Last time I looked it was $140. I think it was Schneider's website. Anyhow it won't break the bank.
Skooter: Depending on how concave they're probably re-surfaceable. You'll notice that the base circle of the cam is not much above the adjacent casting. That's how much you have to work with when regrinding and that's the limit of increase in lift if that's you want
1951 3800 1-ton "Earning its keep from the get-go" In the DITY Gallery 1962 261 (w/cam, Fenton headers, 2 carbs, MSD ign.), SM420 & Brown-Lipe 6231A 3spd aux. trans, stock axles & brakes. Owned since 1971.
News flash! Found a new 293 cam with part no. 3836484 at Chevys of the 40's. It's shipped and have tracking number. Strongly encourage you guys looking for one to check them out. At least one other cam this page was available this morning when I called: tinyurl.com/yck627vs
Also, yanked the lifters out of my spare parts 216 and they looked very good, should take a minimum of grind if any. If I can set the base of the lifter on a flat piece of glass and feel a very slight rocking...would it be ok to use it on a new cam without resurfacing the lifter?
New lifters are at least $20 apiece, more likely $25 or so with tax and shipping. What price can one expect to pay for having them resurfaced?
Copy and paste the tiny url. Don't know why it isn't clickable.
Typically, hotter cams tend to be more "rounded" on top vs. "pointy". Regrinds extend duration (almost) equally from the opening & closing sides of a lobe because the grinder is indexed on the lobe center.. LSA changes more than 2° are generally not possible.
If I can set the base of the lifter on a flat piece of glass and feel a very slight rocking...would it be ok to use it on a new cam without resurfacing the lifter?
Are you willing to bet the life of an almost impossible to obtain new cam on running used lifters on the lobes? That's a gamble I'm not willing to take. Drawing to an inside straight in a poker game only has 32:1 odds against being successful, and that's probably a safer bet. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Are you willing to bet the life of an almost impossible to obtain new cam on running used lifters on the lobes? Jerry
No! Want it done right. Got a new Elgin E-293-S today, as well as a pack of 6 of the new lifters. They're perfectly flat on the bottom. I'm wondering in what situation would lifters need a slight radius on the bottom or why they should be resurfaced to get a radius?
Last week I took the lifters out of a 1939 216 picked up for parts a couple months ago (mainly for the engine stand it was connected to). Those lifters have a radius, and at the time I thought that was a good thing.
Now I'm confused. That's good because many times it means I'm about to learn something.
Last edited by Skooter; 03/30/20231:09 AM.
Matthew 6:33
1952 Chevy 1/2-ton 3100 Late '55 235/SM420/torque tube 3.55 Dalton Highway survivor (using original 216) www.truckwithaheart.com
Most lifters are convex on the bottom- - - -slightly higher in the center than at the edges. As the cam lobe turns under the base of the lifter, the radiused bottom causes the lifter to spin, preventing a straight across wear pattern from developing on the bottom. Some engines also offset the cam lobe a few thousandths away from the center of the lifter to produce a rotation as well as running a radiused lifter bottom. The radius is usually very slight, like the perimeter of a 10 foot circle- - - -about .001" height difference from the center to the edge of the lifter bottom- - - -less than the thickness of a strand of hair. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Perfectly flat lifters would make me nervous, they should defiantly be convex.
I always mark them with felt pen, put them in (make sure they slide in perfectly, or hone the bores), turn the cam by hand and make sure they are all spinning.
I found this interesting what this shop saw on new lifters. His drawing is not very accurate in regard to the lifter being offset from the center of the cam lobe, but it is informative. Another video explained that the lifters are not actually radius but a taper to match the cam lobe grind for full support contact. www.youtube.com/watch?v=MbRjAMhCEJk
Hmmmm- - - -he's definitely got the good ole boy accent down pat! Once I get my radius grinding setup in operation, it's gong to be interesting to see what the lifter/lobe contact pattern looks like. I believe that regrinding vintage lifters might be a much better approach than gambling on the new lifters with poor to nonexistent quality control problems. I'm also going to set up a new camshaft on the lathe with the spindle locked and use a dial indicator on the carriage to check how much taper the lobes have from front to back. I'm wondering if a reground cam will have any lobe taper at all- - - -that's something to ask the cam grinder I just located close to home. He's really an old geezer- - - -in his mid-80's at a minimum, maybe older! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
