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Megacycle was able to source it. They initially said they would have to try to track one down and in a conversation weeks later (they were waiting for info from the guy that used to run Integral Cams to locate the master), said they had a few on hand. Oil lubrication hole location was discussed in this thread earlier. Just wanted to mention that I asked Megacycle to drill them in more optimal locations, but the cam blank came with those already drilled.

Megacycle found that they had the master for my cam all along. New cam has been manufactured and is in route to me.

Just a little update... The two people I've talked to at MegacycleCams seem to be really knowledgeable. Both were familiar with Estas blanks. They told me that I shouldn't have nitrided the Estas blank because they are "chill cast" as is, which makes them harder than other cam blanks. We discussed how I came to nitride that cam. We talked about CWC blanks which they said are definitely "softer". Additionally, we discussed the oil I am using - Mobile One. They said that Mobile One is a poor choice for my application - "a rubbing surface rocker". In fact, they said they see more cam failures from use of Mobile One than any other oil, but I'm betting a lot of that has to do with it's percent of market share - it clearly has a large part of the full synthetic market. They brought up the lack of Zinc in modern oils being a problem especially in my application and basically, to keep it simple, said I should use RedLine or Motul... though they mentioned a couple of other oils that are also good for rubbing surface rocker applications. Unfortunately, they don't have a 100% of the masters from Integral Cams - they don't have the one for my cam. They are in contact with the former owner of that business and believe they can get the cam profile info - the design specifications from him in the next week or two. They plan on making a new master. This should be good news for anyone that would like to have this "Kinetic Sunbelt" cam grind. They talked about spray welding on the lobes to create the hardest lobe possible, but I don't want to go into uncharted territory again. I told them that I just want them to use an Estas blank, and I'll forego the nitriding this time. Time will tell if they can make it happen for me. Additionally, I believe I have tracked down the valve springs that are used with the cam. "1W901" was on the Kinetic Sunbelt invoice. A little searching on the internet brought me to this Nissan part number: 13203-1W901 Looks like my springs may be outer valve springs from what looks to be like several different VG engines. They are $4.89 each at NissanPartsZone.com. I will check that out further at some point down the road, probably by buying one and checking to see if the specs on it match what we put in my engine. G

As I said, Kinetic is no longer sourcing these cams. Did some searching... Found the paperwork that came with the cam. The cam manufacturer was Integral Cams. The are no longer in business. However, I found online that Megacycle Cams bought all of their "masters" - this means they should have what they need to make me another one. Called Megacycle today, and they confirmed this. So, now I'm going to pull the cam out of the head and send both that cam and a stock cam to them along with all the documentation I have on the "z-car l-series datsun E30 race cam #2" as it is named. I'd like to get another cam made from an Estas core, but might get a regrind from the stock cam. We'll see.

I do.

Indeed. It clearly didn't matter for the stock valve train, but it becomes an issue at some point with higher lift cams, higher lb valve springs, etc.

Checked with Sunbelt about a replacement cam. They are "no longer sourcing these cams". I pulled out my paperwork and see that the cam was manufactured by Integral Cams, who have since gone out of business. Found a post online that said http://www.megacyclecams.com bought all the cam designs. I guess I'll give them a call on Monday, but I was thinking, I have the old cam and some pretty good documentation on it... Would it be possible to send it off to someone and get back an identical replacement? Garrett

