Comp cam @ 5,000 miles

[axis]

Originally Posted by christianchevell

Yes thanks Kip, for speaking up from a place that sells cams and makes them, nut what I am wondering if the quality is there for comp cams core with its having aircraft grade quality steel, and if its recommended so fervently by Driven that they had a 300% drop in cam failures from breaking in cams with driven oil I am on the safe side myself, I used to do flat tappets in my sleep with EOIC ( exhaust open intake closed) etc etc . Now everything is rollers and its only going more high tech for the future, and many say no break in necessary.....while many say yes be smart....why not do a break in as other parts need it anyway and I WANTED TO BE SAFE, as things are not cheapo on a LS3 like a SBC. And this is the internet people from anywhere with a problem are going to come here, and yes do wonder about various cams quality of where they are getting their blanks too......... And think comp cams must be using aircraft quality steel as hey cams sure cost enough now adays, yet its hard to find any info on cam blanks for them or well any other place really.
And I know a break in for cam is the safe thing to do as that's how I raised myself building hot rod engines< I always did break ins, and well if you follow the driven story they were losing 1 in 10 cams now its 1 in 40 with a break in with good oil....now whose cams they were I don't know as joe gibbs is nascar and I do not know what they are running.

There was a post here a while back of people with whining cams... more than few, and some even had more than one whining cam before they got a good one and it was like WTF? I am a oldster and never had a bad cam ever, so I think its because this is the internet where we can gather for info as where else are you gonna go? thanks again for info, I know I did not think too much of the pressure or aggressive lobes angles of failure and thought more of the quality of the steel..........
Any info I can gleem as others is a real help, and we have to wonder where x company gets its base stock that is just put into service without even us the end consumer knowing where the heck its from......... I for one will always try to break in a cam if I think its good. Why not be safe is my motto. And while heat treating the springs, dyno tuning it, and hoping the rings in the little lifters roller seat and seal well and hey if nascar is doing 30 minute break ins why not lil ol me makin 550 h.p.? I have a small budget. Anyway heres that bulletin from driven and it makes sense to me given what I could hear from their experience and knowing how oil has been reformulated so much and is going to be again I as all of us should be safe and choose oils as wisely as we can and in 2017 is reformulating again to most likely remove more zddp and make oils even less viscosity.......

http://www.drivenracingoil.com/news/...-break-in-too/

Are you the ONLY one that doesn't see where you're going wrong? You're getting ALL your info from one source and that one source is trying to sell you THEIR oil.

[2010abmss]

CHRISTIANCHEVELL= Salesman of the year for DRIVEN RACING OIL!

[rberns]

So if I buy a Comp Cam from lets Vendor "X" does that mean Vendor "X" ground the cam or Comp Cams did the grind and puts Vendor "X" name on it? How can I make sure that the cam lobes are cleaned/finished correctly.

[axis]

Originally Posted by rberns

So if I buy a Comp Cam from lets Vendor "X" does that mean Vendor "X" ground the cam or Comp Cams did the grind and puts Vendor "X" name on it? How can I make sure that the cam lobes are cleaned/finished correctly.

Comp grinds the cam to the vendors specs, using Comps parameters.

I'll bet that pretty much all shops just trust their cam company to give them the best finish possible. Not sure how many have the ability to micro scan the lobes for defects. As Ryan said in another thread, "that's what I pay them for".

[rberns]

Originally Posted by axis

Comp grinds the cam to the vendors specs, using Comps parameters.

I'll bet that pretty much all shops just trust their cam company to give them the best finish possible. Not sure how many have the ability to micro scan the lobes for defects. As Ryan said in another thread, "that's what I pay them for".

Thats what I was going to get at if Comp Cam cleans/inspects the cam or if the vendor does. Thanks.

[jman17]

Originally Posted by Mydivorcegift

And that is good for you but do your really think that because you "It's the comp cam....just sayin....

I'll have to disagree with you...since I tech with NHRA and go to quite a few races, most of the cars that we see on the track run Comp cams, and I will say, that we don't hardly ever see a cam break that often, compared with the number of cars that go down the track. I would have to say that there are "othe" issues that are creating the problems than just blaming the comp cam or their cores.

[Rhino79]

Originally Posted by rberns

Thats what I was going to get at if Comp Cam cleans/inspects the cam or if the vendor does. Thanks.

This is how it works, or at least how I got the grinds I got for my custom cams.


I picked lobes out of the catalog, speced out my cam in my car, had Billy Godbold review the specs to ensure there wouldn't be any durability issues, and had them cut the cam. I requested an adcole report which is similar to a cam doctor report. My cam has been fine, and wasn't broken in on any exotic oil or black magic break in procedure.

While I use a mildly aggressive lobe, it is a shelf lobe in their catalog that they designed.

We spec, they cut it, inspect and ship.

