320 CAMSHAFT REGRINDING

[40 66S CENTURY]

LOOKING FOR A SOURCE TO HAVE OUR 320 1940 CAMSHAFT REGROUND AND THE SOLID LIFETRS REFACED, CLOSE TO YORK/HERSHEY PA. ANY SUGGESTIONS? THANKS

[Mark Shaw]

 I cannot help regarding PA machine shops.  However, you might find that your engine has roller lifters as I believe most six-cylinder Buicks had them through the 20's, so Buick straight 8 engines should have them too.

Edited February 17 by Mark Shaw (see edit history)

[40 66S CENTURY]

THIS IS A 1940 CENTURY[320 ST EIGHT]  WITH SOLID LIFTERS, THANKS FOR THE REPLY. ALSO HAS ANYONE BOUGHT AND USED THE SOLID LIFTERS[36-47 ST 8]  FROM BOB'S? ANY COMMENTS? MODERN LIFTERS FROM CHINA ARE NOT WORTH DIRT. JUST WONDERING. WE NEED 8 AS WE FOUND 8  NOS TODAY IN OUR JUNK WE SAVED FOR YEARS.  GROUP 0.459 AND PART NUMBER 1310479

[dibarlaw]

In our personal email I mentioned to you the Machine shop that did my 1925 engine rebuild. They sent my cam out to be reground. Contact them.

Reeve Enterprises     

4748 Syracuse Rd.

Cazenovia, NY. 13035

Patrick Reeve

315-663-1569

315-655-8812

 

 

[Jolly_John]

On 2/17/2024 at 11:22 AM, 40 66S CENTURY said:

ALSO HAS ANYONE BOUGHT AND USED THE SOLID LIFTERS[36-47 ST 8]  FROM BOB'S?

I'm willing to bet the lifters BOB's is selling are made in CHINA, as well. It appears they peddle a lot of parts sourced there. Not condemning them...just stating what has become a fact of life in the auto parts world these days.

 

I would stick with having your original lifters refaced. I read a post a couple of weeks ago (I think it was on the V8 BUICK forum) where guys were talking about this exact topic. Someone had used an experienced shop out west (I believe) that did an exceptional job on the refacing. I think the price was about $6 per lifter for the work. 

 

The consensus of all the guys commenting on that posting was that ALL of today's new flat tappet cam lifters were sh-t. Most came from China, some from Mexico (with these POSSIBLY being better quality). Hardness problems. Also, many right out of the box were found to be defectively ground on the bottom, so the lifter wouldn't rotate, when in operation. A recipe for a ruined cam after 300 to 600 miles, guys were indicating. John

Edited February 20 by Jolly_John (see edit history)

[Bloo]

I was the guy @Jolly_John mentioned who had lifters reground recently. I used Delta Cams of Tacoma, WA. They have been doing custom cam regrinds for enthusiasts up here in the Pacific Northwest for longer than I can remember. Always excellent work. The Original poster in that thread sent his lifters to Oregon Cam, who I understand are now in Vancouver, WA not far from the Oregon border. They also have an excellent reputation going back decades, but I have no recent experience with them. None of that does you much good if it needs to be close to York/Hershey, but that's what happened in the thread @Jolly_John mentioned.

 

If you are thinking of having a 320 cam reground anywhere, I suggest calling ahead, and knowing what the total length of a 320 cam is when you do. I believe some cam grinding equipment cannot handle the length of a 320 cam, so maybe not every cam grinding shop could do it? A friend of mine had a 320 cam ground not too long ago. His went to Texas, and it may have been because of the length. He didn't send it, the machinist did, so this is all third hand information and I don't know which shop. Terrill Machine would be a good guess, but it is only a guess.

 

Edited February 20 by Bloo (see edit history)

[Brian_Heil]

Word to the wise on cam re-grinding

 

If there is a case hardening done, as there often is, to the lobes when new.  You need to make certain you have a similar case hardening hardness and depth of hardness after the re-grind. 

[40 66S CENTURY]

thanks all, so here is my question. all the lobes and bearing interfaces on the cam shaft look good and only 3 lifters looked weird. so do i not regrind and hope for a good outcome? afterall, the adjutsment can come up top. so what do you think?? This all new to me even tho I have been working on 1940-41 Buicks since 1969!! Guess we were just lucky in the past or overlooked being precise.  

[Bloo]

If the shape/height has changed on any lobes, you'd better fix it. If the bottoms of any lifters are clobbered I wouldn't trust any of it.

 

The lifters must spin in operation. Usually that is accomplished with a slightly convex (protruding) face on the lifter, and a slight tilt on the surface of the cam lobe. If a lifter does not spin, the cam lobe won't be around too long.

 

[Brian_Heil]

A lifter bore center can also be slightly off center to the lobe center line to cause lifter rotation with both the lobe and lifter faces being flat.  I'm not certain which (the above convex method or flat) Buick was using back then.  Perhaps someone here knows.

 

Measure.  Are all the intake lobes identical?  All the exhaust lobes identical?  Measure all lifter faces.  Flat?  Convex? Same?

 

Welcome to every engine rebuilder's dilemma.  What caused the isolated issue?  Are the others (whatever, you pick.  Valve, lobe, lifter, spring, bearing ...) ready to fail next or not and if not what caused the issue found?

[EmTee]

I agree with Brian & Bloo.  If you find a badly worn lifter, then the cam and all lifters are suspect.  If the lifter faces look OK (normal wear) then I'd check each cam lobe for wear.  If there are no obvious outliers and you're just 'freshening' the engine (e.g., hone, rings & valves) then you're probably OK.  For a true 'rebuild' (i.e., bore, pistons, bearings, valves, etc.) Then regrinding the cam and new or re-faced lifters would be the way to go.  If you discover significant wear on one or more cam lobe or lifter face you'll have to ask yourself where all of that metal went...