I still have a never worn Isky cams t-shirt from the 70s. It has a cartoon drawing of Ed Iskandarien dressed as a gangster with a big cigar in his mouth. It says "The Camfather".
@@413x398 I love that when I call Schneider (or one of the few other similar family operations that are left) I'm talking to a technician with years of experience grinding cams for hard-core racers and hot-rodders, not an order-taker feeding me canned answers from a computer screen.
Also.. something for newbies to remember.. when considering how "big" a certain camshaft is.. they're sized by their duration.. not lift. Lift is critical, but not what defines how "big" a certain camshaft is. It's more about how long you hang the valve open.. not how high you lift it... awesome video Uncle Tony. 👍
My auto instructors were very good, but they had goals of teaching me to be a flat-rate Toyota mechanic. I learned a lot from them, but went back to lumpy cams, carburetors, and all the other stuff we didn't do there. To their credit, we did get to learn how to do guides and seats in a head. I doubt the school is teaching that these days.
@anthony stewart Dude Exactly same here! Like any time I explain how something works I for some reason go on a Tangent type thing and i never explain how things work. I know how to build, repair, do what ever but when i explain it I become a retard unless I can type it out.
Uncle Tony, this is the probably the most concise and straightforward cam explanation videos anyone could ask for. Thank you as always for imparting the old school know-how!
You are an excellent teacher. I've heard those specs thrown around for years and never understood exactly what they meant. And I guess I was either ashamed to admit that I didn't know, or figured I wouldn't understand it even if it was explained to me. Thanks for telling me in a way that didn't make me feel like an idiot. 👍
The camshaft rotes at half the amount or, "speed" of the crankshaft. Normally when referencing, "degrees" they are crankshaft degrees, not camshaft degrees.The degree wheel mounts to the crankshaft. The more aggressive, or quickly the valve opens, the heavier a valve spring usually has to be to control valve float at the same RPM and faster hydraulic lifters open valves, the heavier valve springs have to be to prevent lifter pump-up at the same RPM. There is advertised duration, 0.050" duration and there is S.A.E. duration. With hydraulic lifters S.A.E. duration is usually at 0.006" lift, opening and closing sides of the cam lobe. Some camshaft makes use a lower lift for a higher advertised duration number. Some car makers use a different opening lift with a different closing lift when computing advertised duration. Before 1964 the car industry standard for hydraulic cam lobes was to make cam lobes that had a 0.050" lift duration that was 70% of the SAE 0.006" lift. This for acceptable wear. Around 1962 the aftermarket and industry engineers were trying more aggressive cam lobes. Around 1962, Iskenderian Racing Cams promoted high performance hydraulic camshafts with more aggressive 75% cam lobes. The 0.050" duration was 75% of the SAE 0.006" duration. In 1965 Pontiac changed all of its 4 barrel and tri-power carb camshafts to75% cam lobes, with the two barrel carb engines staying with 70% cam lobes.Pontiac may have tried that with the 1964 GTO camshaft too. The 1964 GTO camshaft was the same part number for GTO engines and on paper was the same as the 1964 4 barrel automatic transmission camshaft, BUT IT HAD A DIFFERENT PART NUMBER! In 1965 Chevy had the 350 horsepower 327 and new 396 engines with 75% cam lobes. In 1966 Ford had the 390 GT and Olds had the limited W-30 camshafts, for the new 75" cam lobes. The 1967 Dodge 440 Magnum still used 70% cam lobes, but the 1968 340 went with 75% cam lobes. "Theoretical" maximum power happens with the camshaft degreed with the intake centerline at 106 degrees ATDC, REGARDLESS OF LOBE SEPARATION, but this is just theory, as is, maximum torque happens with the intake centerline at 102 degrees ATDC, regardless of lobe separation. These theories are usually very close with, "correct" sized camshafts. The closing of the valve is limited by the mechanics of the valves slamming against the valve seats. The intake valve runs, 'cold" and can take fast slamming to be noisy. The exhaust valve runs red hot and is more easily damaged and must be closed more gently. Modern computer designed hydraulic cam lobes are even more aggressive now and some are designed to prevent lifter pump up at higher RPM with less valve spring pressure, but the really aggressive camshafts make more power and their cam lobes still require the heavier valve springs.
I still remember putting that purple stripe in my 383 in an unheated garage in February, so it would be back on the streets in April. Boy did that cam ever wake her up. What fun cruising was after that, good times.
Kids today have it easy everything you need to know is online. I lost my father when I was 9 years old. Everything I learned was the hard way by making mistakes. Nobody would tell you nothing everything was a secret Time Has Changed.
that's because back in the day all that knowledge wuz power!....money! your living .....there are still a crap ton of stuff most real mechanics won't tell you about how or why they do some things ....and the internet ..lmao...to crazy to believe everything you read in forums these days there is a crap load and i do mean a crap load of misinformation out there and i feel its more then the RIGHT information ......may god bless Uncle Tony for sharing all his knowledge and passing on his power!!! the real deal ace mechanic with this one!!!
Grew up the same way, but different reason. In the trade - tool & die - it was "figure it out, and it better f***ing be right when it's done" so you watched when they weren't looking and figured out the rest. It made you really good, or unemployed. Same with building race engines, but no one to watch, so you figured it out. And you take it to your grave.
It’s never lost on me how good someone my age in their 20s have it with the amount of info online I have, or the ability to track down just about every old book on eBay about engines. However I love listening to the old mechanics and machinists that were around for the golden age of hot rodding. If they start going I just sit back and listen. A generation of wealth of knowledge and experience that won’t be around forever.
Hahaha Love ya brother.. look I'll admit, I understood what's happening as it's spinning away etc, but I've Never sunk my over thinking brain into lope separation and so on.. it's all fascinating information.. Oi oi oi...
