Cam Swap

[malc]

I got the new cam last Friday.
Reading and digesting their installation guide.

They tell me I can only use their lifters and I must buy their springs for this cam.

I must break the cam in using weak springs or risk losing all.

Their break in says I must run the motor at varying rpms for thirty minutes.

I was thinking of using Crower Camshaft Saver Lifters

This guy explains it with less drama.

How have you guys done it ?

[68scott385]

Other than a zinc additive that sounds like the new standard procedure for breaking in new flat tappet cams. I'm beginning to think the added expense to retro fit a roller is worth it.

[anotheridiot]

I cant say I have ever done it right, well, maybe I should say only 15/16ths right since I have lost two lobes on two cams..

Just that 20-30% more oil to the lobe area means 20-30% less to the rockers no?

[malc]

I've done it with my original 305 going to a Crane cam.
That cam then went into my 355 and is the cam being replaced.
I never even thought about needing weak springs for break in just the lube.
That same cam had a replacement set of lifters
which I broke in like it was a new cam.
I have plenty of ZDDP additive for this swap and lube.
Just worried about the lift on the cam being detrimental to the break in.

[fatguyzinc]

speedway makes low lift (1.3 i think) rockers for smallblock chevy
specifically for initial run-in...

i wont use compcams because of this, the isky and lunatis must
use better cores or something, a bottle of lucas hi-zinc additive during
breakin, and ive never had a problem with a flat tappet hydraulic....

[SuperBuickGuy]

Other than a zinc additive that sounds like the new standard procedure for breaking in new flat tappet cams. I'm beginning to think the added expense to retro fit a roller is worth it.

this is where I'm at - in the scheme of things, roller lifters add $100-$200 to the cost of the build - I can truly see a day when it will be less expensive to buy roller lifters then a flat tappet cam....

[fatguyzinc]

this is where I'm at - in the scheme of things, roller lifters add $100-$200 to the cost of the build - I can truly see a day when it will be less expensive to buy roller lifters then a flat tappet cam....

i dunno--by the time i bought the cam, lifters, correct length pushrods, matching springs, etc
it was almost $700 MORE for the roller vs flat tappet hydraulic for my last BBC build....
maybe its demographics, maybe its the stuff i picked, but retrofit rollers are still $350+,
the cam is $275+, the pushrods $300+, springs $199.....

my last isky 292-.595-108 was $268 with lifters after shipping, springs were $149....

plus theres the "K.I.S.S." theory.

[malc]

Edelbrock do roller cam kits which start near $700.

[65RHDEER]

i dunno--by the time i bought the cam, lifters, correct length pushrods, matching springs, etc
it was almost $700 MORE for the roller vs flat tappet hydraulic for my last BBC build....
maybe its demographics, maybe its the stuff i picked, but retrofit rollers are still $350+,
the cam is $275+, the pushrods $300+, springs $199.....

my last isky 292-.595-108 was $268 with lifters after shipping, springs were $149....

plus theres the "K.I.S.S." theory.

This is what my dilemma the last time I lost a cam the cost too change just got too much, being on the other side of the world also doesn't help.
I went with nitriding a flat tappet cam, it's an option that Comp offers. I have had it in the motor for 5 years now with no worries whatsoever.

http://www.compcams.com/nitriding/

The best way I found to get the cam to Australia was to order it through Summit adding the nitriding option, I think from memory changing the last digit to -20 added the nitriding. Because Comp have free shipping within the 48 their shipping to the rest of the world is expensive.

[cstmwgn]

You can also use Cam Research's break-in service which will allow you to assemble the heads with both springs. Depending on the lobe profile, they may still want you to do the standard 20 minute break-in procedure.

[malc]

The best way I found to get the cam to Australia was to order it through Summit adding the nitriding option, I think from memory changing the last digit to -20 added the nitriding. Because Comp have free shipping within the 48 their shipping to the rest of the world is expensive.

I´ve found ordering off Summit on EBay I pay less import and shipping, only
drawback is you wait longer for the parts to arrive.

[anotheridiot]

I have ordered off ebay on saturday and got the parts on Tuesday, ordered direct from summit on Monday and got them thursday. Works both ways I think.

[malc]

I have ordered off ebay on saturday and got the parts on Tuesday, ordered direct from summit on Monday and got them thursday. Works both ways I think.

It's the shipping and import duty that matters most to me.
Why import duty and shipping are so much cheaper buying off EBay I can't figure out.
Some things on the Summit EBay store are not
available or don't ship abroad....like the spark plugs I use or -6 braided hose in 6ft lengths.

[anotheridiot]

Dont know, I am done with hose, just use all aluminum tubing now, at least you can control the ID instead of running the smaller ID of Teflon. I am sure ebay stores get some cut rates on the duties over a single store though.

[Scott Liggett]

Our company breaks in as many as 30 flat tappet cam engines in a single day. We use dual valve springs that have around 125 psi on the seat and 300 psi open. We have almost no cam failures. We have a few cam failures once in the hands of the customers. Not really sure what causes it. Most likely, not reading the instructions that come with the engines.

I have broken 4 flat tappet cam engines myself in the last 10 years. One has a BluePrint camshaft. One was a Summit racing cam, probably made by Melling. I have also have had a Comp Cams and an Isky cam in the same engine two years apart. I had four flat tappet cams in my Impala's 383 over the years. Not a single failure.

Not once did I change the valve springs for the cam break in.

I really think all these idiotic suggestions comes from the 2 problems that happened at the same time. The first was cam companies moving their core manufacturing overseas without really overseeing their new suppliers were actually following the specs they set forth. This was a common problem among many companies during that time. Most have since have a better control what is being made by overseas manufacturers. The second part was the EPA telling the oil companies to pull zinc out of their oils and no one bothered to inform the masses. Together this added up to a lot of flat tappet cam failures in a very short amount of time.