FAQ

Is my camshaft suitable for regrinding?

Engines with adjustable or hydraulic valvetrains

have camshafts which can be reground.       

What is a chill cast camshaft?     
      During the casting process a special mold is used     
    with a cooling section near the nose of the lobe. This     
    rapid quenching of the molten iron leaves the material     
    over the nose of the camshaft harder. Up to 60 RC.      
    Chill cast camshafts do not require a post grinding     
    heat treat process.   

What is Nitriding?     
     Nitride is a hardening process for camshafts and      
    crankshafts after grinding. It is done in an oven at high     
    temperatures with nitrogen and other gases.      
    The process can vary in cycle length and percentages     
    of gas. A side benefit of nitriding is the high temperature     
    stress relieving.     

What is Parkerizing?     
     Parkerizing is a phosphate acid etch. The phosphate     
    adds a lubricating quality to the iron camshaft lobe to     
    aid during the critical initial "break- in" period.     
    Why do I need new cam followers when using a new camshaft?
      Depending on the specific valvetrain, the engine might use a flat
tappet     
    or a rocker arm on the camshaft lobe.       
     Flat tappet cams sometimes have taper across the face of the lobe.     
     The tappet will have a slight convex radius to match this taper. When      
    camshafts break-in the taper over the nose and the radius of the
lifter is     
     slightly worn in. If you run a lifter with a reduced (worn) radius
against     
     a new lobe with correct taper, the edge of the lobe will have
concentrated     
    loading. This high load can cause the camshaft material to break down     
    rapidly causing a failure.     
       Engines which use cams with direct acting rocker arms have different     
    wear problems. The rocker arm will have a rubbing pad which the cam     
    lobes pushes against. A mild factory cam will use less of the pads length     
    than a high performance cam lobe will.  If the rubbing pad is worn from     
    high mileage there will be a slight ridge between the worn and the unworn     
    sections of the pad. This ridge can scuff the new cam lobe leading to     
    premature wear problems.