3 bent cams, 3 different stores. . .
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From: Virginia Beach
3 bent cams, 3 different stores. . .
Cam #1 came from a MadDog engine kit and was bent .006 of an inch.
Cam #2 came from AutoZone and was bent .003 of an inch. Need to return it.
Cam #3 came from the machine shop (becuase he could check it there instead of me having to install it if it was bent) and it came in bent .015 of an inch!!
WTF! I'm a month into trying to get a %#$ cam into my block so I can finish it off! The first two were Melling and the third was a Clevite. I know they aren't big money cams, but it's not like they are not name brands. I would have expected better
Anyways, anyone else have this much trouble? Should I pony up the dough and look at something like a Comp cam? All I wanted was just a stock cam to go back in so I could get it back on the road. . .
Cam #2 came from AutoZone and was bent .003 of an inch. Need to return it.
Cam #3 came from the machine shop (becuase he could check it there instead of me having to install it if it was bent) and it came in bent .015 of an inch!!
WTF! I'm a month into trying to get a %#$ cam into my block so I can finish it off! The first two were Melling and the third was a Clevite. I know they aren't big money cams, but it's not like they are not name brands. I would have expected better
Anyways, anyone else have this much trouble? Should I pony up the dough and look at something like a Comp cam? All I wanted was just a stock cam to go back in so I could get it back on the road. . .
FE "Freakin Expensive"
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Well Steve the autozone cam at .003" you would have never noticed that. thats only .0015" per side.... I dont know what the spec limits are on a stock type cam..But I'am sure there looser that a performance cam...
I ran 1 melling in my life.....on a brand X motor..and will never run one again....It was a POS....I always run either Comps, Or Isky.. you get what you pay for is the way I see it....
Russ
I ran 1 melling in my life.....on a brand X motor..and will never run one again....It was a POS....I always run either Comps, Or Isky.. you get what you pay for is the way I see it....
Russ
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From: Virginia Beach
!!!!
You're alive!!
A Comp was just money I didn't want to spend and just something else I didn't want to deal with. . .I just want the bloody thing back on the road! But you're probably right in regards to $$$ spent.
Stock specs are .001 out of round. .003 was tight to break loose to turn over by hand, not as bad as the .006 cam but tight enough I was worried about running it. If I had run it and something had seized or otherwise was damaged to the point of me having to remove the motor to fix it and/or taking the block back to the machine shop. . .I would soak the truck in gas and burn it too the ground
Then I would have signed up for "Bus Riding Enthusiasts" becuase thats all I'd be doing 
I'm very much losing my patience in regards to working on my truck, I just want to be able to enjoy it!
You're alive!!
A Comp was just money I didn't want to spend and just something else I didn't want to deal with. . .I just want the bloody thing back on the road! But you're probably right in regards to $$$ spent.
Stock specs are .001 out of round. .003 was tight to break loose to turn over by hand, not as bad as the .006 cam but tight enough I was worried about running it. If I had run it and something had seized or otherwise was damaged to the point of me having to remove the motor to fix it and/or taking the block back to the machine shop. . .I would soak the truck in gas and burn it too the ground
Then I would have signed up for "Bus Riding Enthusiasts" becuase thats all I'd be doing I'm very much losing my patience in regards to working on my truck, I just want to be able to enjoy it!
Last edited by Franken-Truck; Nov 25, 2007 at 09:28 AM.
FE "Freakin Expensive"
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Well I had sent you I dont no how many PM's and no reply? so I have been around..
Are you sure you didnt nick a bearing installing the cam? But I wouldnt run any of that junk anyway.....that Melling just left a bad taste in my mouth.. most of the lesser brands probably come from off shore machining or Mexico anyway...
I just got my Money back from Flatlander on an IDT Block they had advertised wrong.. It really pissed me off, because thay were going to charge me a re-stocking fee of 10% of the $1400 I had put down on the block...
So I had to call IDT and explain the situation too them..and they Faxed me a letter that wasnt to kind to Flatlander... and I in return..Faxed it too them..and got my money back....100%....I should have recieved interest too !! LOL..
So after the first of the year, I'll be putting in my order thru Lem , and ordering my A460 block....and then trying to save the change up for the Kaase P51 heads...
But I'am not going to rush on this build.....and get myself in a bind....Just going to take my good old time and enjoy it as it morph's into 575 cubes..
Russ
Are you sure you didnt nick a bearing installing the cam? But I wouldnt run any of that junk anyway.....that Melling just left a bad taste in my mouth.. most of the lesser brands probably come from off shore machining or Mexico anyway...
I just got my Money back from Flatlander on an IDT Block they had advertised wrong.. It really pissed me off, because thay were going to charge me a re-stocking fee of 10% of the $1400 I had put down on the block...
So I had to call IDT and explain the situation too them..and they Faxed me a letter that wasnt to kind to Flatlander... and I in return..Faxed it too them..and got my money back....100%....I should have recieved interest too !! LOL..
So after the first of the year, I'll be putting in my order thru Lem , and ordering my A460 block....and then trying to save the change up for the Kaase P51 heads...
But I'am not going to rush on this build.....and get myself in a bind....Just going to take my good old time and enjoy it as it morph's into 575 cubes..
Russ
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From: Virginia Beach
Originally Posted by RapidRuss
Well I had sent you I dont no how many PM's and no reply? so I have been around..
