RE: Comp Cams - Jock J Jocewicz

["Joe Wyatt" <jwyatt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

The following is the information on the COMP Cams, Thanks to Jock Jocewicz.

Thanks Jock for the copy, I am rebuilding two 360s at this time.

Joe W.

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Joe,
 Here it is:

Hi Jock,
Flat tappet cams in general have some common thread problems.....the 
problems are not just with COMP Cams.  Someone missed the info just a 
little....the problem with the EPA has nothing to do with the way the cams 
are made...it has to do with the oils that are available to the public now. 
The government has
forced the oil companies to delete some elements from the oils under the 
guise of protectiong the environment.  The most crucial of those deleted 
elements is ZINC!  The property of zinc in oil is that of adding lubricity 
between metal surfaces....especially during the critical break-in process of 
a flat tappet cam.  The loads between the lifter and the cam are incredible! 
Now that zinc is gone, the cams are much more vulnerable to flattening 
during the break-in/burnishing period.  That being said, there are also a 
number of other things that customers sometimes  do that are not in their 
best interests.....the lifter MUST spin at all times.  If there is only 
.002" or so clearance between the lifter and the block, the smallest piece 
of grit that does not get cleaned from the motor, or a piece that breaks 
loose from some nook or cranny, can lodge between the lifter and block 
and...WHAM....the cam goes flat in seconds.....lifter doesn't spin!  When a 
new cam is put in and the valvetrain is assembled, turning the motor over by 
hand with the manifold off will show if the lifters are turning (caused by 
the taper in the cam against the convex surface of the lifter and their 
contact point off-center on the lifter).  We've already talked about the 
loads and the oils during burnishing....there are additives, like our 
Camshaft Break-in Lube (12 oz. bottle part number 159, approx cost $10) that 
can be mixed with the break-in oil to replace some of the lost lubricity. 
There is a lifter bore grooving tool that's used by most of the oval track 
engine builders in the country, and a significant number of street engine 
builders, that "scribes" a .012" or so groove in lthe lifter bore on the 
side of the bore leading the cam lobe so that a constant, very small, stream 
of oil is constantly lubing each cam lobe just prior to them going under 
their respective lifters.  Remember, the reason we break these motors in at 
1,800 to 2,000 RPM for 20 minutes or so is so that the oil is splashed up 
onto the surfaces of the cam and lifter to get oil between the two.  As soon 
as the motor comes back to idle, THERE IS NO MORE OIL PROVIDED TO THE 
CONTACT SURFACES!!!!....at least not until the motor is revved up again.
Other things that can happen to create flattening are as simple as the 
bottom of the retainer touching the top of the valve guide....cam goes 
flat......too much nose spring pressure during break-in or coil bind caused 
by lack of checking actual lift versus the available room between the 
coils....cam goes flat.
OK....this is a real long explanation of the short question..."why did my 
cam go flat?", but as you can see, the answer is not simple....but the thing 
I want you, Jock, and others you encounter to know as gospel is that we do 
not produce "soft" cams alluded to below, and the EPA has not required us or 
anyone else to do such a thing.  Just a case of misinformation and internet 
chat spreading incorrect information.  Hope this helps clarify!
Thanks for getting in touch with me!  Look forward to seeing you again 
soon...and happy racing to the AMC folks this year!
Tim Cole
COMP Cams Performance Account Manager

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On Wed, 9 Mar 2005 20:23:28 -0600 "Joe Wyatt" <jwyatt@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> 
writes:
Jock, Send me a copy, thanks, Joe W.


Jock Jocewicz - President/Editor NAMDRA     NAMDRA@xxxxxxxx
8537 Antioch Rd., Salem, WI 53168 (262) 843-4326
http://www.namdra.org    JOIN NAMDRA, the best AMC club around!!!
'05 AMC NATIONALS - SEP. 15-17, 2005 CORDOVA DRAGWAY PARK
AMO#19, NAMDRA#46, AMCRC#974,  NHRA#41915, IHRA#6766