[Mydivorcegift]

Originally Posted by jman17

I'll have to disagree with you...since I tech with NHRA and go to quite a few races, most of the cars that we see on the track run Comp cams, and I will say, that we don't hardly ever see a cam break that often, compared with the number of cars that go down the track. I would have to say that there are "othe" issues that are creating the problems than just blaming the comp cam or their cores.

You totally butchered my post and combined 2 posts so I quoted myself below for you to review. Because you are a NHRA tech doesn't matter. And I have stated what happened to me PERSONALLY. I had a comp cam fail, twice. First one was sent back to Comp and was told BY A COMP REP that the cam was NOT hardened properly and was soft.

Originally Posted by Mydivorcegift

And that is good for you but do your really think that because you "been extremely meticulous on the install, chosen part combinations carefully with the advice of the most knowledgeable experts I can find" is the reason you haven't had any issues? Do you think you are the only person that has done this?



I have....personally....and it was a comp. It was soft per a CC representative. All these threads on all of the LS based boards about cam failing. Different builders, different oil, different valvetrain components, different uses....ask yourself what is the one constant?

It's the comp cam....just sayin....

[Bell040]

Btw, in regards to my Lunati cam that has 80,000 miles on it... I have been using only Mobil 1 high mileage oil with a little extra ZDDP additive.

To everyone screaming about what oil is best... all you need is one number. The concentration of ZDDP. Stay around 1500PPM. If you are a Mobil 1 guy like me, you need this table (http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...duct_Guide.pdf)

[axis]

Originally Posted by Bell040

Btw, in regards to my Lunati cam that has 80,000 miles on it... I have been using only Mobil 1 high mileage oil with a little extra ZDDP additive.

To everyone screaming about what oil is best... all you need is one number. The concentration of ZDDP. Stay around 1500PPM. If you are a Mobil 1 guy like me, you need this table (http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...duct_Guide.pdf)

You don't need just one number. You need to know the amount of ZDDP AND detergent. They both go hand and hand. Where did you get your 1500 number?

[christianchevell]

The only reason I post about driven racing is to get the word out, you can read where I have given tests of synthetic oils by a independent lab for amsoil, and decide for yourself. I want people to be informed as oils are no longer the Safe bet they used to be. As I have stated earlier lots of reasons can be had for a cam going bad, and this forum can be a magnet for information on the people who have and are trying to avoid it in the future. I believe most likely some cam cores are bad, as some have to have been bad and different sections of the same cam could test differently for hardness and wonder where the cores are made myself.
Also having ZDDP is critical and a lot of people do not even know about ZDDP, or that they should use better oil for racing, or have even lived long enough to have had to break in dozens of cams and sell the cars they are in and stand by the end result.

I come here to find knowledge and give what I can, I learn and share what I can and really appreciate when those who are above my level which is low give input as there is no golden answers out there 100% guaranteed to be safe beyond all questioning or parts failures etc due to getting a bad product. I am modding my car currently and will be for some time, my next mod I am thinking is going to be a sprint booster as it comes highly recommended to me to reduce lag and throttle by wire is slow. After that I am building up more rear end parts for my eaton posi with my trw differential cover to go with all the bushings and new Brm trailing arms and toes etc I just installed. Then it will be on to axles or back to the engine for a better balancer like I have planned, maybe a remap of my tune with a new intake if dang vararam will just get er done...... lol

Learning from others mistakes is what happens here in the school of hard knocks, If I can have a cam that lasts until the engine needs rebuilt that's very aggressive and lasts like 200 thousand miles well that's what I am looking for, and what I am trying to build towards to have the reliability as I have been used to it from the foundation of being a hardcore chevy guy raised on bowties and heavy chevies.
And if I can help someone else along the way well good, and yes ZDDP and detergents fight each other the last poster is right balance matters, and many here on this forum have totally neglected the oil aspect of their builds to a point where it may bite them and that's a dirty rotten shame. Because back in the day you did not really have to worry about the oil it was a given, and some little annoying things with the oil was taken as a given...like more sludge with brand x, more this with brand y but hey you could just brand any and long life for your engine was a given with a good oil pump and proper maintenance.

And everyone here needs especially to know all oils are not made the same bigtime anymore, and its only going to get worse. Sure call me chicken friggin little but come 2017 it hits the fan again. And the EPA is not your friend.

[Baer383]

Man this thread has got me depressed,

I'm going to buy a Leaf.

[rich3fan]

christianchevelle, I think you've gotten the word out. We hear you. Thanks. I really think you can move on now. My guess is people are starting to think you may have psychological issues. That's just my opinion though. Please talk about something else now okay?

[axis]

Originally Posted by christianchevell

The only reason I post about driven racing is to get the word out, you can read where I have given tests of synthetic oils by a independent lab for amsoil, and decide for yourself.

You posted the same "break in" link twice in THE SAME THREAD. That's way beyond "getting the word out". There's more to this than that.