I'm a chevy guy but most everything Tony talks about is relative to all engines and he seems like a down to earth guy and seems to like to teach others. Thank you Tony
Another benefit to roller lifters, beside reduced friction and wear at initial break-in, is that if you try a radical ramp on the lobe, it can try to push a non-roller lifter as much sideways as upwards, which causes binding inside the lobe bore. Mopar adjusted this by using "fatter" lifters and bores, meaning the diameter was wider than other engines, so a Mopar cam can get away with a faster ramp before it needs the heavier roller lifter. Other engines would use a "mushroom" lifter that had a wider foot or base on the cam lobe to have that increased diameter benefit. The sooner you push that intake valve to full lift--assuming the valve springs can handle it--the sooner that full lift occurs during the duration the valve is open. If you ported the head to flow best at full lift, did an angle valve job that also works best at full lift, and the valve is unshrouded at full lift, this means the valve is performing longer during the duration, at the lift it was designed to work best at. But what if the duration of time the intake is open (from its moment coming off the seat to full lift and back onto its seat again), extends into the time the exhaust valve is open? That is overlap. Too much, and you have emissions issues, low vacuum for brakes, and rough idle. But if you increase the ramp speed, ie, the intake valve pushes open to full lift sooner due to roller lifters or an increased diameter of the base of the lifter, now you can decrease the entire duration (from lifting the valve off the seat, to getting to full lift, and returning it to the seat again) but not lose (or lose much of) the amount of time the valve is at full lift. It would be as if you only had a mile of pavement to travel, and you want to spend as long as that distance at 100mph as you can. The car that accelerates to 100mph the quickest, is the one that lets you enjoy 100mph for as long as you can over that 1 mile of pavement before the car has to come to a complete stop. That's where the expense of a roller lifter setup and springs to handle its weight come in handy. But there's a case for not designing your intake port and valve to work its best at full lift. During the duration, the valve sees full lift once, but partial lift twice--once when the valve is opening, and again when its closing. some designers like to work on mid valve lift performance for that reason. So, now you have the basics, the terminology, and now you have some philosophy :)
Now That's how its done! Great Video Uncle Tony!! Makes me think back to when my Uncle Bob was Explaining it to me when I was a kid! We were working on his Dual Quad Cross ram 440 and he explained why the exhaust pulse was so important for scavenging and the how the supercharging caused by the intake pulse made the Dual Quad cross ram intake so great!! Nice Job!!
Very informative video. I think I used to know this stuff. Amazing how much can be forgotten. Also amazing how much knowledge is freely shared these days. Awesome!!!
Excellent explanation! There are so many #s on cam cards that it's easy to get confused, especially for those who don't have much experience. To me, the 3 most important #s are advertised lift,050" duration and LSA. You explained them in language that's understandable. Last summer, I was at a local car show and one of the participants was really talking up his engine. He used a term that I hadn't heard in YEARS when he said it had a 3/4 cam. Now, I know what a 3/4 cam is and, in my experience, they're not all that great. You should've seen the "deer in the headlights look" on his face when I asked him what a 3/4 cam is.
@@phoenixrising4573 Basically, a 3/4 cam is just slightly bigger in lift/duration than an "RV" cam. An RV cam is meant for low end torque and mid range power. The rpm range is usually from idle to around 5k give or take a few hundred. A 3/4 cam is usually designed for more mid range power while still trying to keep as much low end torque as possible. Their usual range is about 1500-5500 rpm give or take. An RV cam usually has advertised lift/duration #s around 260 degrees and .450 lift. A 3/4 usually has #s around 280 degrees and .480 lift or so. Keep in mind that these are advertised #s. The name 3/4 race cam was used for decades.
I have watched a buncha videos trying to learn deeper into cams and i have to say this is hands down the best at explaining the basics and terminologies' used in cam specifications ..... rad brotha peace and love stay safe and build on l8z
I really enjoy your content and the way you explain things that are both "mandatory" and "not mandatory" and myths. I am new to your channel, but I would love for you to take a survey of which engines people want to build from scratch to stock specs, and do a series on the winner of that survey, and build it from scratch, just to stock specs to get it running on a bench. All other adjustments for various applications can be covered either by you, in a separate video, or a channel that you would recommend for that purpose. I would really love to watch that, no matter the winning engine (even though I am a Ford guy), because I love the way you explain things, and your passion for this stuff. You remind me of my engine-building teacher in college, that got down deep into this stuff, and gave physical examples of various things, to make us truly understand every nook and cranny of building an engine, including details like, heating gasoline in a beaker and putting a sample of each stage of heating into a glass tube and lighting it, to demonstrate how the different "octanes", and the way they burn. I'd like to see everything, from 'cylinder honing" to using feeler guages and that green string that you use to measure tolerances for caps and bearings, micrometers, small hole gauges, calipers, etc.., pre-oiling and preparing the engine for "first-start" and "break-in". I know that this would probably need to be a "sponsored" video, but I am just showing my interest. Regardless of whether it happens or not, I will still be watching. :)
Lol.. it's like a boobjob right !! You never hear.. I think I went too big.. let's step it down.. No, its always .. i think the next size bigger would have been better.
a solid lifter camshaft has "quieting ramps" on the lobes that take up the slack in the valve train before and after opening/closing the valve. keeps that hammering of the valve train to a minimum. hydraulic cams do not need that(no slack in the valve trane). If you just put solid lifters on a hydraulic cam the valve train will hammer badly. if you put hydraulic lifters on a solid lifter camshaft the valves will start opening sooner and close later. Never tried that but know of people who wrecked the engine with solid lifters on a hydraulic cam. what I have done successfully is to not push the hydraulic lifter piston way down in. reduces pumping up a bit. example on chevy if it calls for half a turn in on the adjuster give it less than a quarter turn. you can run the hydraulic lifters with minimal initial lifter compression. hopefully you will get around to these things. love your videos. knowing this we understand why letting collapsed hydraulic lifters clack away and not fixing that will result in hammering of the valve system, fix it.
