The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Camshaft lift in a 216?

Does any one know where I can find the stock camshaft specs for a 1950, 216? I would like to check to see if I have a worn lobe.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL

Denny, I understand what youre trying to do, but if you mic. all the lobes,wouldnt the smallest one be the worn one? Wheres Stuart(automarc) when we need him.

Denny,

Frank McGurk's 1953 booklet on the Chevy sixes has a plot showing the valve lift to be 0.300" for a stock camshaft. As the valve lift duration (and opening and closing crankshaft angles) matches that which is shown in the 1948-51 Truck Shop manual for the intake valve, it may be safe to assume that Frank's plot is for the intake valve.

Of course, as mentioned above, if the cam is out of the engine, the lobes can be miced for relative cam lift. If the engine is assembled, the lift and duration can be measured at the valve with a dial indicator or other suitable instrument.

Hope that this helps.

Hoyt

The cam’s still in the engine Marty. Just wanted to check the lift next time I adjust the valves. And even if it were out of the block I would still need the specs to tell just how much wear there was.
Now where in the world did you find Stroker McGurk's booklet Hoyt? Is it in reprint? I’ve seen some short articles on the 261 that he did for Hot Rod back in the day. I've got a machine shop background so method of measurement it is not a problem, I just need the stock specs to compare it to. Of course the service manuals gives you the duration and cam angles but neglects to make any mention of lift, and that’s all I care about right now. Were you saying that he shows the lift on both at .300”????
Tom Langdon would probably have the specs but I thought one of the guys here might have already asked the question. Maybe I’ll have better luck if I try asking the same question over at the Inliners site
DG

Denny,
I have a NOS cam shaft here and a lobe measures 1.420 wide and 1.640" high.
Bruce

The cam has to be out of the engine to measure that Bruce, my engine is still running, just looking for the "lift". And if I under stand you correctly, you are measuring the diameter at the lob and 90° to that across the flat? This way you would be getting part of the ramp on that measurement, this only indicates a .220" difference. Intake and Exhaust are also different. Proper way to measure the lift on the bench would be with the cam supported between V-blocks you would indicate the high point of the lob and rotate it 180° to find the lift.

I can alway count on my guru over at the VCCA. He found the factory spec for the lift in the resto pack, intake is .2941" and the exhaust is .3118". He also added that the cams very rarely show any wear.
Denny Graham
Sandwich, IL