how good are you?

[Danr55]

Can anyone guess what this i

[Tedster]

my guess is a cam lobe that is severly worn by a seized lifter.

[1ntCobra]

I am going to guess that it is a picture that is out of focus most likely because the camera and lens combination do not allow focusing as closely as the photographer would have liked?

The grind on that cam does look unusual. What is the lift and duration specs? Is that standard for a small block chevy?

[DWRAT]

Looks like my old cam after using Mobil-1 oil.
Hope that's not from your current motor as that would be bad timing for next weekend.

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Originally Posted by Danr55

Can anyone guess what this i

used to be a camshaft..........

now,expensive paper weight..........

David

[Danr55]

Not from.my car at all, but it is a.high dollar.paper weight.

[Karl Bebout]

That's my patented cam profile designed to guarantee that you won't be buying as much gas. The lifter roller was not seized but was a bit wobbley. Yes, Mobil One was involved. I'd changed out to conventional oil, maybe 1000 miles ago. Hmmm, too late? New Lunati cam and lifters in the mail, as well as stainless steel roller rockers, since I've lost faith in aluminum rockers. (I keep thinking about how aluminum degrades with age). BTW, This was the same valve that wiped out an aluminum rocker, right after I'd bought the car. Parts are due in Tuesday or Wednesday so should be able to make the Coronado Trail run.

[DWRAT]

Wow, that sux Karl.
I hope you can make it.

[Karl Bebout]

On my 420 mile drive, last Saturday, I noticed a pretty rough idle when I was in Flagstaff. It smoothed out just fine about 2000rpm and I was hoping for maybe a bad cap, rotor, or wire. Drove on home, ran fine at 90MPH. Found the issue Monday. Can't really blame the oil, although I'd heard of problems with it before. All the other lobes look just fine. I'm sure it has taken a long time to do this much damage. Never have been impressed at all with the engine's power, but then, after being used to my OhSheeet Rat Motor's power, I just figured that's all there was. I just accepted that it was a Ford and didn't have anywhere near the 600HP and 600#s of torque I'd been used to. Really looking forward to seeing how she feels running on all eight cylinders.

[DrDuc]

As I found out, engines run much better on 8 cylinders than 7! Hope you get it fixed in time for the run!

[vettestr]

Karlos,
I bet the cam went away in momemts of run time not months. The surface of the cam lobe is hardened not the cam. Sad to admit I have watched a lobe go away in <15 min. run time. The real trick is dealing with the nagging question ... what exactly happened so I can stop it from happening again? I can name a dozen possible reasons but can't prove any of them, in the end nobody else can either.

it's the syn. oils fault, too little spring pressure, too much spring pressure, can't put race cam on the street, can't let it idle below 1K rpm, too much valve lash, too little valve lash, soft cam, soft lifter, roller axle failed, improper break in, not machined properly,oil starvation, EPA outlawed the good hardening process, bad batch of blanks, EPA took additives out of oil, bad lifter design, particle or crap jammed roller, cheap china junk, YADA YADA

[Bernica]

That is certainly a well "wiped" cam! Can't say I have ever seen one that bad.
I'm curious that with so much damage, does it warrant a complete tear-down and rebuild? The metal had to go somewhere, right?

It would be great to see a sharper pic too.

Good luck and sorry for your problems.

[Karl Bebout]

Hells Bells Jeff. I KNOW what the problem is.

ITSA FORD!

Of course Ford didn't make the cam, lifters, rockers, push rods, nuttin but the block.

I'll blame them anyway!

[DWRAT]

You worried about other internal damage, Bearings?

[Bernica]

Originally Posted by DWRAT

You worried about other internal damage, Bearings?

I would be. Including, but not limited to bearings and oil pump to start with. Then check distributor drive gear and valve train. Just seems to me like that's alot of fine-ground metal pumping everywhere that oil gets to.

[mikiec]

Wow, I don't feel bad with my cars intermittent dying and then starting 5 minutes later.

Good luck with the car Karl.

Saw your brother today. Forgot to get his pic for you.

[Danr55]

With any luck, the fine ground metal is stuck to the magnetic oil pan plug.. You do have a magnetic oil pan plug, don't you?

[moore_rb]

That cam lobe almost looks like the lifter was turned 90 degrees, and the roller was riding on the lobe cross-wise....

[Bob Broberg SPF667 460BB]

Karl, you are welcome to ride & drive with me if your time runs out. I have an empty seat.
We would miss you.
AZ Bob

[Karl Bebout]

Danr, yes, I do have a magnetic drain plug, which was clean. I'm also hoping the oil filter does its job. I used my inspection camera and could see no damage but I'll be doing as thorough a cleaning job as I can and will be doing further inspection.
BobB, thanks for the seat offer. Superstition Bill is also offering a seat. If, I don't get back on the road, I'll certainly be going with one of youse guys.
I hadn't thought about the lifter being turned, but that is a possibility. The dog bone lifter retainer did have one ear broken off. Don't know if that is recent or possibly the way the engine was put together. Although I'd had the heads off once, I had not taken the retainer hold down spider off. The more I think about it, the more I'm thinking the engine builder (who is long out of business) used a broken retainer, covered it with the spider, and got away with providing a crappy engine. I have not been able to find the chunk of steel from the dog bone and it would have been at least a ¼ cube, maybe a little bigger. Hmmm