adjustable hydrolic valvetrain makes? I've run them in 2 different Ford engines and they always make some noise. Any thoughts about this would help. Thanks.
What a very informative video. Thanks Mr. AG. Way too much info for a beginner, like myself to take in all at once. You did great, but you know what goes on with the different cams and lifters. It may help if you did videos on each cam and what application could be used instead of back and forth with, Anyways, sorry but I'm still lost in the differences. You did well fir those who have experience. All I ask if you explain each cam and what type lifters can be used. Thanks. Truck Driver Ray ✝️ USA
Very nice video, thanks.
I sort of remember the Chevy cam failures of the early 80's or so. People were replacing them on just about everything. It seemed like nobody gave a second thought to all that debris floating around the engines back then. They just replaced the camshaft and all was well. We wouldn't think of doing that now.
I have a friend that races a dirt track late model – went for years and years with no camshaft problems. Last year one failed after a few races – that got replaced, engine gone through, major cash spent. Later in the season it failed again. Spare engine back in. He says he spent more on refreshing the engines than he would have if he bought 2 sets of roller cams. But the rules don't allow rollers. These are pretty big money race cars – maybe 35 years ago when they wrote the rule book it was the right thing to do, but now the cost of a roller cam is insignificant compared to what they spend on these cars.
Great video. I think my 68 225 slant six also had solid lifters. I recall adjusting the lash while it was running. It was not a high performance engine. I guess solid lifters are less expensive.
Thx for doing very Helpful camshaft basics 101 video….With all the Flat tappet cam Failures during engine Break-in, No Investigation has identified cam Lobe or Lifter Face with Less than the SAE 55 Rockwell hardness to date AFAIK….So Out of limits spec "Soft" cam or Lifters hasn't been Causing the Majority of flat tappet Fails…..New Lifters Have been Found with Out of limit face Convex Crown Radius (dome Shape) & New camshafts Have been Found with Out of spec Lobe Taper both Causing Insufficient Lifter Rotation & resulting Break-in Fails…..Assuming Proper Motor Oil Zinc & Phosphorus PPM content, Insufficient Valve lifter Rotation Verification is Primary cause of most New cam & Lifter Break-in failures…..One average, most common Motor Oils contains 1/2 as much ZDDP as was used during 1950's thru mid 1990's…..Motor oils such as Valvoline conventional VR-1 Have the Proper PPM balance of ZDDP content….Ironically, Excessive ZDDP as found in most so called "Break-in" oil Brands actually Reduces cam lobe friction Protection & Encourages cam–lifter Failures with Marginal lifter face Crown/Insufficient lobe Taper combinations……