Cam Quality...One Brand Better Than Another?

[zhorner]

Sorry for another cam thread guys but i would like some input on which brand to go with. My #3 ex lobe is shot on my comp 212/212 FT and i am planning on going back in with a 206/206 (not set in stone, open to suggestions). I have unported heads and really just wanting a mid 11 sec daily driver right now. The real kicker is I reused this cam on a fresh 2 year long rebuild without doing a true cam inspection and feel like a complete retard. The drivers side tick I had prior to rebuild was right back after about 20 miles on this motor and turns out it was the push rod up/down play tapping the rocker.

Ive been reading a lot of threads and it seems that many experienced TR guys feel the problem isnt necessarily FT cams...but the decreased quality control on aftermarket vs OEM cams and or lifters. So are their any brands you would consider better quality than others?

Also not interested in a roller setup for this motor. I plan on building a separate 10 sec roller motor in the future and would like to just do a FT swap on this one for now.

Thanks for any advice folks I really appreciate it.

On a side note, i did use dino with zddp on start up then changed after initial breakin with the same. I bought this car with 5k miles on motor rebuild and blew at under 10k miles. I ran reg valvoline without zddp and am pretty sure the previous owner ran synthetic with no zddp.

 

[earlbrown]

Actually it's a combination of weaker cam blanks, lifters without the hardened foot, AND oil that's not designed for FT cams. Throw in some fast ramp rates, and stiff springs and you've got a grenade with the pin pulled.

The cost of admission is much greater to go roller, but it's a lot cheaper than doing it twice.... and going roller.

 

[zhorner]

Thanks for the fast reply.

At this point I want to get out as cheap as possible as I recently decided to sell the car. Ive owned it for 2.5 years and it has been undrivable for over 85% of that time. I just feel like this car is not meant to be and will purchase a different one down the road. I currently have $15k in it and will be lucky to get even close to that out of it. I feel like now isn’t the time to drop an additional $1k for a roller setup. Owning a GN has been a dream of mine since I was a teenager so im pretty bummed about the whole deal but its time to walk away from this unit.

 

[earlbrown]

If it makes you feel any better isn't not that uncommon for new owners to give up. There cars just will not tolerate shortcuts and there's certain parts you just flat out can't scrimp on. The cam failure you've experienced is normally catastrophic both to the engine/turbo/coolers and the wallet. Reusing that cam was a big no-no.

 

[zhorner]

yea im pretty embarrassed about it honestly. I didnt want to start this thread because I know I wormed out big time but figured it was in my best interest to get some opinions. thanks for the input so far, Any cam manufacturer you are partial to? even though i am going to sell it id like to do my best to put quality stuff back in her.

 

[rmar]

Sound like you already paid for your education. And all educations cost time and money. No one gets it free.
Might as well keep it now..

 

[psycho6cyl]

Coulda shoulda wouldas.. too late. If youre selling cam manufacturer isnt going to matter now..go w what fits ya budget bolt it in.and sell.it. part of me believe that theres probaly one.or 2 companies that make cams for all the big companies so material maybe the same. I can be wrong in.this thinking w no.proof but wouldnt surprise me either.
Good luck w it clean it and ebay it

 

[earlbrown]

If you truly want to sell the car it would probably be financially advisable to take a hit and just dump it now. A wiped cam lobe isn't something that can just 'be fixed'. You engine needs to be torn down to the bare block and vatted, cleaned, and cleaned again. All oil coolers need to be scrapped, lines need to be cleaned or replaced, etc....

It'd be a shame to spend all the time and effort to do a rebuild just to have it fail and be in the same boat.


That being said, if you're just pissed off at the car and like the idea of dumping it at the moment, take you time and make sure it's the right thing to do. Keep yours eyes out for a complete running engine you could just swap out then use the old engine to part out, or build up while your car runs.

 

[earlbrown]

part of me believe that theres probaly one.or 2 companies that make cams for all the big companies so material maybe the same. I can be wrong in.this thinking w no.proof but wouldnt surprise me either.

You're actually not far off. Cam companies buy and/or grind cams. The blanks are what they start with. And there's less manufacturers of blanks than there are cam companies.

 

[zhorner]

I was trying to sell the car 2 years ago when the crank snapped and wrecked the block. I decided in the rebuild proccess to keep it but id rather sell it and get a turbo t. Theirs no way i would try to dump it as is i would lose too much money. Thanks for all the replies guys.

 

[Tom Walker]

The GSCA sells cryo'd FT Cams and the chilled 2 piece GM lifters. The cams have the #3 Ex. lobe reverse taper for spin (rotation). Apparently the lifter hole isn't offset properly and promotes lobe failure, too...

 

[hiboom]

The GSCA sells cryo'd FT Cams and the chilled 2 piece GM lifters. The cams have the #3 Ex. lobe reverse taper for spin (rotation). Apparently the lifter hole isn't offset properly and promotes lobe failure, too...

Got a link to that?

 

[Mike Licht]

The lifter hole is fine, some of the cam blanks are off, GM no longer makes lifters, the same two piece lifter they sell is available from a few places including Comp

 

[we4Mateo]

I use an Erson FT 208/208 that I bought through T/A. Got the lifters from T/A too. Takes a bit as FT cams are ground and not in stock. The Erson has lazy ramps, the reverse #3 taper, and I used 75lb stock replacement valve springs also from T/A. ZDDP assembly paste, ZDDP in every oil change, and running strong for 25k miles now. Times in sig. Aggressive FT cams may be problematic, but non-aggressive ones are reliable and still fast.

 

[black-is-back]

i wiped my cam lobe 2 years ago, replaced it with an edelbrock 204/214, broke it in, changed the oil and filter every 50 miles 2 times just to kinda flush the engine and components out....2 years and 10,000 miles later and it runs like a dream...not to mention i beat the piss out of it at 25lbs of boost every time i take it out...guess its hit or miss...

 

[Tom Walker]

GSCA's earlier ads said 'We sell only chilled-face two piece genuine GM lifters. These are specific Buick hydraulic lifters'. Ad has been altered to replace the GM with Buick. Wonder what a 'Genuine Buick' lifter is if not made by Buick (GM). Guess you can print anything when you're selling parts.