Bent billet cam....straighten ?

[Cranky]

I have a .450 lobe lift roller cam that had some welding done on it and it warped it to the tune of .095" on the center journal and has .085 RO on the 4th bearing journal. The lobe that was welded up is on #3 intake (2nd lobe forward of the #4 bearing journal. Question is, is this thing junk or can it be straightened? I've straightened plenty of process pump shafts over the years but never tired anything with 16 bumps. Being a billet I thought maybe it could be saved.....or is it worth messing with? Has anyone else had any experience like that with them?

 

[PoppaSmurf]

YES !!!!!!!!! it can be saved...we use to do it at Lunati Cams all the time...check with the cam mfg and see if they are willing to do it... But IT CAN and is Done..alot !!!

 

[Cranky]

Well, I did contact a cam recon place that's near me and they said it's bent too far.....said .030 was about as far out as they will mess with but also said it would be around 200 bucks if they could fix it. I'm going to check with Crane and then Oregon Grinding before I can it. May just be cheaper to buy a new one to my specs.

 

[Cranky]

Well, it's a piece of wall art......

 

[PoppaSmurf]

Mahogony frame and put it on espray....sorry to hear that Cranky...maybe you'll get lucky!

 

[Meep-Meep]

Do you know what material it's made of? ...Something good I imagine. Can you run a file over some non critical parts and get an idea of the hardness? If it's not hard and prone to cracking I'm thinking a granite surface plate, some V blocks, a dial indicator and a press may keep you busy for a while. I bet in 20 mins you can get it to 50% and another hour maybe under .005" TIR.

 

[Cranky]

Steel billet is all I know....and the other two cam companies said it was too far out to mess with and by the time they did get it straight it would probably need a regrind and by then, I could buy a new one. Also, it's not the only roller I have so my options are still open and it's already on the truck waiting for the ride to the scale with the rest of the junk.

 

[sst3193]

Heat is what got it out of sorts, heat the other side and then check it for straightness.

 

[dave5237]

Heat is what got it out of sorts, heat the other side and then check it for straightness.

I know a lot about metalurgy and the question is how much heat is the question here. When you heat something you change the properties and stress the steel. I think he might be better off with a new one. After working on pumps for the last 28 years a lot of guys would heat the sleeves which I prefer to cut and split the sleeves off but I seen a lot of pump shafts break after that heat they put on it.

 

[PoppaSmurf]

Cranky hold that thought...I'm trying to find an old friend of mine who lives in San Angelo,TX...he designed and ground cams for Crane..for many many moons...20 25 years let me get a number and let you call him..... may take a couple of days being Easter weekend and all...

 

[Cranky]

I know a lot about metalurgy and the question is how much heat is the question here. When you heat something you change the properties and stress the steel. I think he might be better off with a new one. After working on pumps for the last 28 years a lot of guys would heat the sleeves which I prefer to cut and split the sleeves off but I seen a lot of pump shafts break after that heat they put on it.

We did some of that too and had to give up on getting a sleeve off and start from scratch with a new shaft and seal sleeve. We used 17-4 PH Stainless for our shaft material. Sweet machining stuff but tough to drill.

Cranky hold that thought...I'm trying to find an old friend of mine who lives in San Angelo,TX...he designed and ground cams for Crane..for many many moons...20 25 years let me get a number and let you call him..... may take a couple of days being Easter weekend and all...

Ok, I'll check back with ya....