Just did a cam swap in a 1980 CJ-5 with the AMC 304 this past week at work, and when I broke the cam in I thought of you and bottle rocket ( luckily they weren't sealed power lifters they were melling lol ) fired up as soon as I turned the key and broke the cam in with no issues. Pretty sweet little jeep don't get to see too many of them with the AMC V8
It's funny and I know I'm not the only one but, I know quite well everything you said, I've got 45 yrs as a mechanic. But I watched the whole video and enjoyed it! 😂
Thank you , I've never seen a video explaining that workings of a cam shaft! All the others fly past whats going on and why and just start throwing numbers out their as if everyone learned this in kindergarten!!!! So thank you again for the lesson !!!
I'd REALLY like to see a video on the "famous" Purple Shaft cams that Mopar fans love so much. As I understand it, there were many different grinds available over the counter for various engines and purposes.
Just to split hairs. Duration @ .050” is measured at .050” tappet lift, not valve lift. Excellent video, I experiment with a lot of cams. For me my major experimentation started getting serious after buying into marketing bs leading me to purchase a comp cams xtreme 4x4 cam for the 350 in my k5 blazer, with the wide 114* lsa the engine idled like stock, but had lousy throttle response, non-existent low-mid range power. So I then bought a comp 280H magnum, with similar lift and duration figures, but a 110* LSA and being a straight grind, my lame 8:1 goodwrench crate 350 now had a steady lope, instantaneous throttle response, and enough low rpm torque to light my super swampers up. So then I went to an isky mega cam with nearly identical lift/duration to the previous cam but it was ground on 106* lsa, now my engine had a nervous crackly idle, crisp throttle response and even more power from roughly 2500-6000 rpm. But gas mileage dropped off a bit. I’ve been playing with cams ever since. Not just in sbc either. Small and big block mopars , ford Lima, ford Windsor, ford fe, and 305, 307, 327, 350, 377, 383, 400, 406 sbc’s. I might have a bit of a problem. Maybe I should seek a support group, cams anonymous lol.
I gotta say I love watching your videos you explain things like a normal guy not someone who thinks if you dont know this stuff u shouldn't be working on cars keep up the good work
The roller cam is the most interesting to fully understand.My Yamaha 225 3 wheeler when I bought it had the cam set two chain teeth advanced.It would idol perfect but had no top end power at all.Now it makes a funny rattle noise & it turned out to be the cam has worn to much of its aluminium bearings away
Very well done and a perfect level. I can fix a number of things BUT knowing how to design performance, I skipped that lesson it seems. More skill builders like this please!
When i first saw title i thought good god he's going to open a big can of worms on this one. But you kept it simple and explained it well.. good job Tony
thanks for the video tony, i've been wanting to know about this for a while, sure there are other videos but i prefer getting my knowledge from you. cheers.
UTG, I would like to introduce myself to you... I have watched you since day one Tony... I have always wanted to reach out to you but have let you do your thing and watch things grow from it. I really appreciate your time and knowledge that you put into your video's... You remind me of my Father big time. I have been MOPAR or no car since day one as well. I have respect and Love for anything with 4 wheels and a engine... At my age... I have found appreciation for just the sport of racing itself. I used to get into fights about Chrysler - Ford - GM... But over the years has grown into a passion for all makes and models. Tony, most call me EVIL... I will be here and hope to open lines of communication... o7 ( salute )
That was good information. Thanks for putting this out there. Im building my engine, and companies are vague on explanation. Sometimes i think they dont even know what they are selling
Thanks for beginners advice Uncle Tony, However I've had a great idea!....can you do separate video for proper newbies like me starting from the very beginning of which car to pick and choose for restoration projects, tools you need, skills you need, finance you need, what courses you need to take at local training school's ie welding, body panel classes.... Cheers mate Gavo from London!
On the base circle, I was intrigued when I saw a modern engine where that part of the cam was narrowed. Perhaps for less friction, you don't need as much path width to keep the lifter in place.
If it was a modern engine, it probably had roller lifters. Old cam lobes are ground with a taper to keep the lifters rotating, hence x amount of friction is necessary.
It’s not “path width” to keep the lifted on track. It’s the amount of width necessary for the lifter to follow the ramp profile. Look at Pro Stock cams. Among other interesting features, they have narrow lobes and bearing journals. Roller cams with roller cam bearings don’t need as much surface for the bearings and with a roller following the lobe, that can be narrower too.
The type of engine you are talking about has no lifters, push rods, or rocker arms. There just flat cam followers. You are correct about the reason for the narrow base circle being for less friction. Just like low tension rings, every little bit helps.
I got a .258/.268 duration .501/.524 lift, 112lsa in my 360 Magnum. Those lift numbers are with the 1.6:1 Magnum rockers. I originally bought this cam for a 318 LA roller engine (when Mopar went to TBI in the late 80s they went to roller cam) so it went into my 360 Magnum. I did check the lifter to dog bone clearance, don't need to break the lifter retainer plate, and wipe a lobe.