A few things to point out in relation to what you said: You know, sometimes it is better not to listen to all of the internet talk. Yes, I try to verify info from more than one "good source" before I believe it whenever possible. Anyone who has spent a lot of time on the hybridz site or others for that matter can discern who those people generally are. The Schnider cams are not a good buy, due to the metal and how it was hardened. This is still debatable, as many have had and continue to have success with Schneider cams. The first cam I bought for my car, which I never installed was probably a Schneider - I bought it off of someone on eBay. It was made from a CWC cam blank. I discovered all the discussion about those blanks (many cam grinders use them - not just Schneider) after purchasing it but before I put it in the head. I decided to send that cam off to Comp Cams for nitriding as a precautionary measure - some insurance for not having a problem, if you will. That cam had other issues, and I ended up not using it. Incidentally, I don't think anyone (Schneider, Isky, Sunbelt, etc.) is hardening these l-series cams. I think they just grind/re-grind, and then parkerize. Looks like to me the cam was still to soft, the rocker pads looked good, a little worn due to the soft metal coming off of the cam, but for the most part they looked good. A cam that has gone through an ion nitriding process such as mine will have a harder surface than one that has not. So, my cam isn't too soft. The problem is elsewhere. You guys are more then welcome to try NEW things, but it is going to more then likely cost you, and a repair and replacement of the cam and rockers. You mentioned you had SINGLE springs with a .550 lift cam, if what I read was correct. ONLY SUNBELT that I know of runs the SINGLE spring configuration on their cams, I think from memory the seat pressure is about 75-80psi on the seat. Have fun with RPM's over 7K. Yes, I agree - Sunbelt is also the only one I know running a single spring configuration. My cam is a Sunbelt cam. The valve springs are Sunbelt as well. Seat pressure at installed height according to the supplied info is supposed to be 54 lbf. As installed in my car, it came out to 56 lbf. Red line on the valve train is 7700 RPM - I am running titanium retainers. This stuff is not rocket science guys, go with the people who have BLAZED the trail for you and forget about all the new cool stuff, I really don't consider what Sunbelt did to be new at this point. As far as I can tell, this cam and spring setup was developed many years ago (I can find mention of their cam development in the forums on hybridz from 2005) and it has been proven. They may not have been one of the original trail blazers but they have a good reputation - I base this on what I can see from the previously mentioned "good sources" of information on these forums saying nothing but good things about them, and, I don't know if he is still racing a 240z, but I think they were the engine builders for the multi-national title winning Greg Ira? Also, you mentioned the oil holes in the cam, Don't even think about drilling a oil hole on the lobe where the ramp starts. The hole was placed right where it needs to be. Some of the holes are not where they should be - period. Long story, but I'll make it short. Had a 490/290 in a Datsun 510. It was put together by Malvern racing. The springs were Nissan Comp. I ran it for a short period of time and had no issues, but coming back from college late one night, I spend some extended amount of time at high rpm and I wiped one lobe and one rocker due to lack of lubrication. The engine builder for Malvern Racing took the cam to his varsol tank and pushed fluid through it to watch the flow. The lobe that wiped happened to have its oil hole on the trailing side of the lobe, just after the closing ramp - basically 180 degrees away from the best place for it. With the new cam (same grind) we made one change only. Using that existing hole as a pilot, he drilled all the way through it to the other side, so a hole would be in front of the opening ramp. I never had another problem and I drove the hell out of that 510.. I do understand the concept of doing what has worked... following the recommendations of experts who know what works and what doesn't. I now believe the nitriding of the Sunbelt cam was a mistake, one that happened because I was hard headed. Following are direct quotes from emails with Sunbelt back in late 2009 when I was working with them to get the cam: "The cam blanks used by your cam grinder have never been "CWC" blanks. Though Kinetic has tried Nitriding and Parkerizing in the past, the fine polish finish on the lobes has worked best for lobe durability. I asked Jim to confirm the cam grinder used the same came blank (Estas) as usual." And my response: "...as it stands now, I would feel more comfortable with a Nitride treatment, but I don't want to ruin the fine finish on the lobes if that is beneficial. You guys are the experts, just tell me which way I should go. The couple week turn around won't be a problem for me because the car is down for the winter. How should we proceed?" And finally: "I spoke to our cam guy about the Ion Nitride process that they use and he says the finish is a lot better than the old nitride process..." and " talked to Jim, go ahead and send us the cam and we'll get it nitrided. He said he really doesn't think it's necessary but he understands the peace of mind thing." So, my recommendation to those who read through this later is this: If you are considering nitriding your L-series cam, don't. It isn't necessary and may cause you the problem I encountered. You must get good lubrication to your L-series cam before the initial start of a new/worked on engine. Do whatever it takes.

LOL! Yeah, well, for the $800 dollar replacement cost, I should get something besides a lump of cast iron, but I won't.

The only reason I did it is at the time I was buying the cam (several years ago) was that there was a rash of discussions about the soft "cwc" blanks that it seemed every cam grinder was using. I just thought that nitriding the cam would eliminate that issue. Of course, the cam I ended up wasn't a cwc.