Russ
Russ
"Heya Steve!! 09-03-2007 01:16 PM"
And no, I didn't reply. . .not that I didn't mean too, probably just forgot
I could have very well nicked one of the bearings at this point. But it's so soft, I didn't think it would be a problem of being smooshed back down with another cam being installed. I brought the block back up to the machine shop the first time and he ran his test cam through it and it was perfect, so I'm going to assume the block and bearings are fine.
I told the machine shop to try one more cam, if it doesn't pan out then I'm going to by a Comp Cam and hope for the best.
I can't even fathom spending that kind of money on a block and heads! Thats unreal, lol. I mean, I'm unwilling to drop $170 on a cam, and your going to drop a few grand on a bare block and heads
I think you've lost it
BTW, gotta love the restocking fee's! Always out ta make dat dolla-dolla-bill yall
FE "Freakin Expensive"
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,461
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From: Smith Mountain Lake, VA
well if a test cam work you should be fine..... and as far as the Big motor goes...LOL..I want to build one more killer Pro/Street motor before I die....lol..
I figure a few years and about 14 to 15K in it....But it will be my pride and joy.. for my retirement years of cruising and occational drag strip runs.... It wont be going in my 70 tho....I'am looking for some older iron in a car..Maybe a Cougar or a Galaxie...
Something thats fast enough to knock the gray hair out of my head....lol.... hell Steve ..its only money and you cant take it with you....
Russ
I figure a few years and about 14 to 15K in it....But it will be my pride and joy.. for my retirement years of cruising and occational drag strip runs.... It wont be going in my 70 tho....I'am looking for some older iron in a car..Maybe a Cougar or a Galaxie...
Something thats fast enough to knock the gray hair out of my head....lol.... hell Steve ..its only money and you cant take it with you....
Russ
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From: clinton iowa
if your needing a good deal on cams and a great one to do business try here http://reincarnation-automotive.com/
Last edited by monsterbaby; Nov 25, 2007 at 06:45 PM.
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Fleet Mechanic
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From: Hesperia, CA
I had the same problem with Crane. The darn thing was so far off that, I thought that I would call their engineering department and caution them that there might be something wrong with their grinding machine. They guy accused me of being a “shade tree mechanic and to take it to an expert." I told the guy that I didn’t have any shade and hung up on him.
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From: clinton iowa
looks like i posted wrong link for scotty try this one http://460ford.com/viewtopic.php?t=17348 he's got some cam deals with lifters really cheap
FE "Freakin Expensive"
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Yeah that true Steve, I forgot about Scott ....he's real a real nice guy and will go out of way to help you.....But I dont think he would have any stock type cams on the shelf...he has a cam grinder a few doors down from him.... and use's him to grind from blanks....
But he has told me in the past, his blanks are the same one's comp use's....But I would think his pricing would be a little higher than going to Jegs, or Summit.. to get your stock type cam.. JMO..
RJ
But he has told me in the past, his blanks are the same one's comp use's....But I would think his pricing would be a little higher than going to Jegs, or Summit.. to get your stock type cam.. JMO..
RJ
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From: Virginia Beach
4th. . .needs a wrench to break it over. . .machine guy told me before I picked it up it was fine, and the block has been double checked as being fine. . .
I just don't know anymore, I give up. . .
. . .I don't normally drink but I'm ready to go out and get a bottle of Jack. . .I'm so pissed right now
FE "Freakin Expensive"
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: Smith Mountain Lake, VA
Well Steve that doesnt make any sense!!! your machinst told you it was fine before you picked it up...and you get it home and its too stiff to turn...
Sounds like you were BSed..... Did you personally check it before you left the shop??
Russ
Sounds like you were BSed..... Did you personally check it before you left the shop??
Russ
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Joined: Nov 2003
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From: southeast Idaho
I had one that was .019 out in the center, ended up having to use it, so I chucked it up in the lathe and straightened to where it was between .001 and .002 slipped it into the new bearings , it turned free so I put it together and now the inexpensive little clevite has outlasted two comp cams and NO metal in the oil, thats a good thing for me! I guess what I am saying is that you can straighten them and make them work, but if it were not neccessary that time I doubt I would have ever used that cam, I mainly did just to see if it would work after that, but definately return a new just bought one thats like that, and problems like that are not as unusual as you would hope for.
Last edited by wdfp; Dec 3, 2007 at 04:36 PM. Reason: misspelled
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From: Virginia Beach
No, he checked it friday afternoon and I picked it up saturday morning. The counter is open for a few hours saturday morning, but the machine shop is closed.
I've thought about getting/making my own set of V-blocks since I already have a dial indicator and finding the/any high point and just tapping it with wood block and hammer to try and knock it back into center. Redneck version of what you did with the lathe, I'm sure
at this point, I just want it in. . .
I've thought about getting/making my own set of V-blocks since I already have a dial indicator and finding the/any high point and just tapping it with wood block and hammer to try and knock it back into center. Redneck version of what you did with the lathe, I'm sure
at this point, I just want it in. . .
Post Fiend
Joined: Oct 2003
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From: Western Central NV
I hate to say it but I hear nothing but BAD about modern flat tappet cams. IMO it would be better in the long run to install a roller cam. With flat tappet cams being the cams of the past & rollers being the cams most manufactures are using and have been using for several years. It seems that for whatever reasons flat tappet cams seem to have a lot of issues. I hear them right here on this forum about the BRAND NAME cams having issues as well.