Measure your lift, measure your base circle. Take the lift # and subtract the base # that gives you a # let's say it's .350 that's your lobe lift take your .350 & × it by 1.5 if your rocker ratio is that then you get your valve lift which would be .525 lift. Just an example for anyone who didn't understand
"Camshaft Duration is the measurement of the time one valve begins to open until it finishes closing. Duration is measured in degrees of crankshaft rotation, not camshaft rotation. You'll see duration specifications at .050 inches. Cam manufacturers agreed on a standard to measure duration so all cams are measured the same way. The idea is to measure duration starting at .050 inches of tappet (lifter) movement. As the lobe lifts the tappet up, when the tappet moves .050 inches, the duration is measured from that point. "
Awesome Ty Tony ! In my big block Chevy oval port .. I got a aggressive sounding cam . Low vacuum on the brake til I blip the throttle to stop .. dead hooks then . But at @45 mph on a 3.25 gear she sounds like a boxer jogging the punch bag . At a stop light with solid mounts. She tosses around like a Harley.. it was awesome till the intake gasket let go again.. so I hoping the cams fine because I did a quick turnaround on the driveway and the next morning she was cappachino... 🤷♂️. First catch before start but still had to tear it down to make sure. This time I’m getting a drill press and safety wiring the header and intake bolts Hoping it last longer then before 🤷♂️
We broke a lifter at the track a couple of years ago. I’m no engine builder but my car owner swapped out the cam in less than an hour without a degree wheel. I watched him do it but I still don’t know how he did it but I was impressed. Ran a 5.60 next pass . Didn’t look hard to do but dam you could tell he had don that a few times
Tony, the .050" duration is measured at .050" TAPPET lift, not valve lift (at least on all my cam cards, from various manufacturers). You might also mention that duration is measured in CRANKSHAFT degrees, which is 2X cam degrees.
I wish you'd made this video 5 months ago, changed out the cam on my brothers 96 fat boy. You explain it so much better than I did. And with distinctly less obscenities
As always awsome videos . Thank you Tony for taking the time to explain cam variations / specs . I just had an 1985 LA 318 built with 9.5:1 flat top pistons and an Erson cam E420121 TQ20H. Duration @ 0.50 214/214 duration advertised 292/292 gross lift .449/.449 lobe separation 112 . Sounds good at idle and cruising . What would be max lift on a cam for stock mopar small block rocker arms? Would anything past 470-500 be too much for compression like on my engine or a 360 i want to build or would the compression have to be raised? Also what a good lobe separation to give an engine that lopy sound but not sounding like its getting to die at idle ?
Good info. I have a hard time explaining cams sometimes. I think I use numbers too much in my explanation. So I end up confusing people. I will try to do it the way you just did.
Wow never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that a seven and a half minute video on cam shafts would hold my attention but it did Tony you should do 3 am infomercials I would watch them and probably buy whatever you were selling
Finally I found someone who told me what I need to know. I am a total cam dummy even though I do most of my work on my cars. I am in the middle of replacing the cam, lifters, and valve springs on my 2006 Charger Daytona R/T with the 5.7. One lifter on the number one cylinder went bad. I know this because when I pulled the lifter the bad one was seized up and turned completely sideways in the yoke/lifter bracket. I was really stumped on what size cam to get that will give me some performance out of an otherwise stock car that is my daily driver. I am looking at a 212/222 589 intake 584 exhaust with an LSA of 111. Is this a good cam for my stock daily driver that I want to get some performance out of and that I will be doing some more work on in the future?
I only buy my cams based off how cool the sticker in the box is. A woodpecker smoking a cigar, an iron cross, etc. It's about the stickers.
Iron Cross! Schneider Cams, one of the best kept secrets.
That's how I buy all my auto parts.
I still have a never worn Isky cams t-shirt from the 70s. It has a cartoon drawing of Ed Iskandarien dressed as a gangster with a big cigar in his mouth. It says "The Camfather".
A woodpecker smoking a cigar I'm sold.
@@413x398 I love that when I call Schneider (or one of the few other similar family operations that are left) I'm talking to a technician with years of experience grinding cams for hard-core racers and hot-rodders, not an order-taker feeding me canned answers from a computer screen.
I saw the title and thought “well if he is going to address it to me I should at least watch it.”
Actually it was plural, so I'm included
I know what you mean, Don Timberman. I always feel like he's talking to me, and not all 100,000 of us.
Yeah I saw it and was like well I know I'm a dummie so why not
@@johnridlehoover7899 naawww, no youse is not a dummy,,, youse is watching Uncle Tony, ya smart!
That's not a cut on Uncle Tony by the way!
Robert Schreiber it dose seam like you are just bs omg in his shop.
I see " ...for dummies," I click. Thanks, Tony, for the tutorial.
For the Duration of this video, you opened my lobe separation angle and lifted me to a higher place. You must be a Guru.
Sounds like you’re describing a different kind of video.
No comment
robwhite240z must’ve been the degree or angle of approach.
Also.. something for newbies to remember.. when considering how "big" a certain camshaft is.. they're sized by their duration.. not lift. Lift is critical, but not what defines how "big" a certain camshaft is. It's more about how long you hang the valve open.. not how high you lift it... awesome video Uncle Tony. 👍
This newbie thanks you sir.
That was a good explanation keep them coming and giving us more of those old school power adding tricks
My auto instructors couldn't even tell me this.
My auto instructors were very good, but they had goals of teaching me to be a flat-rate Toyota mechanic. I learned a lot from them, but went back to lumpy cams, carburetors, and all the other stuff we didn't do there. To their credit, we did get to learn how to do guides and seats in a head. I doubt the school is teaching that these days.
Don't doubt it at all. Great channel to learn from.
tru
@anthony stewart Dude Exactly same here! Like any time I explain how something works I for some reason go on a Tangent type thing and i never explain how things work. I know how to build, repair, do what ever but when i explain it I become a retard unless I can type it out.
We had to prove what failed and find specs all the time. It’s was 100% stock based, though.
Uncle Tony, this is the probably the most concise and straightforward cam explanation videos anyone could ask for. Thank you as always for imparting the old school know-how!
Thanks the most someone has explained this to me. I have to watch something over and over to finally get it
You are an excellent teacher. I've heard those specs thrown around for years and never understood exactly what they meant. And I guess I was either ashamed to admit that I didn't know, or figured I wouldn't understand it even if it was explained to me. Thanks for telling me in a way that didn't make me feel like an idiot. 👍
Watching your videos is like feasting on a cornucopia of automotive knowledge 😎
The camshaft rotes at half the amount or, "speed" of the crankshaft.
