Thread: SBC 350 build

Tweet

as for a flat lifter cam solid or hyd i used many over the years and to say its oil or to much spring its alot more then that .so spin the wheel lay your bets down. as some one that send s engines out all over the USA and Canada .i have no controll over the oil or how many times will the guy dry crank a engine( I CAN NOT BE THERE) so if the guy can spend the $350 more for a retro fit roller... bare bones kit... i will do that.. if not. i take the time to get them understand just how critical break in on a new cam is with the right oil and thing still could go sideways . i never lost a cam on a SBC or potiacs fords amc and others over the years i done many flat cams over the years 32 years .two jobs still stick in my mind . did a magnum mopar roller engine. guy told me he crank it till the battery was dead and used a full can of starting fluid. he did not check the dist not plug in .i do not think a flat cam would of lived thru that guy? .i did tell him is was not happy with him. them i started up a 454 mark 5 engine for a guy i made sure it fired right up. a good friend built it very mild flat lifter cam engine he has been building engines and machining for 35 years less then a 100 miles cam was gone . i did the next rebuilt it with a rollercam. i built 6 engines for the guy over the years with the mark 5bbc. all his engines he wanted roller cams all but one bbc with a hyd flat lifter cam engine . i have rebuilds with flat cams with 100000. miles on them and rollers with over 200000. if i can get a guy to spend 350. more for a roller i will try .if i am building the engine and i getting the core i will get a block that came machined for a roller or can be set up with stock roller lifters they are less for a roller block. alot of warranty jobs in engine rebuilding comes from flat lifter cams that fail .customer have came to me after there flat lifter cams have failed .they looking for a job that will last so i lean to roller cams and after paying for another rebuild its not a hard sell . ones that do not i still build 6 or so engine a year with flat lifter cam s if i can not be there for break in .i talk with them abit i get to know if there getting over there head i try to line up someone that can help them fire up there new engine