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HybridZ

Cam check, 10k miles, Delta regrind


280zex

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My Z finally hit 10k miles since the head rebuild, so I decided to give the valve train a check up..

 

N42, mild port n polish, stock deck height, Delta camshaft regrind on stock F / E30 solid cam, 280deg @ .480 lift measured at the lash pad. #160 lash pads. Stock spray bar. custom ss valves and seats, stock valve springs, guides, re-surfaced rockers from Delta, stock cam gear/chain/guides, cam chain/gear set on #2 hole.

 

Ran 30w dino oil for 500 miles. Re-set rocker arm to lash pad clearance to 0.08 inch, ran another 500 miles on 30w oil. Re-set valve clearance to 0.08 inch on a hot engine,  changed oil to Mobil-1 0w30 full synthetic, now at 10,000 miles.

 

Checked the rocker arm to lash pad clearance and found 1 tight valve, #4 exhaust was at 0.07 inch. All others were where I set them, 0.08 inch clearance between the rocker arm to lash pad, with a hot engine.

 

I noticed that the rocker to lobe wipe pattern is slightly off center on a few of the lobes, but only about 0.15 inch. Its not perfect, but I'm ok with that small of an off-set on the wipe patterns...

 

post-1621-0-53299900-1378746531_thumb.jpg

 

post-1621-0-19745500-1378746573_thumb.jpg

Edited by 280zex
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Yours is very similar to the head build I am working on now- Delta regrind with Delta rockers and 160 lash pads.

 

Your cam looks good....except, as you said, for the offset wipe pattern. Why do you think this is happening?

 

Did you use the stock retainers? If so, do you think the 160 lash pads are a tad tall for the stock retainers? Any valve train noise?

 

I see you used stock springs. I am considering using Rebello outer springs.....mildly stiffer than stock. What was your thought process in keeping the stock springs?

 

Thanks...

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I would not run the Mobil 1 in a solid lifter engine. You better off running Valvoline VR1 conventional. It's cheaper too. The cam looks great BTW.

Why change oil brand when obviously the mobil1 works fine?? If there was a lubrication problem, it would have shown up by now.
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Yours is very similar to the head build I am working on now- Delta regrind with Delta rockers and 160 lash pads.

 

Your cam looks good....except, as you said, for the offset wipe pattern. Why do you think this is happening?

 

Did you use the stock retainers? If so, do you think the 160 lash pads are a tad tall for the stock retainers? Any valve train noise?

 

I see you used stock springs. I am considering using Rebello outer springs.....mildly stiffer than stock. What was your thought process in keeping the stock springs?

 

Thanks...

No valve train noise issues, mostly stock components were used because my z is not a race car. I didnt see the need for hi-end components when i am not pushing the engines limits...

 

As for the slight rocker arm to lobe wipe pattern offset, heck if I know??

That answer is for the valve train gurus to post about....

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Skirkland, you state Delta does poor work...I have yet to find any work they have done "poorly". I have found oversold cams, as they were sold using a 1.6 rocker ratio to advertise lift instead of the stock 1.46 ratio rockers...but poor work? Nah.

 

280Zex, if you are still using the stock springs, you might want to measure lift again. I have that same cam, but it's not 0.480" lift... it's 0.460" or so, once you take into account valve lash and rocker ratio. It's the max lift I would use on the stock springs, though, so not a big deal.

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Your wipe patterns are off because delta does poor work. You have varying base circles from lobe to lobe.

To second Xnke, I've got a Rebello cam, base circles are not the same accross the entire shaft. I need different lash pads thickness to get proper pattern on cam lobes/rockers.

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Skirkland, you don't seem to be running any Delta products, according to your "build log" signature...you claim stock internals.

 

My Isky cam has different base circles from lobe to lobe, and the lobe centerlines are offset all the way down the cam...might be for a good reason! The long L6 cam twists from front to back...under load, the lobe centerlines all fall into line.

 

Just because the base circles differ, doesn't mean the cam is bad. The lobe height may differ too, depending on who measures, how they measure, and what the base circle is for that particular lobe. Some cams are set this way on purpose; for example, the Delta cam I have has a slightly different profile for the exhaust as compared to the intake...and the base circle is 0.010" smaller in order to cut the lobe on the existing core.

 

Also, valve jobs may be equalized differently...all might have the same tip height, might match just intakes and just exhausts, too. I've run both in the past. All of this changes your lash pad thickness.

Edited by Xnke
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The problem I had with delta was, they told me my lobe lift was going to be .300" . What I got was .275". Had they simply checked their work they wouldn't have wasted everyone's time and effort. Secondly was the rockers. Two of them were cut with the wear surfaces not parallel. Also could have been caught before shipping out to me.

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They oversold you the cam. They sell based on a 1.6 rocker ratio, not the stock 1.48. They didn't mis-cut anything...they just sold you more than you bought.

 

Interesting about the rocker arms, though...I have 72 here they reground and every one of them is perfect. I have some more I might send in in a few months, I'll have to go through and check them closer.

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You want someone to tear up a cam grinder, talk to JeffP... He worked at Erson for years and finds little quirks in a cam profile and smiles "operator paused with the grinding wheel here before starting the cut!" And on it goes.

 

Different lash pads aren't necessarily different base circle...which is damn hard to so using point of reference machinery today.

 

But sinking your valves in the seats so slightly different and not trimming the stems for identical height will do that every time!

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For a street, or even hot street head I wouldn't lose sleep over slight wipe pattern differences.

 

Now, if I was revving the thing to 9k+ and making 300hp then I'd be worried that I didn't cover my bases. All in all I'd call this a happy cam story, and I wouldn't try to make it into something else.

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Different lash pads aren't necessarily different base circle...which is damn hard to so using point of reference machinery today.

 

But sinking your valves in the seats so slightly different and not trimming the stems for identical height will do that every time!

 

Tony is correct. The valve stems should be measured and trimmed. That is how mine was done.

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