Normally when referencing, "degrees" they are crankshaft degrees, not camshaft degrees.The degree wheel mounts to the crankshaft. The more aggressive, or quickly the valve opens, the heavier a valve spring usually has to be to control valve float at the same RPM and faster hydraulic lifters open valves, the heavier valve springs have to be to prevent lifter pump-up at the same RPM. There is advertised duration, 0.050" duration and there is S.A.E. duration. With hydraulic lifters S.A.E. duration is usually at 0.006" lift, opening and closing sides of the cam lobe. Some camshaft makes use a lower lift for a higher advertised duration number. Some car makers use a different opening lift with a different closing lift when computing advertised duration. Before 1964 the car industry standard for hydraulic cam lobes was to make cam lobes that had a 0.050" lift duration that was 70% of the SAE 0.006" lift. This for acceptable wear. Around 1962 the aftermarket and industry engineers were trying more aggressive cam lobes. Around 1962, Iskenderian Racing Cams promoted high performance hydraulic camshafts with more aggressive 75% cam lobes. The 0.050" duration was 75% of the SAE 0.006" duration. In 1965 Pontiac changed all of its 4 barrel and tri-power carb camshafts to75% cam lobes, with the two barrel carb engines staying with 70% cam lobes.Pontiac may have tried that with the 1964 GTO camshaft too. The 1964 GTO camshaft was the same part number for GTO engines and on paper was the same as the 1964 4 barrel automatic transmission camshaft, BUT IT HAD A DIFFERENT PART NUMBER! In 1965 Chevy had the 350 horsepower 327 and new 396 engines with 75% cam lobes. In 1966 Ford had the 390 GT and Olds had the limited W-30 camshafts, for the new 75" cam lobes. The 1967 Dodge 440 Magnum still used 70% cam lobes, but the 1968 340 went with 75% cam lobes. "Theoretical" maximum power happens with the camshaft degreed with the intake centerline at 106 degrees ATDC, REGARDLESS OF LOBE SEPARATION, but this is just theory, as is, maximum torque happens with the intake centerline at 102 degrees ATDC, regardless of lobe separation. These theories are usually very close with, "correct" sized camshafts. The closing of the valve is limited by the mechanics of the valves slamming against the valve seats. The intake valve runs, 'cold" and can take fast slamming to be noisy. The exhaust valve runs red hot and is more easily damaged and must be closed more gently. Modern computer designed hydraulic cam lobes are even more aggressive now and some are designed to prevent lifter pump up at higher RPM with less valve spring pressure, but the really aggressive camshafts make more power and their cam lobes still require the heavier valve springs.
Awesome info and many thanks for adding this comment. Gonna do a screen shot of this and add it to my notebook.
I love the old Direct Connection purple shaft cams
I still remember putting that purple stripe in my 383 in an unheated garage in February, so it would be back on the streets in April. Boy did that cam ever wake her up. What fun cruising was after that, good times.
Kids today have it easy everything you need to know is online. I lost my father when I was 9 years old. Everything I learned was the hard way by making mistakes. Nobody would tell you nothing everything was a secret Time Has Changed.
that's because back in the day all that knowledge wuz power!....money! your living .....there are still a crap ton of stuff most real mechanics won't tell you about how or why they do some things ....and the internet ..lmao...to crazy to believe everything you read in forums these days there is a crap load and i do mean a crap load of misinformation out there and i feel its more then the RIGHT information ......may god bless Uncle Tony for sharing all his knowledge and passing on his power!!! the real deal ace mechanic with this one!!!
@@ShaneHerald you are 100% correct.
Grew up the same way, but different reason.
In the trade - tool & die - it was "figure it out, and it better f***ing be right when it's done" so you watched when they weren't looking and figured out the rest.
It made you really good, or unemployed.
Same with building race engines, but no one to watch, so you figured it out.
And you take it to your grave.
Marco Ceccarelli
Or worse they would give you bad advice which I’ve learned years later happened to me a lot.
It’s never lost on me how good someone my age in their 20s have it with the amount of info online I have, or the ability to track down just about every old book on eBay about engines. However I love listening to the old mechanics and machinists that were around for the golden age of hot rodding. If they start going I just sit back and listen. A generation of wealth of knowledge and experience that won’t be around forever.
I knew I should've kept my cam questions to myself...
😲!
😁😆😂😂😂😂
Hahaha Love ya brother.. look I'll admit, I understood what's happening as it's spinning away etc, but I've Never sunk my over thinking brain into lope separation and so on.. it's all fascinating information.. Oi oi oi...
I'm a chevy guy but most everything Tony talks about is relative to all engines and he seems like a down to earth guy and seems to like to teach others. Thank you Tony
Another benefit to roller lifters, beside reduced friction and wear at initial break-in, is that if you try a radical ramp on the lobe, it can try to push a non-roller lifter as much sideways as upwards, which causes binding inside the lobe bore. Mopar adjusted this by using "fatter" lifters and bores, meaning the diameter was wider than other engines, so a Mopar cam can get away with a faster ramp before it needs the heavier roller lifter. Other engines would use a "mushroom" lifter that had a wider foot or base on the cam lobe to have that increased diameter benefit.
The sooner you push that intake valve to full lift--assuming the valve springs can handle it--the sooner that full lift occurs during the duration the valve is open. If you ported the head to flow best at full lift, did an angle valve job that also works best at full lift, and the valve is unshrouded at full lift, this means the valve is performing longer during the duration, at the lift it was designed to work best at.
