Don Terrill’s Speed-Talk

I have a Isky roller cam for a MEL series Lincoln engine. It is made to use a roller lifter. It is grind 505RR

It is on a cast core.. I was wondering if it could be used with a hydraulic roller lifter... Sure would not want to use a solid roller lifter on a cast cam core.

brechlrl wrote:I have a Isky roller cam for a MEL series Lincoln engine. It is made to use a roller lifter. It is grind 505RR

It is on a cast core.. I was wondering if it could be used with a hydraulic roller lifter... Sure would not want to use a solid roller lifter on a cast cam core.

Yes, of course you can use a solid roller lifter on a cast core. Why not? That's what it was designed for and used successfully for years. I remember an Isky 505RR being used in a 462" MEL in a blown injected rail job. It was hell-for-stout back in the early '60s.

No, a hydraulic roller would be really rough, as it would take up all the clearance ramp.

Maybe, give us a clue as to the application and then you can get a recommendation as to allowable spring pressures. That's where the limit is.

jack vines

Yup those were the days of Lincoln's and Buicks in rail cars.
Lots of cool stuff came from that era. Remember Ivo's four engine buick powered four wheel drive rail.
I seen that thing when I was a kid with all four tires on fire
Ahh those were the days..................

The 1950-early 1960's cast roller cams were poured from a material referred to as Endurall. This was a hardenable alloy with excellent hardness and strength characteristics. Steel billet roller cams were not that common then, as there was no real mass production of the cores, resulting in a relatively high cost per camshaft. Solid roller lifters were used on these cast cores with great success in applications ranging from all-out competition to street performance. If you do not want to use mechanical roller lifters, your existing MEL camshaft could be reground to an appropriate hydraulic roller profile, depending on your intended usage. Regards, Chase

Thanks that was just the type of info I was looking for.. Don't really have an application yet but I do have a 462 MEL short block taken out to 517.

I was concerned after reading about some of the current cast roller cams not holding up. But sounds like this would be OK. I have not looked at specs for the 505RR, but I am assuming is typical for the era. mild ramps modest lift but long duration. The rocker shafts on those MELs probably wont handle any more than a 400 lb open spring

I have not looked at specs for the 505RR

Here's one I used in a Packard V8:

Iskenderian 505T Magnum Roller - 290 degrees advertised duration
Intake opens 38 BTC
Intake closes 72 ABC
Exhaust opens 72 BBC
Exhaust closes 34 ATC
Net valve lift .505”
Valve lash .018”

Interestingly, the Iskenderian 505A, B, C and T solid lifter cams all have much more advertised duration than the 505T roller.

jack vines

I took this data from a 1965 catalog.

505T roller oval track cam. .505 lift , 290* seat , 35-75- 75-35 timing, lash @ .030
505C roller track cam , ......505 lift , 320* seat , 50-90 -90-50 timing, lash @ .030
RR 550 Magnum cam ,........520 lift , 330* seat , 57-93- 93-57 timing , lash @ .030

From a 1979 catalog

505T Magnum Oval Track ....531 lift , 290* seat , 34-76 - 76-34 timing , lash @ .028
505C Magnum track..........510 lift, 320* seat , 52-88 - 88-52 timing , lash @ .028
550 SLG.......................540 lift , 330* seat , 57-93 - 93-57 timing , lash @ .028

Now now dont quote me but I seem to remember the 505 series lobes seat was @ .022 vs .020 on many of their other wide lash designs .....either way they changed these lobes at least a couple of times throughout their life cycle in the catalogs.

PackardV8 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 13, 2013 10:55 pm

brechlrl wrote:I have a Isky roller cam for a MEL series Lincoln engine. It is made to use a roller lifter. It is grind 505RR

It is on a cast core.. I was wondering if it could be used with a hydraulic roller lifter... Sure would not want to use a solid roller lifter on a cast cam core.

Yes, of course you can use a solid roller lifter on a cast core. Why not? That's what it was designed for and used successfully for years. I remember an Isky 505RR being used in a 462" MEL in a blown injected rail job. It was hell-for-stout back in the early '60s.

No, a hydraulic roller would be really rough, as it would take up all the clearance ramp.

Maybe, give us a clue as to the application and then you can get a recommendation as to allowable spring pressures. That's where the limit is.

jack vines

I know this topic is quite old but found this forum and looking for help .
Rebuilding my M.E.L. 462 and have an older Isky roller cam and solid roller lifters off Ebay. It's for racing only (505 lift , 320 dur.) I want to use that cam if I can get specs to get it reground for street use. Do you happen to know any specs that would be useful for street use on that cam ?
Thanks for the help.

310-217-9232------ask for Ron, call between 6 to 7:45 E.S.T. Mark H.