Who has NEVER had a cam or lifter go bad?

[polyjohn]

Wow, I thought it would be Zero in the GOOD cam list!
Big-block small-bock, race and street I've had many...

Never on start up but after few months and sometimes years.
You always know cos the power drops off.

Going over to roller on everything now, but that's another minefield too.
Still get failures 'I hear' but more expensive ones...

 

[Mackman]

Three Comp hydraulic flat tappet cams in the last 4 years, no problems.

 

[fourgearsavoy]

Built probably a dozen Purple Shaft engines back in the 80's without failure. One cam went to 3 different engines with new lifters each time. Had 3 Comp Cams in my Savoy, one hydraulic and 2 solids with no issues. Ran a Howards Solid flat tappet with no issues and sold it to another racer and it's still running 10's. Current cam is an Isky solid roller going on 2 seasons and about 1100 miles of street driving.
So I've been pretty lucky I guess but I have always went with the minimum spring pressure I could get away with.

Gus

 

[Kern Dog]

Maybe spring pressure is a strong contributing factor.

 

[nitro_rat]

The last lifter I remember loosing was in Dad’s ‘78 Cordoba with the 400 lean burn. Must have been 1989-ish. That’s me in the back seat.

We used to ride down to the neighborhood pool in the summertime with that lifter ticking. It earned the nickname “Ticka-Ticka.” Had to keep a towel in the seat to keep that fine Corinthian leather from burning the back of your legs!

One day a wrecker showed up and dragged poor old Ticka-Ticka to the wrecking yard. It was still pretty clean, maybe they fixed it. More than likely it got crushed…

 

[70bigblockdodge]

I've never lost one. About to do my biggest one ever. A Bullet solid flat tappet [email protected] and .580+ lift. Only breaking in on outer springs and I'm a firm believer in the messy moly paste lube. I have always thrown away that thick rear end looking oil, red, green, yellow/green. I know the lifter has to rotate to work, but feel that the moly paste gives it that weee little bit extra protection. Plus it will take months and months for that sticky crap to ooze off the love. The thick oil stuff seems like I would be hurrying to get it running in a few hours it takes for it to drop off the lobes/lifter face.

 

[vance.dykes]

i have never had a cam shaft go bad or ware a lobe off i was working as a mechanic back when Chevy had a year or 2 of bad cam shafts with unharden problems. but in all my years never had a problem with replacements wearing out a lobe or any problems.

 

[nitro_rat]

I think that there are a couple of important checks that drastically reduce the chance of having a failure.

1. Check that there is a crown on the bottom of any new lifter. I'm sure we've all heard the stories about them being flat out of the box in the past few years.

2. Check that the lifters spin freely in their bores. If the lifters can't rotate, they'll flatten a lobe weather they're crowned or not.

Maybe a 3rd item is not to buy budget basement Chinese lifters?

 

[polyjohn]

We stopped using Purples as they was the worst offenders!
Followed by Comp cams, but in reality they all seem to fail, in da end...

Crower roller is my go to now as Lunati have now gone too...

 

[nitro_rat]

We stopped using Purples as they was the worst offenders!
Followed by Comp cams, but in reality they all seem to fail, in da end...

Crower roller is my go to now as Lunati have now gone too...

I was a big fan of Lunati. Too bad they're gone.