F/T cam with tool steel lifter

[Superstock1976]

Have a flat tappet cam that has the nose of the lobes flaked away. Used tool steel lifters and just saw this while changing the oil pan. Opinions please.

[CamKing]

Was the cam nitrided?
Do the lifters have an oiling hole in the face of the lifter?

[abc]

My opinion: Replace it with known good components. If your not sure what are known good components, ask Mike Jones.

[PRH]

I’ve seen it a number of times……and with schubeks too.

Nitrided and not nitrided, from a variety of cam grinders.

The worst of the ones I’ve seen were on street/strip combos using cams that had a fairly “pointed” nose radius.

Some of the lobes in the pics are worse than what I’ve seen before.

[Superstock1976]

Was the cam nitrided?
Do the lifters have an oiling hole in the face of the lifter?

Cam was mot nitrided. P55 core and has edm oil hole. This is on a circle track car. 15 nights on it. Spring pressure is 130 closed 350 open. Stock diameter springs.

[Superstock1976]

Is this the cause of the tool steel lifters. Its not like a wiped lobe. All the lifters were spinning and still have there crown.

[PRH]

Is this the cause of the tool steel lifters. Its not like a wiped lobe. All the lifters were spinning and still have there crown.

I have only seen that type of issue where the nose is fracturing with tool steel or Schubek lifters.

I think in every one of those builds, the owner was unaware of any problems, and it was discovered while working on an unrelated issue……like you with the oil pan.
Which is exactly how one of the others was discovered.

[CamKing]

It looks to me, that the cam was too far forward in the block, or the cam had too much taper.
Look at the wear patters on the lobes. To me, it looks like the contact area is moving off the side of the lobe.

[Superstock1976]

Thats another thing I was questioning also. My other cams the lifter rides more in the center of the lobe and is wore evenly across the nose of the lobe. Do they make a shim to go in between the cam and the cam gearto move it back farther? If they do who makes them?

[CamKing]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325053667103?c ... D0QAvD_BwE

[Superstock1976]

How should the lobe be aligned with the lifter bore?

[CamKing]

.020" behind centered

[PRH]

Seems like there was a thread regarding the tool steel lifters and cams wearing out not that long ago over on class racer.

[Superstock1976]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/325053667103?c ... D0QAvD_BwE

These are for a roller cam. Do you know if they make them for a flat tappet cam? Bolt pattern is different.

[CamKing]

Bolt pattern is the same