What is the consensus on cam bearings in a mild street engine? Got around to final washing the block today, and in blowing out oil galleries noticed that the cam bearings do at least seem to be installed correctly. That's about the only thing done correctly. These are stock type bearings, unsure ot mfg, but they look good, and in most cases I would leave them be. Ought I run them, or knock them out in favor of TA coated dual groove bearings?
I bought the TA dual grooves... If you have a SBC laying around you'll see that it has the groove in the block... Before TA made the bearings many of BBBs had to bring the grove themselves.. that cutter is freaking expensive & not fun to use.
Seems I'll be ordering bearings with my cam then. Thanks for the input fellas. I do and have put several together. I assume the groove in the front cam journal is an attempt at doing what the groove behind the bearing does in the case of the Chev?
I do and have put several together. I assume the groove in the front cam journal is an attempt at doing what the groove behind the bearing does in the case of the Chev?[/QUOTE] Correct, you can eliminate the groove in the cam if you run TA's grove cam bearings.
I am planning on going with a TA 284-88H. Can they be ordered without the groove, or would it have to be filled somehow, like spray welded and turned back down? Cost could become an object if something that in-depth is required.
If its a flat tappet cam, I believe they all come with the groove, some of the roller cams for the big block you can get without the groove, you'd have to check with TA on that. On my 350, and 3.8 turbo, I had the groove spray welded, then machined back to size, been doing that for years, since that time, the machine shop I use does the same thing to ALL Buick cams in builds using TA's grooved bearing, IIRC I payed around 180.00 Interesting tid bit, Buick realized around 1985, maybe a few years earlier, that the groove on the cam journal was not a very good way to transfer oil, so all the V6 cams has smooth #1 cam journals, and Buick grooved the #1 cam bearing bore for oil transfer on the 3.8 V6 I never understood why anyone would think a groove in a rotating part that needs to be lubricated itself would be a good way to transfer oil to other parts Same thing with the HUGE mains on the 455 crank to strengthen the block The crank is spinning, and technically DOES NOT touch anything except the oil between it, and the bearing shells.