But what if the duration of time the intake is open (from its moment coming off the seat to full lift and back onto its seat again), extends into the time the exhaust valve is open? That is overlap. Too much, and you have emissions issues, low vacuum for brakes, and rough idle. But if you increase the ramp speed, ie, the intake valve pushes open to full lift sooner due to roller lifters or an increased diameter of the base of the lifter, now you can decrease the entire duration (from lifting the valve off the seat, to getting to full lift, and returning it to the seat again) but not lose (or lose much of) the amount of time the valve is at full lift. It would be as if you only had a mile of pavement to travel, and you want to spend as long as that distance at 100mph as you can. The car that accelerates to 100mph the quickest, is the one that lets you enjoy 100mph for as long as you can over that 1 mile of pavement before the car has to come to a complete stop. That's where the expense of a roller lifter setup and springs to handle its weight come in handy.
But there's a case for not designing your intake port and valve to work its best at full lift. During the duration, the valve sees full lift once, but partial lift twice--once when the valve is opening, and again when its closing. some designers like to work on mid valve lift performance for that reason.
So, now you have the basics, the terminology, and now you have some philosophy :)
Now That's how its done! Great Video Uncle Tony!! Makes me think back to when my Uncle Bob was Explaining it to me when I was a kid! We were working on his Dual Quad Cross ram 440 and he explained why the exhaust pulse was so important for scavenging and the how the supercharging caused by the intake pulse made the Dual Quad cross ram intake so great!! Nice Job!!
Thanks for the education Tony!👍
Very informative video. I think I used to know this stuff. Amazing how much can be forgotten. Also amazing how much knowledge is freely shared these days. Awesome!!!
Great job at breaking it down.
Excellent video, thank you very much Tony! You're the man! Much respect. - Derek, Canada, Alberta.
Excellent explanation! There are so many #s on cam cards that it's easy to get confused, especially for those who don't have much experience. To me, the 3 most important #s are advertised lift,050" duration and LSA. You explained them in language that's understandable. Last summer, I was at a local car show and one of the participants was really talking up his engine. He used a term that I hadn't heard in YEARS when he said it had a 3/4 cam. Now, I know what a 3/4 cam is and, in my experience, they're not all that great. You should've seen the "deer in the headlights look" on his face when I asked him what a 3/4 cam is.
Care to explain what a 3/4 cam is.....preferably keeping in mind, I'm one of the dummies he made the video for?
@@phoenixrising4573 Basically, a 3/4 cam is just slightly bigger in lift/duration than an "RV" cam. An RV cam is meant for low end torque and mid range power. The rpm range is usually from idle to around 5k give or take a few hundred. A 3/4 cam is usually designed for more mid range power while still trying to keep as much low end torque as possible. Their usual range is about 1500-5500 rpm give or take. An RV cam usually has advertised lift/duration #s around 260 degrees and .450 lift. A 3/4 usually has #s around 280 degrees and .480 lift or so. Keep in mind that these are advertised #s. The name 3/4 race cam was used for decades.
That makes sense. Sounds more like an oval track cam maybe? Or street drag maybe...
I like the dodge service sign in the background
I have watched a buncha videos trying to learn deeper into cams and i have to say this is hands down the best at explaining the basics and terminologies' used in cam specifications ..... rad brotha peace and love stay safe and build on l8z
That was the best explanation of camshaft characteristics I've seen on RUclips, by far. UTG knows what's up
Always enjoy a refresher from Uncle Tony.
UTG does it again! Great stuff Sir...and the decor fits perfectly! Please keep it coming. 2 thumbs up!
Purple Shafts! I know we sold a Bazzillion thru 70-80's. The go to cams for all Mopar Engs. Thanks Tony, Gave me Goose bumps! Peace
Simply put and the best for understanding cams.
I really enjoy your content and the way you explain things that are both "mandatory" and "not mandatory" and myths. I am new to your channel, but I would love for you to take a survey of which engines people want to build from scratch to stock specs, and do a series on the winner of that survey, and build it from scratch, just to stock specs to get it running on a bench. All other adjustments for various applications can be covered either by you, in a separate video, or a channel that you would recommend for that purpose. I would really love to watch that, no matter the winning engine (even though I am a Ford guy), because I love the way you explain things, and your passion for this stuff. You remind me of my engine-building teacher in college, that got down deep into this stuff, and gave physical examples of various things, to make us truly understand every nook and cranny of building an engine, including details like, heating gasoline in a beaker and putting a sample of each stage of heating into a glass tube and lighting it, to demonstrate how the different "octanes", and the way they burn. I'd like to see everything, from 'cylinder honing" to using feeler guages and that green string that you use to measure tolerances for caps and bearings, micrometers, small hole gauges, calipers, etc.., pre-oiling and preparing the engine for "first-start" and "break-in". I know that this would probably need to be a "sponsored" video, but I am just showing my interest. Regardless of whether it happens or not, I will still be watching. :)
Thanks for the Dummies series, Tony. I learned a lot today.
Well done sir by far the best quick breakdown explanation I've heard so far. 👍
Good job of explaining the basics. I haven't heard it done as well. thank you
The right camshaft is always, always the one bigger than the one you bought. Your welcome. Great videos. This is from experience. Over 50 duration.
Lol.. it's like a boobjob right !! You never hear.. I think I went too big.. let's step it down.. No, its always .. i think the next size bigger would have been better.
Torquemonster440
Exactly.
I learn something new every time you come out with a new one
It means school is in session
a solid lifter camshaft has "quieting ramps" on the lobes that take up the slack in the valve train before and after opening/closing the valve. keeps that hammering of the valve train to a minimum. hydraulic cams do not need that(no slack in the valve trane). If you just put solid lifters on a hydraulic cam the valve train will hammer badly. if you put hydraulic lifters on a solid lifter camshaft the valves will start opening sooner and close later. Never tried that but know of people who wrecked the engine with solid lifters on a hydraulic cam. what I have done successfully is to not push the hydraulic lifter piston way down in. reduces pumping up a bit. example on chevy if it calls for half a turn in on the adjuster give it less than a quarter turn. you can run the hydraulic lifters with minimal initial lifter compression. hopefully you will get around to these things. love your videos. knowing this we understand why letting collapsed hydraulic lifters clack away and not fixing that will result in hammering of the valve system, fix it.
