Seff

Alright, finally getting around to putting my engine together. '72 350, as found, and after the machine shop. Bored 0.040 over, crank turned 0.010 down.

Now, the long-term plan in a TKO-500 and multiport fuel injection, so I ordered this cam, due to anticipating the need for the advertised increased low end torque with my 2.56 Posi rear.

Egge flat top pistons on factory connecting rods, factory valve train, factory nodular crank. Blocked the exhaust crossover and welded the exhaust divider up properly. No porting done so far. Factory intake with bungs being welded to it before long.

Now, to the problem I'm currently facing: The cam bearings I installed, Sealed Power, are excessively tight. Is there anything wrong with gently sanding/polishing then down so the cam can actually move by hand?

Oldsmaniac

Did you use the proper tool for installing the bearings? Without the proper tool they can become distorted and then they will seem tight when the cam is inserted. If it were me I would see if all or just one is tight and replace with a new one s

Seff

The bearings were installed with a metal plate attached to the end of the old cam shaft, oil, and a hammer.

I'm giving it one day of work at polishing the ones that seem the worst/most uneven, then I'm ordering new bearings. Those'll take two weeks to arrive, though. I've been informed of the existence of something called a bearing knife, which more than anything tells me that as long as I do it properly, bearings can be saved.

captjim

I am fairly experienced and confident building engines. One job I let the shop do is install the cam bearings. There is a special tool to use and it is a bit tricky. I would NOT use the ones you installed, especially given the method you used.

Also, why use the factory intake? An RPM would be better suited to your compression and aluminum is much easier to work with.

Oldsmaniac

Well I would say your installation tool is lacking and has caused the bearings to go out of round when being installed. They are fragile and some force is required to get them in place. Yes there are bearing scraper knives but their usage I would say would be for a professional. With the proper cam bearing tool there will be no problem with the cam and bearing interference.

Seff

Alright, I'm hearing both of you. Bearings are being ordered.

Intake: Because I can't weld in aluminum, and they don't make multiport injector intakes for SBO.

cutlassefi

I'll echo what the others said, install new bearings with the right tool and I'm sure they'll be fine.
And for more low end torque I would've used a single pattern cam on a tighter lobe sep.

Jmo

Seff

How would that affect street drivability?

cutlassefi

Wider lobe seps and/or bigger duration staggers make it more lazy.

Seff

Fair enough, that's taken into consideration. Does it hurt acceleration and/or high speed performance?

Part of the original decision to keep the cam close to stock is that we have a 20% power increase limit on engine tuning by law - what has since been made aware to me is that any increase in power that doesn't involve changing crank, heads or block is exempt from the 20% rule, meaning I can put injection, bore up the block, and add crazy cams until I hit 1000 HP if I so desire.

As for the bearings, I fooled around today, cutting four slits in each bearing contact surface on the old cam, then spun it around in the new bearings, cutting off any uneven spots. Now the new cam turns just shy of by hand. If I do this or this, I can turn it.

Completely crazy?

captjim

How in the world can they actually enforce a law like that? Very strange....

Seff

A lot of people get away with it, especially on cars as old and obscure as mine, but most vehicle inspection guys (which is a requirement every 2nd year, or the police come around and take away your license plates) can easily tell if a modern car is performing above what it's registered as performing.

captjim

But you said that any increase that does not involve the crank, block, or heads is OK. Even IF they can tell the difference, how can they determine where it comes from?

Seff

They can't. Those are given as examples of 'major changes' and said examples are taken as the only cases by those enforcing. It's all very stupid, but could be very expensive if not adhered to.

Seff

Update: While priming the engine before startup, the cylinder 7 intake lifter isn't delivering oil to the pushrod, and isn't getting hard. I assume this means I have an oil supply issue? It's the only one not supplying oil, the rest of them ooze that stuff all over the place. Plugged oil passageways, maybe? I've just been turning the engine by hand.

coppercutlass

I had a similar issue. It took alot of priming to get oil out of mine Some took longer than others. Even then the first few seconds it ran the lifters ticked but quickly went away. In my situation i was not worried as i used a lot of the cam assembly lube. But you gotta first find out if you can get oil to the top of the number 7. for me it took me some time like i mentioned but everything runs good no issue no noises.

Seff

CSM says the clicking on startup is normal. The lifters came in at very different times, but I'm worried that I forgot to clean something, since all but that one are supplying oil excellently.

As far as I can tell, the #7 is at the end of an oil galley, so it makes sense that it's the least supplied place, but turning the engine over 75-100 times SHOULD have brought some oil up there.

Octania

I generally leave the engine still and turn the oil pump drive rod to purge oil system air and get her primed.

coppercutlass

Im with octania how are you priming it. I used an air drill and a 5/16ths socket welded to a section on 1/4 in. square stock.

Seff

Socket on the balancer nut.

That other way sounds easier, though, I must admit.

coppercutlass

Remember that since the distributor goes counter clockwise you will have to run the drill in reverse.

Seff

Done, and done. No dice. I removed #7 exhaust first and spun the drill CCW, no oil at all. Removed #7 intake lifter and spun it again, two foot geyser of oil.

This led me to tap the plug behind the oil galley plug screw out, which fell into the oil pan, naturally, and subsequently sped four hours failing at getting the oil galley plug out. It isn't reverse thread or something crazy like that, is it?

Seff

There was an inch of dried up oil behind the driver's side rear oil galley plug. It took a screwdriver and a hammer to get it out of there.

I cleaned both oil galleys and cleared out the small oil holes in the, I've yet to prime the engine again since I had the pan off to fish out the service plug that fell down there.

Does this look familiar? I don't remember removing it from my engine, but it must've come from SOMEWHERE.
QwZeHOL.jpg


With the specs my engine has, would it be right to install this cam straight up?
OTP3f0o.jpg

MDchanic

Ick.

Doesn't look like an Olds part to me.

More like debris from construction, or out on the farm.

- Eric

Seff

It used to be "pronged" like that on both ends. I don't see anywhere it's missing.

Seff

Also, looking at the Howards Cam site, the specs for the 510011-12 are different from the note that came with the cam. This worries me. Which should I trust?

Link: http://howardscams.com/index.php/old...-455-1967-1990