Thanks Mike. Ive been real careful not to wipe the lube off the cam. I massaged it onto all the lobes real good then added a nice thick layer. Put some on the lifter butts, oiled the sides and slid them in, they spun nice and didnt bind at all. After it was all in I hand rotated it only a turn or so to check but did apply more lube to the cam thru the valley opening. Its buttoned up now. I'll just prime my oil pump as done last time and fire it up. Immediately to 2000. No idle. I have 6qts of Brad Penn 30wt break in oil, and 6 qts of NonDetergent Valvoline 30wt here. And a bottle of zddp additive. If I use the break in oil should I still add the additive? Or just go with the ND 30wt and use additive? Any preferred way better? Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
Oops, I thought it was already covered in here that cranking the engine wipes off the lube, therefore a strategy to ensure that cam lube was there before final assembly and startup! Didn't mean to mislead. Any other methods to ensure the lifters rotate other than a (sort of) mock assembly prior to start up? Personally, I spin the cam by hand with a dab of motor oil while it's on the stand and set up the prelim valvetrain stuff prior to corrective machining, then re-clean before final assembly. I shouldn't assume that the logical jump would be made since there already was a problem.
Where the cam lobes checked for the correct amount of taper ground in? oem used alot more taper than aftermarket grinders..........ask me how I know
Good comment, I think that was the point of observing the lifters spin upon pre-assembly or pushrods when completely assembled. The function is sometimes more important than the actual measurement in GD&T.
Excellent point. Yet another good reason to keep your Buick all Buick (so to speak) by retaining as much of the original engineering intent as possible. This is my opinion, which I'm sharing for all to agree or disagree with--which doesn't matter, when the main point is to show alternative points of view in order for someone to make their own decision based on as much (honest) information as possible. Gary
Quite true, although creating something borderline effective can cause problems when reasonable thresholds are exceeded. This is of course why quality engineered parts are over engineered, and is a poignant reminder of why OEM parts can often well exceed longevity and functionality expectations of aftermarket parts... If and when there is in fact room for improvement over the 'just good enough' aspect of an engineered part, one would expect such a step would be taken in that direction, not in the opposite direction of 'not good enough', though the words in quotes are subjective based on which aspect of the part is more desirable than the other. A trade-off of performance for longevity is expected within the racing community though, and is acceptable as long as the trade-off does not include questionable geometric tolerances. It does make an excellent point though that argues in my favor with the 'longevity vs performance' and which is better suited for any particular application and/or technical skill level of the assembly technician. I do hope I'm not (inadvertently) instigating another technical debate (distraction) over this. I just wanted to point out factual information that perhaps the average person was not aware of. Gary
All points valid. I didn't think the OP would be able to check the lobe taper based on certain... difficulties. Off the top of my head I'm picturing the easiest way to measure taper would be by resting the cam on V blocks on a granite plate and using a 0-1" drop indicator to see the deviation as the cam is slid forward. Of course another indicator would be needed to know how how far forward to be able to calculate the taper. Maybe a way to keep the cam from rotating during this. The block could be used, except for not being able to get an indicator on all the lobes. Now all of the lifter bores would have to be assumed to be exactly perpendicular to the cam tunnel (to which may not be true itself) and also properly located fore and aft, maybe measured by CMM or compared to a fixture like a Block-Tru. Going further, the cam lobes themselves would have to have the leading edge of each lobe verified for location, and plotted against the deviation of the lifter bores, to ensure the contact point of the lifter is the same distance from it's rotational center. Knowing from machining various factory parts, the OEM pieces aren't very accurate (nor do they need to be to work) as well as the fact that they shift around some from use. ...or simply visually verifying the lifters are spinning would suffice. I'm hoping this is taken lightly, with 100% humor in mind.
:grin: Any cam should be checked for lifter spin, particularly if it has greater strain on its components... :grin: In an imperfect world with imperfect variances, ensuring a wider tolerance spectrum within expected imperfections increases the odds of success; otherwise, extra care, attention, and maintenance will be required for proper component function and longevity.
You guys are somethin else I enjoy sitting back reading the knowledge debates. I took the plunge and decided to install a cam and heads for the first time. It was fun and very educational. Plus my little one helped out and that meant the world to me. Now I gotta,just get past this break in and get this thing rollin again! I did my best and hope it paid off. If not, lol well I'll probably just laugh, and take a little break from it and finish this interior haha. Thanks again for everything you guys. Couldnt have asked for a better, more entertaining bunch Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
Update: Engines back in, Jims 9.5" converters in, and broke the cam in lastnight. She runs great! I had a hickup and must have had it on TDC exhaust stroke when i installed the distributor, had it all lined up, pointing to 1 and when I went to fire it up all I got was a massive bang from the tail pipe. That thing echoed down the block like crazy. Loudest ive heard and scared the sh++ outta me. Realized what happened and rerouted the plug wires ro correct it. She fired right up. Definitely a different sound between the TA212 and this Crower Level3. I really like the sound of this one off idle. Sound mean. Has a milder, less lope to the idle which is fine. Combined with the stall converter it just sounds awesome as the rpm rises. Now I need to swap these 2.56 gears for the 3.42s and It should really feel nice. With the new ta cam bearing, oil booster plate, and regulator my oil gained about 10 lbs pressure throughout. Very happy. Thanks for all the help guys! So far so good! Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
Nice job on getting it back on the road again. Better to be in the action instead of commenting about the action. Don't idle for any reason for the first bunch of miles. What did Jim set you up for as a converter? Have fun.
Thanks! All this work ive been putting,in lately is gonna make me want to start on another one now. Jim set me up with a 9.5" which he says should cruise like a stocker around town or down the hwy and stall at about 3000 when getting in it with a mild worked over 350 like mine and mid 3 series gears. Gotta get these 3.42s or maybe a 3.08 in here soon. I hope idling isnt too much of a problem...?? During break in i got it right up to 2200, with occasional rise to 2800 and back down, never wenr below 2000. After that i did idle a few times to adjust timing and idle speed. Took it for a short 5 min run around the neighborhood and did have to idle at a stoplight or 2. Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
Thanks, I didnt have an original one and thought chrome would be too fancy for my bland engine bay so I chose black. Summit or jegs cant remember Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
Awesome! Very happy for you! I'm glad it all worked out and you can finally enjoy all your hard work. :TU: Gary
Sounds like you did good. I just meant don't sit around idling for 10 minutes at a time at least for no good reason, until you pile up some miles. The cam you got should be a torque monster and pull to 5500 no problem.
Sounds like progress . How did you like it so far?. What do you think of that convertor ? I'm sure it a excellent part
I like it so far. Haven't pushed it all the way yet, but it feels like it has some good low end pull (for a 2.56 rear) and part throttle stabs. Really like the sound at cruise and acceleration! Definitely different than the sound the ta212 had with stock converter. The ta212 had a more lopey idle but this crower sounds more agressive when you open it up. The converter really lets the engine get into the power band soon and drives in a higher rpm range compared to before. Feels and sounds like a totally differnt car. Im very happy so far. Im really looking fwd to the gear change. Sent from my LG-H811 using Tapatalk
Nice. If you don't have one you should consider eventually adding an auxiliary trans cooler. The higher stall can make more heat. Glad to see its back together
