I don't usually publicly complain about a company but I wanted to make people aware of things that may arise when ordering cam kits for their 351M or 400.

First, part number K32-411-8 WILL NOT fit a 351M or 400 as it is packed in the box. You WILL NEED to order different valve keepers (locks) for the intake valves as the ones in the kit only come with single grooves that only fit the exhaust valves. Also, the pushrods that come with the kit are for a 351 Cleveland and somehow COMP is unaware that there's a 1" +/- difference between the 351C and 351M/400 pushrods.

I have been trying to put a customer's 400 together for 2.5 months and am now waiting for a pushrod length checker so I can tell COMP the proper length.....so add at least two more weeks to the assembly process. Perfect. Knowing the stock length is 9.500 and seeing that Summit/Jeg's, et. al list the COMP 7824 pushrods as "stock" for retrofit roller setups at 8.900 inches makes sense but at this point I don't trust COMP so I'll measure. Since COMP sent me 7825 (Cleveland w/roller lifter) pushrods that are an inch or so too short and can't tell me over the phone which ones I need......well.......they're less than helpful.



I've got a pissed customer (yes, I own and operate my own shop to pay the bills) due to excessive time and being over-budget at this point. ALL of this falls into the lap of COMP which initially started with an order (money taken immediately) with no indication of anything back ordered nor shipped FOR A MONTH until I called and inquired. Since then, it's been trying to get correct parts and being charged list price to get said correct parts so I can assemble it. Thank you to Summit, Jeg's, and Speedway when COMP was no help. The pushrods will likely be an extra $180-$200.

Aliexpress may have been a better option at this point. Try to "buy American" and see what it gets a guy.

 

Don't feel bad I've got 3 engines sitting in my back room right now that are all waiting for parts. An aluminum block 400 Chevy, no head studs available. 408 Cleveland together as a short block and then waited 7 months for SADI cores to become available again and there are still no TFS heads. Aluminum 400 Cleveland, waiting on heads, intake and other components.

All you can tell your customer is that you don't make the parts and parts availability for ALL engines is very spotty and has been that way for at least a year.

For what it might be worth I have a 400 Ford sitting here that I set up with a hydraulic roller. It uses the stock non adjustable rocker arms, Morel lifters and a cam from Demos' Cams. I used a pushrod from a Ford 2.3 engine as used in a Taurus. They are just right for the application. This cam wasn't ground as a "retrofit" where they cut the base circle way down so your pushrod requirement might be longer but it might be worth a try. .299 lobe lift 205@.050 duration.

 

Somewhere around 1977 the heads were fitted with single groove locks. Multigroove locks are no good for any type of performance modification which is why they wouldn't put them in their kit. I would suspect someone along the way already replaced your exhaust valves.

 

I think that around that time is when they went to the shorter spring and a rotator on the exhaust side.

 

Yep, and I had those.

Whatever it comes down to, if they're going to sell a kit for a '71 to '84 351C, 351M/400 then they should at least know what they're selling.

 

I can't be the only idiot who has installed a COMP Cams roller cam into a 351M/400.

The pushrods I need don't exist and the ones listed by Summit, Jeg's, and Speedway (7824) for 400s with retrofit roller lifters are too short by almost 1/8" (0.122").

This is a stock 400 without crazy decking or anything special. I'm pulling my hair out trying to decide if I should tell the customer to give up on the roller cam and just put in a stock replacement that WILL work.

COMP is getting another call tomorrow and I'm done being nice.

 

You can order pushrods in any length that you want. It isn't a big deal. Figure out what works and order the length that you need.

 

That's great when you're not already over budget due to things that were supposed to already be in the "kit" price and I'm not sure COMP will foot the bill for custom length pushrods.

Anyway, I did some checking and decided to buy a more common size and will shim the rocker pedestals to get the proper lifter preload.

 

You get no arguments out of me or many others.................... I have not, nor will ever recommend nor ever use their products in any of my vehicles- To validate this point further as to the “McDonald’s environment” of which operate: Tech Support Issue:

Fuel Pump Rebuild

Valvetrain Failure:


Classic Cam Failure:

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/more...ure-48577.html

Cam Lobe Fracturing:

http://www.yellowbullet.com/forum/sh...d.php?t=458553

Cam Failure:

http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=121078

FAIL Comp cams trunion- Rockwell hardness low:

http://www.corvetteforum.com/forums/...n-upgrade.html

2nd Cam Failure:

http://www.performanceboats.com/gn7-...p-failure.html

Major problems with Comp Cams hydraulic roller lifters :

Major problems with Comp Cams hydraulic roller lifters

COMP CAMS FAIL (endless)

http://truestreetcars.com/forums/gen...cams-fail.html

Comp Cams Ultra Gold Aluminum Roller Rocker Failure

http://www.ls1gto.com/forums/showthread.php?t=388981

Comp Cams 918 spring failures

http://www.camaroz28.com/forums/ls1-...ilures-526319/

Cam Failure:

http://www.camaro5.com/forums/showthread.php?t=389981

 

Why can't you send back the pushrods that came in your kit and then apply that credit to get some of the correct length that you determined? If the budget doesn't allow that amount of flexibility you're cutting it way too close on a custom engine build.

 

COMP doesn't make the correct length pushrods in the $69/set style...or the correct length at all for that matter and they only have the $200/set in a length even close that are .022" too long.

I should have just pieced together mix-and-match parts and I would have been money ahead rather than buying a ready-made "kit".

I called and left a voicemail with COMP at 7 AM and haven't heard back yet....and they close in an hour. To hell with them.

 

The SBI catalog has stock application pushrods listed progressively by length. What's the length that you need? There might be something that's just right.

 

I really appreciate your willingness to help. I checked their catalog and nothing in stock. I need 9.025" and they go from 8.9xx to 9.076.

I've decided on 9.050 and will use 0.010" pedestal shims to get me almost where I need to be.

Thanks again.

 

I see that one that's 9.076. 9.050 does seem like the closest option unless you use a cut to length set. Comp Cams shows a kk10805 with a TT5 tip that's 5/16, 9-10 inches long with a 5/16 ball end.

 

COMP Cams 9.050" "Hi Tech" pushrods and 0.010" pedestal shims were the hot ticket. The engine rotated twice on my fuel-injected run stand and popped right off. It sounds good and idles smooth. Now to find time to get it in the pickup.