Slant Six Forum :: Camshaft fun...

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Camshaft fun... https://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=9433	Page 1 of 1

Author:	DusterIdiot [ Fri May 28, 2004 12:37 pm ]
Post subject:	Camshaft fun...
I'm working on the details of my next build and trying to get the 'footwork' done for for all the easter eggs I have yet to collect to pull it off. Yesterday I was on the phone to a couple of local and some 'big' cam companies looking to see 'what can you do for me'...The local guys were OK but lead time and I'm not too sure about their 'quality' either. The best/funniest call was to Comp Cams, I had asked about their Street Roller Cam since it's not a billet core like typical roller cams and can be used with mild steel gears...first the dude said he couldn't get me a quote, then he said if I wanted to do it I should call Engine Power or Crane to get a blank, and they could grind it for me.... ..... not sure where/who Engine Power is (can't find them on the web), but it kind of was weird that Comp would say I need a blank from Crane....who really makes the blanks anyway?!??!!? -D.Idiot p.s. Cox brothers has one listed, but they haven't gotten back to me yet on what the profile is, I have a set of 'limitations' for the profile and theirs might strictly be for race use...

Author:	Slant Cecil [ Fri May 28, 2004 1:12 pm ]
Post subject:
Crane no longer has any slant 6 cam blanks. They can only regrind on your good core. Federal Mogul made cam blanks, and I think Wolverine did also, but they have been bought up by Crane. Another question to ask is who made the blanks with the gear that is suspected to be part of the oil pump drive gear problem? Cecil

Author:	DusterIdiot [ Fri May 28, 2004 2:13 pm ]
Post subject:	Very good questions...
Cecil you get a gold star. These are good questions to ask, there can't be that many 'blank' manufacturers out ther, but there are lots of grinders, and I'd be very curious who not to let grind the oil pump gear on a custom cam.... I just found Engine Power's web page, abnd they are out of MI, they make anything (probably $$$ for any R&D). If I need a blank made I'll have to provide them with the specs of a cam...anyone got a 30" caliper This is probably good stuff to find out now, before some manufacturer makes up some 'stock' cams for our crowd and they come out poor quality. thanks C, -D. Idiot

Author:	MitchB [ Fri May 28, 2004 5:33 pm ]
Post subject:
The nonbillet street roller I think you are describing... if the same material as the ones they made for the Buick GNs... were nothing but trouble. Many of the GN guys used Comp's nonbillet roller and they all eventually failed. Some, as a result, took out the engines in the process. I would be very careful about using this cam. Mitch

Author:	Doctor Dodge [ Fri May 28, 2004 7:03 pm ]
Post subject:
Been there, done that... The "non-billet street roller" is usually a cast iron (grey iron) "semifinished" cam blank which has a roller profile ground onto it, then is nitride hardened. I used one of these in my 209 "low block" build-up. The cam held-up for 5 years before the hard "skin" broke-up and "toasted" the oil pump and crank bearings. As for the Engine Power cam blanks, yes... Engine Power & Performance makes many of the "semifinished" cam blanks all the cam grinders use. The "EP-7" is their semifinished cam blank for the SL6. Engine Power makes thousands of cam blanks, to them, 50 SL6 cam blanks is a PITA. Last time I quoted them , 50 EP-7s would be about $30.00 each. (plus shipping) I could not talk them into doing any cast steel cam blanks, so I made the pattern and cast some of my own. By the time I added-up the cost, a billet cam core was shown to be the better deal. (the Cox roller cam) http://www.dutra.org/doug/draft-webpage ... m/info.htm DD

Author:	DusterIdiot [ Fri May 28, 2004 10:53 pm ]
Post subject:	That's what I thought...
I've read a few articles and some 'other' articles on the nitriding and the austenetic hardening (even plasma hardening) of engine components. I liked the article they did this process to a solid flat tappet cam and lifters and said it'd live forever in a 440...yet they've only driven the thing for a few months...LOL. One local guy offered to do a regrind and nitriding and that threw up a red flag (like doc said, grind up the skin and 'poof'...)... Anyhow, if I get the hint right, I should be talking to the cox brothers soon, if they return my call and hope they have a billet blank to grind not a finished cam.... Thanks again, I love doing 'snoop and poop' for info like this, it's 'fun'...the rewards often pay off for everyone later too.... -D.Idiot

Author:	Dart270 [ Tue Jun 08, 2004 2:06 pm ]
Post subject:
At Gatlinburg, they said they had blanks they could get ground to your roller specs - a little spendy, but in stock... Lou

Author:	DusterIdiot [ Tue Jun 08, 2004 3:02 pm ]
Post subject:	Them durn Cox Brothers....
Those guys are awesome...I had a really good (long) talk with them last monday. It was 'nice' talking to someone who is in the 'know' and you can actually learn a few things and get complemented on 'knowing wher you want to go and how to be there...' Anyhow, yes they have blanks, he told me to hold off and see about price vs. maintenance cycle on my up coming mill... At the moment I'll probably go with a flat tappet cam to start with and tune the EFI in and break-in the mill on that and see what 'gives', then build up my account and work toward the roller setup. Luckily I have a few contacts to work from on having my own billet blank made (it's about the same as buying one from anywhere else), but I could use a set of blueprints for the critical dimensions of a slant six cam... So far I've found it interesting to see what 'camp' makes their blanks out of what...It looks like the Ford mills with rollers get a 1050 billet cam, and the 'others' and comp cams makes theirs out of 8620.... Now's about the time I need to find a metallurgist to tell me how to read the 'specs' on those materials... The other 'oofus', is running a billet and your oil pump gear...the metals won't like each other (I'm thinking even Doc's hardened gears may not be so sympatico either...) Just makes me jealous that you can get one for a Ford Six, a few blanks for a chevy straight six, but we are in the minority.... The thing about the roller that makes it so intriguing and 'useful' is how the profile not only helps things be more efficient at low speeds in street dress, it also keeps things in line on the high end too...so you can run a very mild profile and get the 'same' power curve that somebody with a hot flat tappet cam would have...considering that most modern RWD engines are either DOHC or are a Roller Cam leads me to believe that it's an ideal choice for an EFI Hyperpak buildup.... now I'm rambling....thanks for the input Lou... -D.Idiot

Author:	Tom Drake [ Tue Jun 08, 2004 6:40 pm ]
Post subject:
You can get blanks from R&R Automotive in Easton MD. I bought one for around $30. Tom

Author:	Dart270 [ Wed Jun 09, 2004 8:03 am ]
Post subject:
DI, RE the oil pump gear, Doc was selling bronze gears a while back specifically for the billet roller cams. I bought one, and he may have more. I'd love to run a roller, but bolting on a turbo seems like it might be just as cost effective for me! I'll get to the roller at some point... Lou

Author:	DusterIdiot [ Wed Jun 16, 2004 6:58 am ]
Post subject:	Wow!
Now I'm really excited, it looks like Camcraft after a few weeks has notified me that they may have found a 225 roller blank to grind for me, so now I'll have to wait and see what they truly come up with.... we'll see.... -D.Idiot

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