Since I am waiting on the shortened Z31T axles, I went ahead and pulled the valve cover off to check the cam. After not even 15 minutes of running at low rpm just sitting in the garage, the lobes are showing ominous signs... In fact one of them has started ejecting its surface just like before. At this point, I believe nitriding is the cause. I read in a couple of places about nitriding cams causing the surface to be "too hard" or I guess having the surface made brittle. So, the theory is that the impact, or perhaps the heating and cooling, or something else about this application, is causing the surface to "craze" or fracture and then fall off in tiny, tiny bits. So, the cam is trash.

Oh, I actually don't need to have welding or straightening done - I was using search to try to find some info about Kinetic Sunbelt and this thread came up in the results. Good to know though. If I had to redo my engine, I'd want to go with welding the head rather than milling a ton off like I did last time.

Hey John, Do you know where Jim is these days? I called Kinetic today and they said he is no longer there. Garrett

I got the resurfaced rockers and the cam back from DeltaCamshafts Friday. The rockers looked really nice. I bought them new, and the rocker pads had some very minor pitting which I didn't care for. The same ones which I got back from DC looked much better than when new. I installed the cam today (put lots of assembly lube on) and fired the engine up. A very different experience than the first time, when I couldn't get it to start, this time it fired right up and of course, had oil pressure immediately. I'll run it for a couple hundred miles and then take the valve cover off and have a look-see. Can't do that though until I get the shortened Z31 T CV axles back from the Driveshaft Shop. G

Here is mine. It is a Magnaflow stainless tip. It started out at 18" in length. I cut off what I needed, and sold the remainder of it on ebay. http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=45861 http://forums.hybridz.org/index.php?app=core&module=attach&section=attach&attach_rel_module=post&attach_id=45860

Which Mikuni's, 40's or 44's? What is the history on them? New... old... bought used, unknown history? Do you have a timing light, and can you see what the timing is set at? If it was me, I'd look up the timing value to use for that distributor (use the value for whichever datsun it came off of - 280zx? I just don't know which car it came from) and set it at that. And, I'd check and reset the carb float levels. Typically, you can remove the tops of the carburetors without ruining the gaskets. Then go about setting the float heights - the distance between the top surface of the floats (two per carb) and the underside of the carb cover. Note, that each one of them needs to be checked. If one is lower than the other, you have to bend them,like grabbing a wish bone of a chicken and moving one up and the other down... until they are nice and level compared to each other. Then set the distance between the tops of the floats and the bottom of the cover at 12.0 to 12.5 mm. I cut a thin strip of metal and grind/sand to the precise length. Then hold that with needle nose pliers between the float and the chamber to check/adjust the height. Typically you hold the carb cover at 90 degrees compared to the floor when checking, so that the floats don't have gravity pulling them down away from the needle valve or pushing hard against the needle valve. You want just enough pressure from the float arm against the needle valve to depress the pin it contacts, but not to open the valve itself (it has a noticeable stopping point, right before the valve itself opens). There are a couple of ways to adjust the heights, but I prefer to just bend the tab on the float arm... where it contacts the needle valve. It only needs very slight movement there to effect the needle valve closing point. Are you familiar with the jets in the Mikuni's? Do you have other sizes on hand?

Group buy threshold has been met. Please delete this post. We only need one more person to get the discount. Here is the thread with info: http://forums.hybridz.org/topic/112204-order-for-shorter-z31-turbo-axles-from-the-driveshaft-shop/

That's like three people who have done this. I'm like Tony, I could never figure out how people were doing this with the worm gear on the crank... but I understand now how this could be done if you make a special long shaft (no gear on it) that just drives the oil pump.

Cam and rockers sent off to Delta cams. Rockers will be resurfaced, we'll see what they can do on the cam. I'm thinking best case scenario, they can polish out the lobes equally. I think 2 thousandths would clean everything up.

Cam had a liberal dose of Redline assembly lube. Engine sat for about 4 months in my garage before I attempted to start it, but lube was in place when I went to start and it hadn't turned over until then. As I described above, I pulled the spark plugs, then watching the oil pressure gauge, spun the engine over for something like 30-45 seconds continuously with the starter motor. After the oil pressure needle started moving up the scale, I kept spinning for around 10 seconds. I think it was under 45 seconds total, but don't know for sure. So, if this happened at initial start, it had to wipe the lube off of the lobes and not have oil show up for a while... Based on what experienced builders have said, this is entirely possible and probably even likely. It seems no amount of turning over before getting oil pressure is the best way to keep this from happening.