Perfect explanation,thanks Uncle Tony.
I didn't even know you could advance a cam. I learned today.
Thank you for your insitghts and video 🙂❤👍
Thanks for the tutorial, and this is why I like this channel.
I am still trying to figure this out but your video is one of the most informative...thank you for this
Just did a cam swap in a 1980 CJ-5 with the AMC 304 this past week at work, and when I broke the cam in I thought of you and bottle rocket ( luckily they weren't sealed power lifters they were melling lol ) fired up as soon as I turned the key and broke the cam in with no issues. Pretty sweet little jeep don't get to see too many of them with the AMC V8
My what a fine wobbly stick you have there. Makes you want to get out some assembly Lube.
G'day Uncle Tony. I'm always learning new stuff from you. 👍
Awesome, thanks that's super helpful! First time I have heard it clearly explained!
Another great video keep it up. A funny side note, my Old Man's word for a camshaft is "The Magic Bump Stick".
Better than bumps on your magic stick.
Thank you. This information is exactly what I needed at this point in my studies. More videos like this, please!
It's funny and I know I'm not the only one but, I know quite well everything you said, I've got 45 yrs as a mechanic. But I watched the whole video and enjoyed it! 😂
Thank you , I've never seen a video explaining that workings of a cam shaft! All the others fly past whats going on and why and just start throwing numbers out their as if everyone learned this in kindergarten!!!! So thank you again for the lesson !!!
I'd REALLY like to see a video on the "famous" Purple Shaft cams that Mopar fans love so much. As I understand it, there were many different grinds available over the counter for various engines and purposes.
You might have made this for newbies but it's something that I always wondered about and you explained it very well. Thank you!
Just to split hairs. Duration @ .050” is measured at .050” tappet lift, not valve lift. Excellent video, I experiment with a lot of cams. For me my major experimentation started getting serious after buying into marketing bs leading me to purchase a comp cams xtreme 4x4 cam for the 350 in my k5 blazer, with the wide 114* lsa the engine idled like stock, but had lousy throttle response, non-existent low-mid range power. So I then bought a comp 280H magnum, with similar lift and duration figures, but a 110* LSA and being a straight grind, my lame 8:1 goodwrench crate 350 now had a steady lope, instantaneous throttle response, and enough low rpm torque to light my super swampers up. So then I went to an isky mega cam with nearly identical lift/duration to the previous cam but it was ground on 106* lsa, now my engine had a nervous crackly idle, crisp throttle response and even more power from roughly 2500-6000 rpm. But gas mileage dropped off a bit. I’ve been playing with cams ever since. Not just in sbc either. Small and big block mopars , ford Lima, ford Windsor, ford fe, and 305, 307, 327, 350, 377, 383, 400, 406 sbc’s. I might have a bit of a problem. Maybe I should seek a support group, cams anonymous lol.
Iv watched 4 videos now today on cams, yours is by far the best!
I gotta say I love watching your videos you explain things like a normal guy not someone who thinks if you dont know this stuff u shouldn't be working on cars keep up the good work
Very knowledgeable and great video. Simple and explained perfectly.
The roller cam is the most interesting to fully understand.My Yamaha 225 3 wheeler when I bought it had the cam set two chain teeth advanced.It would idol perfect but had no top end power at all.Now it makes a funny rattle noise & it turned out to be the cam has worn to much of its aluminium bearings away
Very well done and a perfect level. I can fix a number of things BUT knowing how to design performance, I skipped that lesson it seems. More skill builders like this please!
Camshafts for dummies you bought me a camshaft.
Awesome tutorial as always.. Taught this old gearhead a thing or two 👍👍
Direct Connection Purple Shaft Cam...........I've owned a bunch of those in years past.
Thank you. Had a general idea of what a camshaft does but not to its full extent in tuning an engine.
When i first saw title i thought good god he's going to open a big can of worms on this one. But you kept it simple and explained it well.. good job Tony
I've said this before, but I fucking love this channel! Thank you Uncle Tony and Uncle Kathy for all your work!
Great video!! I worked at a parts store and machine shop for several years and this info is among the most misunderstood
thanks for the video tony, i've been wanting to know about this for a while, sure there are other videos but i prefer getting my knowledge from you. cheers.
Great video. I’m running mid 10’s with a 351-W with a mechanical flat tappet on a 100 shot of nitrous. Chet Herbert CJ4N camshaft. Very simple setup.
This is one of the most down to earth channels I know of.
I'd like to buy u a cup of coffee uncle Tony!
UTG, I would like to introduce myself to you... I have watched you since day one Tony... I have always wanted to reach out to you but have let you do your thing and watch things grow from it. I really appreciate your time and knowledge that you put into your video's... You remind me of my Father big time. I have been MOPAR or no car since day one as well. I have respect and Love for anything with 4 wheels and a engine... At my age... I have found appreciation for just the sport of racing itself. I used to get into fights about Chrysler - Ford - GM... But over the years has grown into a passion for all makes and models. Tony, most call me EVIL... I will be here and hope to open lines of communication... o7 ( salute )
I make camshaft decisions with my masonic robe on. Wish there was affordable modeling software. The robe is uncomfortable
@@jodywales6760 not really. My car is tuned for e85 and any trip requires some planning lol
I use a crystal ball.
That was good information. Thanks for putting this out there. Im building my engine, and companies are vague on explanation. Sometimes i think they dont even know what they are selling
Thanks for beginners advice Uncle Tony,
However I've had a great idea!....can you do separate video for proper newbies like me starting from the very beginning of which car to pick and choose for restoration projects, tools you need, skills you need, finance you need, what courses you need to take at local training school's ie welding, body panel classes....
