• Hello Guest, welcome to the initial stages of our new platform!
    You can find some additional information about where we are in the process of migrating the board and setting up our new software here

    Thank you for being a part of our community!

Vintage Was: Dead Cam? - Now B20 Rebuild Thread

Chewy

Chewy

New member
Joined
Apr 24, 2014
Location
Corona, CA
Got a B20 in a 142...

Set valve lash...
Measured valve lifts...
one of these things is not like the other :(

lfkmEeSl.jpg


Results... #1 Exhaust looks bad. Doublechecked it and it's a good bit shy of the rest.

3yyO5BMl.jpg


Pretty sure this means the cam lobe wore down?
 
Lol! Yay!

So, swap in a used D cam and new volvo lifters? Or go for new vv71 and lifters (and pushrods?) Or is that bad idea with stock B head?

While in there, thrust plate and new cam gears? (Cloyes alloy? Steel is hard to find....)
 
A D cam will feel great in an otherwise stock engine. Do you have SU's? Might think about getting some richer needles to go with the D cam. Not sure I'd go to the trouble of swapping a cam and putting a used on in, stock grind cams are pretty cheap.
 
Dunno, last time I checked the VV61 or VV71 were $125 straight from Isky, but that's been a few years ago. Also their lifter/pushrod kit was about the same. Price from them was about half of IPD's price.

But yes, that cam is headed out.

Another 'while you're in there', toss in a steel gearset. Either a used one from Ken if he has one or a new one. Still available from Skandix or Volvo directly. Dealer was cheaper than Skandix a couple years ago.
 
Last edited:
I sell high quality custom made "D" camshafts or any of the Isky grinds for $200.00.

I had to get the "D" camshafts made because the only company making high quality aftermarket camshafts, TRW in Europe, got bought by Federal-Mogal and because Federal-Mogal already had their own camshaft manufacturer, they shut down the TRW valve train company and out went the high quality aftermarket Volvo camshafts and valve springs as their company doesn't make Volvo camshafts.

I also have stock lifters or an Isky chrome moly pushrod/lifter kit as well as new OEM steel timing gear kits(NOT CHEAP CRAP CLOYES), OEM head gasket sets and updated front timing covers that accept a rubber seal instead of the stock felt seal.

I even have new OE head bolts or ARP studs. I also have OE manifold studs in stock.

I have or can get all of the parts to rebuild the head IE valves, stock or dual valve springs and retainers, valve guides, valve seals and rebuilt rocker shafts.

FYI, I can get a cheap "D" camshaft and lifter kit for $155.00, but I have no idea who made the camshaft nor can I vouch for its longevity.
 
Last edited:
Indeed!

After having recurring issues with lifters (I have stiff double valve springs, higher ratio rocker shafts, tend to rev the piss out of it - 7000 -7500 RPM, fairly pointy cam - VV81) I've started adding 1/2 or 1/3rd of a bottle of Lucas 'break-in' oil after each oil change. It's zinc (ZDDP). You wouldn't want to use it consistently in a newer car because it's bad for O2 sensors and catalytic converters, but those are not really an issue on an old pushrod motor

The cam lobe/lifter area is just simply not well oiled. You get some oil passively leaking down past the lifters through the lifter bores (which are not pressure fed, just gravity fed from oil draining back down from the rocker shaft, and most of the oil goes somewhere else other than through the lifter bores). But as far as I can tell, it's mostly just oiled by crankshaft windage - little oil drops floating around in the air. All that zinc help form a layer on the steel that lubricates and protects it even if there isn't quite enough oil.

Steel cam gears are great, as long as they're oiled properly (that little brass sprayer that screws into the end of the oil galley) they'll outlast the rest of the engine. The fiber gears are OK, if you don't thrash it, or let it sit for years. I suspect when an engine isn't run for a long time that moisture can get into the block and soften the gears.
 
I usually run the M1 10-40 high mileage in mine since it has a decent bit of ZDDP in it as well, still not quite as much as adding in a bit though. Current fill is some clearance Valvoline full-syn VR1, best $8 worth of oil I've bought lately aside from the M1 ATF at $2/quart. lol

Agreed on the timing gears.
 
Hat tip to ken - found a pair of B30 steel gears fairly cheap.

Followup question for the collective B20 gurus
I'm blowing through my cash...and this will tap me out for a bit. (plenty to do on this car unfortunately)

New D cam from Hiperfauto + Stock replacement lifters?
New D cam from Hiperfauto + Isky Lifters / Pushrods?
New D cam from Hiperfauto + Summit $4 lifters + Isky pushrods?

New "questionable quality" D cam and lifters from Hiperfauto? I assume this is the same cam IPD sells, (Engine power components https://www.ipdusa.com/products/7387/101367-stock-d-grind-camshaft-b18-b20)
 
I wouldn't worry too much about Isky tubular pushrods. Unless you're building something that revs really high and has stiff valve springs, stock pushrods are fine.

How much are the stock lifters?

I know some were blaming stock lifters for being soft (I probably repeated it myself a time or two), but I've wiped lobes on both stock and Isky SBC lifters.
 
JohnMc said:
I wouldn't worry too much about Isky tubular pushrods. Unless you're building something that revs really high and has stiff valve springs, stock pushrods are fine.

How much are the stock lifters?

I know some were blaming stock lifters for being soft (I probably repeated it myself a time or two), but I've wiped lobes on both stock and Isky SBC lifters.
Click to expand...

In the interest of time/dollar investment for now, I need it to be a running car for a while lol.

Probably saving the hi-rev power build for down the road for when I have the cash to support headwork, and other supporting mods.

Stock lifters are 6-11 bucks a piece, depending on who you buy them from, and their markup. I have read (you included lol) that the stock lifters/oe replacements were soft and junk. Has this improved?
 
I really don't know, I've been using the Isky lifters for a long while, it's not like they're bullet proof.
 
Chewy said:
Hat tip to ken - found a pair of B30 steel gears fairly cheap.

Followup question for the collective B20 gurus
I'm blowing through my cash...and this will tap me out for a bit. (plenty to do on this car unfortunately)

New D cam from Hiperfauto + Stock replacement lifters?
New D cam from Hiperfauto + Isky Lifters / Pushrods?
New D cam from Hiperfauto + Summit $4 lifters + Isky pushrods?

New "questionable quality" D cam and lifters from Hiperfauto? I assume this is the same cam IPD sells, (Engine power components https://www.ipdusa.com/products/7387/101367-stock-d-grind-camshaft-b18-b20)
Click to expand...

Cam option 3. The summit lifters are the same as ipd, pretty sure they are just reboxed. I'm not sure, but I think that the ipd "stock" grinds are made from a less than perfect material, but dont quote me on that. I've just heard of people killing cams really quick even though proper install/break-in had been done. And it could have just been a run or two that had issues, I'm not sure. But Hiperfauto is really where I would spend my money, those guys are so nice to deal with and the collective knowledge is awesome in that shop.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top