What is the camshaft grind of preference ?

[ajohn]

For club functions,such as touring ect. What camshaft grind is recommended? James Monroe

[Denny/Utah]

A "B" grind is going to be your best bet. Bill Stipes makes an excellent new one for about $400....it's called an IB-330. In addition to getting the grind you think your getting (not all re-grinders do a good job), you get new cam bearing dimensions which will take some looseness out of the center journal...if you have any.

[Purdy Swoft]

Winfield super street 3/4 grind. Bill Stipe ground mine. This cam idles good and has great low and mid range. this cam is probably the best all around regrind but you will need a really good core. You can't make chicken pie from chicken $h-- well you know.

[ajohn]

How do I contact Bill Stipe? Thanks

[Will Ziegler in LI NY]

Here's his site.

http://www.specialtymotorcams.com/

[Charlie Stephens]

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To the best of my knowledge you can order your cam from Bill with oversize bearing surfaces and then have your machinist bore out your block to match the new journal. This will eliminate the problem that most blocks have of egg shaped cam bearing bores. When I did mine many years ago (before Bill had his available) I had the bearing surfaces on the cam metal sprayed to make them larger and then had the block bored out to match.

Charlie Stephens

[Aerocraft]

I will add to the good words for Bill Stipe's cams. He recently reground a used cam for me to his "B" specifications. The cam was turned around so fast, I was surprised that it was returned so quickly. It is in my 45B and running great. Gar Williams

[Larry Brumfield]

Stipe Cams are good. Also, Brierly Cams are a good choice as well. Jim Brierly.

[Pete]

90% of the blocks will need the camline bored to restore original tolerances.
One way to do this is install inserts.
From here there are several options. The cheapest is to grind the cam jouurnals to match the size of the inserts. Then have the cam reground to a mild touring type.
A "B" grind is NOT an option on a used core.
It would not be an option even on a new core for me. The nose is too sharp.
It is an old obsolete type of 3 curve design, not like a modern polynomial
curve design.
What ever grind you choose, do some homework (research) and find one with a good nose radius like a 77B.
As most people know, cam grinding is a black art practiced by sorcerers
in dark remote caves BUT, everything you ever wanted to know about it can be found in engineering books and journals in the public library.

"Been in the cam business over 50 years"

[Mikeinnj]

Pete what is a 77B cam ? You say you are in the cam grind business for 50 years, who and where are you..?

[Tom Foster]

I apologize in advance for butting in...a 77B is Isky Cams mildest flathead V8 "3/4 race" cam grind. Specs are online at <iskycams.com.> Their current catalog does not indicate any grinds for a Model A-B engine but if you really want a 77B profile a custom cam grinder could do one. But as others have suggested, Bill Stipe and Jim Brierley are the first names that come to mind when discussing 'banger cams.
Fearless

[middletown]

Many people overlook "Dima" Elgin. He studied under Winfield and has many of Winfield's Blanks so if your looking to have a cam ground stock or otherwise he would be a good resource also. He's located in Santa Rosa Ca.

Elgin Cams Website:

http://www.elgincams.com/history.html

Joe

[gilitos]

So Pete, are you a cam grinder, or do you have a "go to" shop? I'm interested in following up.

Giles

[MAG]

Since the subject of cam grinding is open pehaps I can get a question answered that I have wanted to ask for years... How can the original specification lift and duration be obtained by removing (grinding) stock from the cam lobe? What am I missing?
Be easy on me. My pencil is not very sharp.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by gilitos

So Pete, are you a cam grinder, or do you have a "go to" shop? I'm interested in following up.

Giles

Since this is answering a direct question I will assume it can not be construed as soliciting business on the forum.
I have been grinding cams for 58 years. Ralph Kirkwood was the guy that taught me. When Ralph was alive, NO ONE could build a faster Ford 60 midget engine. (A whole other story)
I have ground cams for Indy cars, champion unlimited boats, Bonneville record breakers and many championship sprint cars and midgets. (even a national champ quarter midget)
I have been priveledged to meet and shake hands with almost any famous racer and mechanic you can name. This is definetly NOT bragging because those that know me know it to be fact. I just don't like publicity.
Bill Stipe and Jim Brierly are VERY good friends of mine and they do cams every bit as good as mine. If you know what you are doing you can only do them so good.
Any more personal or business info should probably be done by email in order to not bend the rules here.
Thanks.
Pete Samuelson
D&L Automachine
Elbe,Wa.

[Pete]

Originally Posted by MAG

Since the subject of cam grinding is open pehaps I can get a question answered that I have wanted to ask for years... How can the original specification lift and duration be obtained by removing (grinding) stock from the cam lobe? What am I missing?
Be easy on me. My pencil is not very sharp.

To get really technical, the duration, timing and rate of lift will change when you regrind the lobe. The lift will be the same..HOWEVER, with the usual regrind it rarely takes more than .010 (.005 off a side) to clean up the lobe and this will not affect the performance of the cam.
The overall diameter of the lobe ends up smaller but the profile essentially remains the same.

[Bruce Lancaster]

For a visual...imagine the cross section of an egg as a pretty good picture of a generic cam lobe. Let us say it rotates around an axis centered in the fat, nearly spherical area. The fat end is close to round and is the zero-lift valve closed part, the pointy end is max lift. Your cam is worn out, and the pointy end especially is not nearly as tall as it should be...
Regrind the pointy/lifty end to a nice curve reminiscent of what usetawas there; valve now opens and closes, but less...
So, you go to the other end, and grind down the circular part. If you grind it a bit MORE than you ground off the pointy end, since the center is the same, you have MORE difference between lifter at rest and lifter all the way up, so more lift!

Now...everything is getting slim...so you do your regrinding so flanks of the egg go up a bit faster/steeper than before...and perhaps start/stop closer to the base circle...
This stuff has physical limits before things start to break, but you can see the possibilities.

[Jim Parker Toronto]

Good explanation Pete and Bruce, we can all learn from the words of wisdom!

[Pete]

Originally Posted by Bruce Lancaster

For a visual...imagine the cross section of an egg as a pretty good picture of a generic cam lobe. Let us say it rotates around an axis centered in the fat, nearly spherical area. The fat end is close to round and is the zero-lift valve closed part, the pointy end is max lift. Your cam is worn out, and the pointy end especially is not nearly as tall as it should be...
Regrind the pointy/lifty end to a nice curve reminiscent of what usetawas there; valve now opens and closes, but less...
So, you go to the other end, and grind down the circular part. If you grind it a bit MORE than you ground off the pointy end, since the center is the same, you have MORE difference between lifter at rest and lifter all the way up, so more lift!

Now...everything is getting slim...so you do your regrinding so flanks of the egg go up a bit faster/steeper than before...and perhaps start/stop closer to the base circle...
This stuff has physical limits before things start to break, but you can see the possibilities.

I have never heard cam grinding compared to egg grinding before...
VERY good...I love it

[MAG]

Thanks Pete and Bruce for the explanation of cam grinding. It cleared up some questions for me. Rather unique example, Bruce.