flat tappet lifters, and cam core specs

grumpyvette

Administrator
Staff member
ID bet the VAST majority of guys are on a TIGHT BUDGET ,
but there are trade offs , on the value per dollar spent choices too be made at all levels of engine building, between what you spend and what you get, and at times spending a bit more for a better quality part not only makes sense its damn near mandatory if you want the engine to have reasonable durability.
Always ask about your options, because many times its well worth the extra cash, laid out to get the better quality components....
this applies to both roller cam cores and flat tappet cam cores, and the lifters used with either.

now Id bet that in most cases very little thought goes into the selection of flat tappet solid or hydraulic lifters or cam core specs,... in fact I doubt one guy in ten knows they have choices or options and that there are premium cam cores and surface hardening processes that noticeably increase durability, OR that in most cases the use of other than the cam manufacturers suggested lifters , on any cam install ,will be used as an excuse for any cam lobe failures, and as a reason to void your warranty IF ANY APPLIES.
by many manufacturers even if there was no reason to point to the lifters, being used, as an easy option to point to some one else as the cause for a cam lobe wearing out, so in most cases youll want to get MATCHED PREMIUM SETS of both lifters and cam cores FROM THE SAME SOURCE, IF YOU CAN.
ALWAYS ASK ABOUT UPGRADED CAM CORES AND PREMIUM LIFTERS as too the cost , availability and time frames and/or extended or additional warranty's ,while the price of the upgrade in material quality, can be significantly higher, its almost always a TRUE BARGAIN compared to tearing down and replacing a worn cam that failed.
but the quality and surface finish and Rockwell hardness and the care taken during the polish and manufacturing stages means a great deal to the cams life expectancy
now obviously each engine family and type needs a different premium cam core and lifter design, but as an example,
the best BBC flat tappet cam lifter and cam core I've found is the

CROWER 00057 premium cam cores and the crower 66900Px980-16 solid lifters


http://www.callies.com/components/camshafts/

a decent BILLET cam core, proper valve train geometry, moderate spring pressures and quality roller lifters will prevent a great deal of cam lobe wear issues
rollerlifter.jpg


cast cam cores tend to wear and fail faster than hardened billet cores, under high stress
cam007.jpg


http://www.crower.com/misc/m_cat.shtml

performance cam manufacturers offering surface hardening of automotive cam cores
callies manufactures, carburized and hardened 8620 steel camshaft cores, produced to AMS 2301 (AQ) Standards. Our quality is in the details, such as the removal of any burrs or flash that occurs during production. Cams finished on a Carbocore will also have the distinction of maintaining the least amount of gear run-out, often less than .0002 when measured from the adjacent main bearing. Carbocores also will have a surface hardness of 62HRc or higher, and a minimum effective case depth of .110 inches. This attention to detail results in a cam that has superior wear, toughness and strength characteristics. The same consistency you expect from Callies can be found within each Carbocore Cam Core. Currently, Calles has many BBC, SBC and Small Block Ford part numbers in stock. You may also provide a sample, that can be used to meet your customers demands. Please contact our professional sales team for more information about this great product from Callies.

http://www.callies.com/components/camshafts/
the crower lifters have a 62-64 Rockwell number and a .o20 EDM cut oil feed hole machined into the base that supply's oil to the lobes at the contact point under pressure, most solid lifters test out closer to a 52-53 Rockwell hardness and most cam cores are surface hardened cast iron, or parkerized cast iron.( the roughly 15%-20% increase in hardness is very significant in reducing wear, if the proper lubrication is used)
the difference in wear resistance is significant, enough to be well worth the extra expense

now if you take the time to ask a few questions you'll find that most manufacturers offer PREMIUM CAM CORES, that are better quality blanks or at least surface hardened, for a slight increase in cost, in almost every case the cost of the premium cam core upgrade is UNDER $60 and although the PREMIUM LIFTERS cost a good deal more than the often, cheap soft and badly machined and finished imports they generally are FAR LESS likely to result in a wiped cam lobe, use of a quality moly assembly lube and the comp cams lifter bore groove cutter to add extra oil in the case of either the flat tappet HYDRAULIC lifters that don,t have the EDM oil bleeds or the CROWER solid lifters will help.
keep in mind your spring load rates, valve train geometry, CLEARANCES and lubrication requirements, get any of those factors wrong and youll significantly add to the cams wear potential and reduce its chance of survival

read these threads below as theres a lot of useful info contained



http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...d-high-spring-pressures-don-t-work-well.1489/

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=282

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=181

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=1489

viewtopic.php?f=44&t=799&p=1161#p1161

viewtopic.php?f=52&t=155

viewtopic.php?f=54&t=120&hilit=+magnets

have you seen this
zddp.jpg


these links may be useful
http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/adjusting-valves.196/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...cally-tracking-down-a-valve-train-noise.6237/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/metal-in-oil.10875/#post-47688

http://garage.grumpysperformance.com/index.php?threads/cam-wear-articles-you-need-to-read.282/

http://garage.grumpysperformance.co...k-after-a-cam-lobe-rod-or-bearings-fail.2919/
 
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