Going to replace the cam IN-CAR tomorrow on the Road Runner.

[BeepBeepRR]

I made a short list of items to bring to the location. My buddy has his Roadrunner stored over at his daughters house. It has been there atleast a year and a half. While taking it out to her house I was on a 2 lane road and a CTS-V came up behind me on that road and was hammering it with the cutouts open. So I nailed it and walked away for a few seconds then he came up on me like I was in a 1969 3 speed auto Road Runner.. Anyhow I let him go on by he gave a thumbs up. But when I got to the gas station it was ticking like hell. I thought oil pressure. THat was not the issue. Had oil spewing out of the cheap plastic oil sender. So there was that oil leak. Anyhow fast forward turns out wiped the rear most cam lobe. I will be replacing the cam and new timing set tomorrow. Changing the oil and checking the cam bearings and installing new lifters. I made a list of items to bring. Im going to disable the Holley Sniper for cam break in due to the fact I'm pretty sure it lost the installed tune over the past year. Let me know if I'm missing something.

Cam install
Harmonic balancer puller.
Gasket scraper
OIl
Filter
Sockets
timing light
coolant
gaskets
grey RTV
Board to put push rods in
Lifters1 1/4 socket and breaker bar.
Assembly lube
Water pump gaskets
OIl pump
Oil sender
Battery charged
Jumper cables
Carb 4bbl fuel line and gas can
disable electric pump for EFI
replace cam
inspect bearings.
Forgot to add in the electric pump. This is to break in the cam. Not going to go EFI right off the bat due to it taking a while to learn.
Going with a carb to start.

 

[R413]

Brake cleaner and rags
Drain pans for coolant and oil
How are you installing the balancer?
Blue loctite for cam bolt?
Carb base gasket
Valve cover gaskets
timing cover gaskets
Oil pump priming shaft(don’t crank for oil press)
ATF? For leaks at cooler lines, and if it’s low after extended sitting.

box fan to help cooling while sitting still for 20-30 minutes. It’s hot in GA

 

[66 Sat]

Degree wheel .
If you get it all done in one day I'll be impressed. Mine took me, ahem, a little longer.
It's all the little things like removing the grille and cleaning old gaskets off that took up a lot of time. Then "while you're there" you might as well repaint the intake and valve covers etc.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

I had just painted the engine prior to the cam failure. So that’s not an issue. I have a new summit cam degree wheel and what not. I was told you can do it without removing the grill but I’ll be prepared just in case. The car has been sitting for a bit but the intake is already unbolted and the lifters are already out of the bores. Also the pushrods are all set in cardboard where they came from. So most of the taking apart is done.

 

[Don Frelier]

Why do you think the sniper lost it's settings?
I have an atomic and it runs the same after having no battery for 6 months.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

Why do you think the sniper lost it's settings?
I have an atomic and it runs the same after having no battery for 6 months.

I would have just assumed since it’s a computer. But you may be right.

 

[Don Frelier]

I know you are trying to eliminate a variable. But the efi working to control the afr seems like a good thing to me.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

That is a great thought... I think I know why the cam lobe wiped. But I can't be for sure, when the car came here it had a Holley 750 Double Pumper that would crack the secondaries as soon as you started pushing the peddle. I told him we need to change the cam on the holley but he bought an edelbrock instead. I think the oil was washed with too much unburnt fuel. Causing it to be very thin. Anyhow what's done is done. I'll leave the sniper in tact. My main concern on that was startup and breaking in the cam. I have a 600 holley an electric fuel pump and a gas can. I know that carb is good and reliable. Just didn't want to be spinning the engine over waiting on the sniper to do its thing.

I selected a cam which I thought was very close to the "roadrunner cam" which is what he wanted. Before I go all out maybe someone can check to see if my selection was correct.

THis is the cam I bought.
Brand:
COMP Cams
Manufacturer's Part Number:
23-223-4
Part Type:
Camshafts
Product Line:
COMP Cams Xtreme Energy Camshafts
Summit Racing Part Number:
CCA-23-223-4
UPC:
036584115687
Cam Style:
Hydraulic flat tappet
Basic Operating RPM Range:
1,600-5,800
Intake Duration at 050 inch Lift:
224
Exhaust Duration at 050 inch Lift:
230
Duration at 050 inch Lift:
224 int./230 exh.
Advertised Intake Duration:
268
Advertised Exhaust Duration:
280
Advertised Duration:
268 int./280 exh.
Intake Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:
0.477 in.
Exhaust Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:
0.480 in.
Valve Lift with Factory Rocker Arm Ratio:
0.477 int./0.480 exh.
Lobe Separation (degrees):
110
Camshaft Gear Attachment:
3-bolt
Computer-Controlled Compatible:
No
Grind Number:
XE268H
Valve Springs Required:
Yes
Camshaft Manufacturers Description:
Great for street machines, slightly rough idle, works with stock converter.
Quantity:
Sold individually.
Notes:
3-bolt style.
Footnotes:
7 - Stock springs cannot be used.