Cheers mate
Gavo from London!
On the base circle, I was intrigued when I saw a modern engine where that part of the cam was narrowed. Perhaps for less friction, you don't need as much path width to keep the lifter in place.
If it was a modern engine, it probably had roller lifters. Old cam lobes are ground with a taper to keep the lifters rotating, hence x amount of friction is necessary.
It’s not “path width” to keep the lifted on track. It’s the amount of width necessary for the lifter to follow the ramp profile. Look at Pro Stock cams. Among other interesting features, they have narrow lobes and bearing journals. Roller cams with roller cam bearings don’t need as much surface for the bearings and with a roller following the lobe, that can be narrower too.
The type of engine you are talking about has no lifters, push rods, or rocker arms. There just flat cam followers. You are correct about the reason for the narrow base circle being for less friction. Just like low tension rings, every little bit helps.
I got a .258/.268 duration .501/.524 lift, 112lsa in my 360 Magnum. Those lift numbers are with the 1.6:1 Magnum rockers. I originally bought this cam for a 318 LA roller engine (when Mopar went to TBI in the late 80s they went to roller cam) so it went into my 360 Magnum. I did check the lifter to dog bone clearance, don't need to break the lifter retainer plate, and wipe a lobe.
Excellent video and straight to the point!
I'm starting to feel stupid and im good at what I do . You are not human Uncle Tony.Thanks for the lesson.
Measure your lift, measure your base circle. Take the lift # and subtract the base # that gives you a # let's say it's .350 that's your lobe lift take your .350 & × it by 1.5 if your rocker ratio is that then you get your valve lift which would be .525 lift. Just an example for anyone who didn't understand
"Camshaft Duration is the measurement of the time one valve begins to open until it finishes closing. Duration is measured in degrees of crankshaft rotation, not camshaft rotation. You'll see duration specifications at .050 inches. Cam manufacturers agreed on a standard to measure duration so all cams are measured the same way. The idea is to measure duration starting at .050 inches of tappet (lifter) movement. As the lobe lifts the tappet up, when the tappet moves .050 inches, the duration is measured from that point. "
Awesome Ty Tony ! In my big block Chevy oval port .. I got a aggressive sounding cam . Low vacuum on the brake til I blip the throttle to stop .. dead hooks then . But at @45 mph on a 3.25 gear she sounds like a boxer jogging the punch bag . At a stop light with solid mounts. She tosses around like a Harley.. it was awesome till the intake gasket let go again.. so I hoping the cams fine because I did a quick turnaround on the driveway and the next morning she was cappachino... 🤷♂️. First catch before start but still had to tear it down to make sure. This time I’m getting a drill press and safety wiring the header and intake bolts Hoping it last longer then before 🤷♂️
77chevy4x4 loctite is much less work than safety wire, with equal results
Jim Goff ty !
Dude you're good at explaining things, even a novice would understand.
Can't forget the most important of all! The 3/4 race cam. It's everything you said but only 3/4s of it right? Bhahahaha
i just tell people i have a 3/4 cam and a double pumper so they think it's fast...
And 300 hp heads
@@172ventura all the 9 second quarter mile cars had double hump heads when I was a kid. LOL
Great job Tony! Keep it up buddy!
Uncle Tony's Tutorials
We broke a lifter at the track a couple of years ago. I’m no engine builder but my car owner swapped out the cam in less than an hour without a degree wheel. I watched him do it but I still don’t know how he did it but I was impressed. Ran a 5.60 next pass . Didn’t look hard to do but dam you could tell he had don that a few times
Tony, the .050" duration is measured at .050" TAPPET lift, not valve lift (at least on all my cam cards, from various manufacturers). You might also mention that duration is measured in CRANKSHAFT degrees, which is 2X cam degrees.
I wish you'd made this video 5 months ago, changed out the cam on my brothers 96 fat boy. You explain it so much better than I did. And with distinctly less obscenities
Great video uncle Tony please keep them coming 🙏 correacuda Robert
As always awsome videos . Thank you Tony for taking the time to explain cam variations / specs . I just had an 1985 LA 318 built with 9.5:1 flat top pistons and an Erson cam E420121 TQ20H. Duration @ 0.50 214/214 duration advertised 292/292 gross lift .449/.449 lobe separation 112 . Sounds good at idle and cruising . What would be max lift on a cam for stock mopar small block rocker arms? Would anything past 470-500 be too much for compression like on my engine or a 360 i want to build or would the compression have to be raised? Also what a good lobe separation to give an engine that lopy sound but not sounding like its getting to die at idle ?
Good info. I have a hard time explaining cams sometimes. I think I use numbers too much in my explanation. So I end up confusing people. I will try to do it the way you just did.
Nice breakdown Uncle Tony!
Wow never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that a seven and a half minute video on cam shafts would hold my attention but it did Tony you should do 3 am infomercials I would watch them and probably buy whatever you were selling
thanks UTC learned something else today while I'm recovering from hernia surgery
Feel better!
Great video ! Thank`s Tony .
Great information uncle tony!
Very useful explanation and information!!
Well said UNCLE TONY.. 👍👍
Thank you so much for the explanation, it was really helpful.
Well stated! This vid should help many understand cams better 👍
Finally I found someone who told me what I need to know. I am a total cam dummy even though I do most of my work on my cars. I am in the middle of replacing the cam, lifters, and valve springs on my 2006 Charger Daytona R/T with the 5.7. One lifter on the number one cylinder went bad. I know this because when I pulled the lifter the bad one was seized up and turned completely sideways in the yoke/lifter bracket. I was really stumped on what size cam to get that will give me some performance out of an otherwise stock car that is my daily driver. I am looking at a 212/222 589 intake 584 exhaust with an LSA of 111. Is this a good cam for my stock daily driver that I want to get some performance out of and that I will be doing some more work on in the future?