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Best cam company?

7K views 32 replies 14 participants last post by  DaveMcLain 
#1 ·
Looking for a cam for my new build. Is any company any better than the rest? I used Crane years ago, and always had good luck, but some say they go flat easy. I'm going to use a solid lifter in this one, thinking Comp Cams this time, up to .600 lift, 10.5 compression, pump gas... Lunati seems popular too. I just don't want a cheaper cam and have problems with it. Any suggestions?
 
#8 ·
People dont like them due to the wiping lobes problem. I just recently had a flat tappet cam wipe 2 lobes after it was already broke in using brad penn oils with zddp. I am personally making the switch myself to a roller cam. Not sure if im going hydraulic or solid quite yet. Word that a few people have pread is that hydraulic roller in a bbf gives a horrible push rod angle. Im not sure though cause I havent installed one yet.

In no way am I saying that flat tappet cams are bad, I just didnt have good luck with mine, and thats all I can speak for is what I have owned.
 
#6 ·
I am sure that any of them can probably supply you with whatever you need if you get it custom ground for exactly YOUR application.

Catalog shelf grinds tend to be quite the compromise in order to be able to work half way decent with a lot of combinations.
 
#12 ·
Not completely no worries. I had one just recently check out on me. Took out 2 lobes and everything was broke in as advised.

One thing I always keep In mind is, anything that is mechanical a.k.a moving, they will fail at one time or another. Roller lifters will also fail but with the benifit of more power depending application and no break in period. Cost is a down fall though.
 
#21 ·
How much spring pressure are you going to be running? You may have to go through the pain no matter what. I can tell you when I got mine back, it looked great, just like a lightly used cam. All the lifters were clearly marked for their lobes, so super simple to keep them matched up to where they were broken in by them. It's a personal decision, but if you're not going to remove the inner springs, I'd definitely get it pre-broken in.
 
#22 ·
First off I'm not and engine builder but I have have machine work done and assemble engines and love it. Now what I do know is I have 30 years welding all types of alloys and back in 85 I lived in south Florida and welded cam lobes for crane cams for kieth black hemi because spring pressure was so high they supplied the welding rod a high chromium alloy like it was a secret well I found out what that was and my question is why can't you do that and have it ground and stick it in and see what happens if someone on here want to try it ill weld it you have it ground and try it who's up for some R&D
 
#23 ·
Is any company any better than the rest? I used Crane years ago, and always had good luck, but some say they go flat easy. I'm going to use a solid lifter in this one, thinking Comp Cams this time, up to .600 lift, 10.5 compression, pump gas... Lunati seems popular too. I just don't want a cheaper cam and have problems with it.
I don't think the name on the end of the camshaft has anywhere near as much to do with camshaft failures and you seem to be suggesting it may.
 
#27 ·
Red is the Comp Cams drag roller

Yellow is a Reed Cams GTL solid flat tappet circle track cam

Green is a Reed Torque Master hydraulic street lobe, 205 at .050 duration.
 
#29 ·
It is very interesting and it seems counter intuitive. Here's the same graph but this time I added a Crane hydraulic roller lobe(red line).



It's interesting how each one of the cams, Competition Cams solid roller(used in Wes Littrel's big Ford), Reed GTL(circle track tight lash solid for .842 lifter), Crane hydraulic roller(393 Ford Cleveland) ALL have lower positive acceleration when compared to a very mild flat tappet street hydraulic cam.

Each cam is designed for a different application and each design has it's strengths and weaknesses when it comes to performance. All cam designs are compromises in some way due to their intended usage scenarios or the physical limitations of the parts.
 
#31 ·
That is really "LOADED" Dave...LOL.

Aggressiveness is usually determined by some combination of acceleration and velocity.
A flat tappet will usually always have more acceleration than a roller.
 
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