This is the "Roadrunner cam specs"

I couldn't find a ton of info but tried to match close to the specs above.

The 1968 383/335 HP 'Road Runner' and 440/375 'Super Commando'
utilized the same Camshaft.

Lift............. 450"/.458"
Duration..... 268*/284*
Overlap....... 46*

Valve Spring Load-Rate....... #129 lbs. Valve-Closed / #250 lbs. Valve-Open

The Stock Valve Springs should be a 'dull' red in color.

 

[Ironbuilt]

 

[khryslerkid]

I thought a wiped cam lobe requires a complete tear down and cleaning.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

I thought a wiped cam lobe requires a complete tear down and cleaning.

I already did change the oil prior to pulling the intake. Ticking wouldn't go away. So that's when I pulled the intake. I didn't have anything with me at the time to do a better inspection. The oil that was in it was thin but clean. No metal shavings or chunks.

When I say wiped it may not be the best description. I will take some pictures and post them. I'm also changing the oil pump too. But I just need to get the cam out to make a better assessment. I did notice the lifter was damaged. Its been over a year since I last saw the car. Tomorrow will refresh my memory.

 

[Kern Dog]

I thought a wiped cam lobe requires a complete tear down and cleaning.

There are differing opinions on that.
If the failure is caught early, you might be okay. If the oil pan has no shavings and if the oil pump rotors have no damage, it is a good sign.
I wiped 2 Comp Cams in 2006 and ended up developing an oil burning problem bad enough to warrant removal by 2011. I honed the cylinders and replaced the rings and bearings. The bearings actually looked perfect so replacing them was more of a “feel good” measure.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

There are differing opinions on that.
If the failure is caught early, you might be okay. If the oil pan has no shavings and if the oil pump rotors have no damage, it is a good sign.
I wiped 2 Comp Cams in 2006 and ended up developing an oil burning problem bad enough to warrant removal by 2011. I honed the cylinders and replaced the rings and bearings. The bearings actually looked perfect so replacing them was more of a “feel good” measure.

It was honestly only about 10 miles from the gas station where I stopped to his daughters house. So I would say it wasn't ticking for like days maybe 20 minutes tops. I'll get some pictures of the cam. I just stopped once I looked in the valley at the rear lobe. I didn't have very many tools available and I was in the middle of rural west Georgia. I don't know anyone out that way. So I called it a day and took my beatings.

 

[Kern Dog]

To add:
When I pulled the engine in 2011, the oil pump was really hard to turn. Inside, there was a fair amount of metal stuff embedded into the rotors of the pump. The rings were sharp on one side. The machinist said the ring gaps were as wide as .060.
The shavings did do damage to the rings and cylinders but the crank and bearings were fine. Keep in mind that I did lose two cams in a row.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

To add:
When I pulled the engine in 2011, the oil pump was really hard to turn. Inside, there was a fair amount of metal stuff embedded into the rotors of the pump. The rings were sharp on one side. The machinist said the ring gaps were as wide as .060.
The shavings did do damage to the rings and cylinders but the crank and bearings were fine. Keep in mind that I did lose two cams in a row.

That sucks too.. Well, I think since the oil was not in real bad shape as far as metal flakes goes. Like I said did an oil change to make sure it wasn't just thinned out oil causing it. But the tick never went away. No smoking or anything like that with the 383 just a leak which I think was the cheapo Autozone sender cracked in the plastic area. And then the tick on top of that. I'll get to the bottom of it. I just hate to travel and work on a car when ALL MY **** is here.

 

[Kern Dog]

In some cases, the lifter gets crud inside and won’t pump up. The result can be excessive clearance which makes the clicking noise. Some take the lifters apart to clean them, some replace that lifter and do a form of “break in” just as you’d do with a new cam.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

I noticed some issues on the bottom of the lifter. That's what caused me to look at the cam. I will just have to see what's up. Fingers crossed its not terrible. I do have a brand new Melling oil pump I'm taking with me just in case.

I am looking for a picture on the web to represent what I remember it looking like.

If memory serves me correct it looked sort of like this.

I know it wasn't like this one.

 

[Kern Dog]

The two cams I dealt with looked like the bottom situation.
I lost a MP 292/508 in a 360 too. All of this was right about the time that zinc was phased out of the oil. I’ve learned since then..,

 

[BeepBeepRR]

The two cams I dealt with looked like the bottom situation.
I lost a MP 292/508 in a 360 too. All of this was right about the time that zinc was phased out of the oil. I’ve learned since then..,

Speaking of oil. Buying VR1 oil to put in it. That's what my engine guy told me to run in any flat tappet cam engine. VR1 20/50 He also said not to change the oil until the next oil change. Seemed a little weird. I think I'll break in the cam then change the oil anyhow.

 

[BeepBeepRR]

Well here is a quick update. Having the car towed to my house but here is the cam at the rear.