At the time, I was reading alot about "CWC" blanks and cam lobe failures. I actually started the project with a 490/290 Schneider cam I bought off of ebay. It was a "CWC" blank. I found a place online that nitrides cams (Web Cams). I figured nitriding would fix that issue no matter what the blank, and didn't get push back from Web Cams (nor Kinetic with the later cam) about the matter. So, I sent it off to Web Cams and had it nitrided. Unfortunately, they didn't check the cam before nitriding, and it turned out that the three inner main journals were "octogons" instead of round. I still have that camshaft - it is basically "a display item", if you will.

My engine builder is telling me that ZDDP shouldn't be used long term... that it is good for break in, but not after. He says it acts like an abrasive or a polish - it helps parts mesh together, but is only detrimental long term. Just thought I would toss that out there. As far as "priming" my new engine... I had the spark plugs out, cam nice and lubed... and I turned the engine over with the starter continuously for about 45 seconds while watching the oil pressure gauge. I saw the needle on the gauge swing up... and I kept the starter engaged for another 5 or 10 seconds. I was thinking this was a good way to prime the engine... and it obviously isn't. G

Someone (like me - ) would be interested in the water pump. When I parted mine out, the injector pump was desired.

Since, I thought it was necessary for the cam break in, on first start, I ran my engine for 20 minutes at 2000 RPM. My engine builder offered to send me such a setup, but being ignorant, I thought it was unnecessary. C'est la vie.

Ok. Well, thanks very much for the info you provided... which you didn't have to, and I appreciate it. I've been talking to my engine builder and thinking about the initial engine start experience a lot. My engine didn't fire immediately, but I was very cognizant of not turning over "too much" as I was told that assembly lube only protects for a bit... then engine oil pressure needs to happen. And yet... So... here is something everyone who builds a L series (or buys a rebuilt one) needs to know - and it is my main takeaway from my unhappy experience. At engine cranking speed, there is not enough oil getting to the cam and rockers... on an L series. Period. Freshly rebuilt motors with dry oil passages? That... times 10! When newly rebuilt, these engines NEED to start quickly. That is, you can not crank newly rebuilt L series engines for extended periods of time... or many short periods of time. If it doesn't start within a few seconds. STOP, and find the problem. Yes, you have to have everything lubed and in my case, everything was... properly. And even though you have everything lubed with the trick-est lube on the planet, if you crank it over many times without it starting - you absolutely are making a mistake - one that may cause cam and rocker failure in a hurry. As MadKaw has discovered, the stock spray bar set up is not ideal. At cranking speed, it is basically doing nothing but waking up from a knap. And, It is sitting on the passenger side of the cam towers with its holes pointing (at best) at the "back side" or the valve closing side of the cam lobe. The loading from the spring and valve while closing is much lighter than on the opening side. Spraying oil onto this side of the cam is not optimal. Spraying oil at the front side, or the opening ramp, which is the high load side is much better. And yet more, if your cam is drilled for internal oiling, check out those oil hole locations on the lobes. Half or more of them are in very sub-optimal locations instead of spraying the pad just before the front side of the lobe comes into contact with the rocker pad. Now, at engine speed - let's just say 3000 RPM for example, the oil coming out of the spray bar and the holes drilled in the cam is coming out big time. There is lots of oil everywhere, and it is getting whipped all around, and in fact is creating a fog of oil inside the valve cover. Though not optimal, as discussed above, at speed, it is adequate. Turning over at starter speed? Not so much. I pulled the rockers and cam from the car today. The silvery stuff on the cam lobes is not the rocker pad material transferring from the pad to the cam. It's very tiny flakes of cam that are now gone... due to lack of lubrication during initial start up. Since the cam is nitrided, and should as a result have a "case" that is hardened beyond .015 - .020", I am going to send it off to have it polished just enough to clean up the lobes (I estimate .001" max). The rocker pads will be resurfaced as well. When I get it all back together, (with lots of lube) I will have my starter fluid ready.