Cliff---We know the lobe "lift" on reground cams should come out the
same, when measured from the nose to the base circle. However,
regrinding of the cam lobes can sometimes locate them at different final
heights along the plane. Since the valve lash setting comes from the
pushrod/followers riding on the base circle, it (sort of) all works out
in the end.
This regrinding can be detected by a hobbyist, thru a setup using
V-blocks to cradle the cam, and a dial indicator. After the cam is
installed, such detection could show up as a noticeable difference in
the amount of threads exposed among the ball stud adjustments.
I'm not too sure on how many times a cam can be reground. (I suppose as
long as there's a base circle to work with.) When or if the integrity
(softness?) of the steel would become suspect, is another question.
At this time could someone explain why a "soft" cam follower causes
rapid failure of a cam lobe? I've seen it written in forums such as
this, but never understood why this would be so. I was told long ago
that the softer of the metals would be the "sacrificial" one.
Dick Taylor
Too long ago?
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