Fascinating how a cam is ground and how easy you make it appear. I appreciate your years of experience, it shows. Thank you for the "behind the curtain" experience.
It's amazing how a machine made decades ago is still doing the same job as accurate as ever. You're definitely very talented in your area of expertise. Great information video.
Very eye-opening to see the process start to finish. Plus seeing the cam grinder from the other side shows how neat and orderly the rest of the shop is and how you have all the machines in such a compact area but it's all functional. Cool as hell
Just seeing you in action and how comfortable you are with your machine and what you are doing with it makes me feel comfortable buying a cam from you. Thanks for the video
I've been working on building a cam grinder for grinding pulling tractor cam. Its basically likr yours but it started as a tool and cutter grinder. I mounted a small lathe bed on it with bearings for it to rock on. I have a program to design the lobes and I designed one that's a little more aggressive than the one we run now but it makes the lobe an inverse radius and it would need to be ground with a 3" wheel. My grinder won't work with less than a 5" wheel so I'm going to have to make some changes. The lobe has a max velocity of .010" per degree so its kind of pushing the limits.
My plan is for the masters to go right behind the dividing head kind of like yours when you are making a new master but mine will stay there even while grinding a cam
i can tell by the way you look after your machines that your products will be top quality. abused machines are not accurate. again another very interesting video. thanks to all of you for the work you put in to make these for us.
I never thought about cleaning under my tailstock regularly. I just have a medium sized lathe but I think I will clean under my tailstock.. Thanks for the info. I always learn something,
For sure. I'm not a contestant but a data nerd and very interested especially after hearing the amount of entries and 2 being identical duration different lsa.
I used to use way oil on my lathe and still do sometimes because I have some left but I put some of my used Gibbs racing oil on it a couple times and it seemed to be really good. I enjoy your cam videos. One of my projects on my list is to try and figure out a way to grind predator engine cams on my lathe. I have a 1HP motor I wanna make a big tool post grinder out of. Yeah that’s on the list too lol. I’m a plumber by trade but I love my Clausing lathe and Bridgeport. Without those my pro charger brackets woulda cost me a small fortune. They came out real nice
BTW every time I watch your videos I’m like damn that dude looks good! Makes me wish I never put the weights down but after a dirtbike accident when I fractured both hands I always get sharp pains through them on the bench. Also “No homo” I’m 51 and been with my wife 27 years lmao. Just saying’ I was big into it that’s all
I have scoured the net for camshaft grinding demonstrations. Found a few helpful, but yours is in great detail and i thank you. Perhaps post the same video with a different heading for more views? "Camshaft grinding basics"
Great video! How do you get the lift and duration correct for that cam? I mean, let's just say I want 255-260@.050 and .640-.658 lift. Do you have to machine two new masters for that? Aren't the masters what determine this?
Very interesting.. i am a novice trying to learn by watching.. how in gods name do you keep all the numbers and adjustments straight for the many service's you provide?
I see now that cam companies are selling smaller intake duration with a lot more on the exhaust duration tighter lsa even for NA applications I don’t know much about cams but you see trends come and go
nicd did U send me a txt 'll have to look for it Was that a single pattern cam I did not catch changing the master or do you have both lobes on the same master I have only ground a few cam you bring back memories I used the grinder at MOON equiptment with Bill Jenks who had had Potvin cams (remember his ignition and front mounted superchargers? The grinder did not have than neet index feature, you had to set the lobes with the lines on the chuck Doiing the master on the grinder we smoothed by reflecting the flats off the ceiling and using file and stone this was a 192 @.060 with about 400 lift for 413 Dodge Motorhomes. I asked about getting a cam ground but not going to happsn,, I am goiong to send Eric a donation if he can take Zelle I'll try and call him tomorrow Cheers
You get some stuff like LA Mopars that have a 111°(?) lifter bore angle.most 1966 and later Olds blocks are 78°. BBC are 79.5 intake and 90 exhaust. When the lifter is at a different angle in the block it changes where the lobe needs to be on the camshaft for proper cam timing. A really bad one is 392 Hemi engines having a different lifter angle than 354,331.
I'm looking to get a cam grinder. I work on mostly diesel engines. I'd need a machine that could grind about a 4 foot camshaft. Do you have any recommendations on a machine and where to look for one. Also is there any place to learn grinding besides learning from my mistakes?
this is why i say cams are alittle bit like dark magic because all the factors involved it probably gets easier with a non interference engine but still gotta plane lift duratin overlap and lsa (unless overlap and lsa is the same and im talkin outa my under experienced ass) to make sure valve and piston dont touch and to consider rpm ranges and where do you find the right specs related to compression ratio hell cam companies also want to know transmission specs differential ratio and even rear tire size which is why im so impressed when someone can just tell ya what cam to get vs some numbnut that just tells ya to stick a thumper cam in a otherwise stock engine cause ive pulled thumper cams outa 318 engines that we're stock except for an aluminum intake
Do you think this data will be useful for us ls7 guys? I already have a killer cam specd by Erik Koenig of HPR (eyeing 700whp na) but I’m wondering just for my own personal information to compare how different cams profiles effect the ls7.
I'd wager that at least two cams , made by different people , have exactly the same specs . I'd also wager they wont produce exactly the same results on the Dyno . One thing for sure , the results will be saved on a flash drive for future reference .
In the old days, with the cam grinder I used, the master determined the lobe profile. Is that still the case, meaning, do you have a master for each of your profiles? Is there a way, on newer machines, to program or change a profile, without making a separate master?
I have an 05 Cadillac xlr with that junk Northstar engine. At what time i wanted to get cams for it just to bump the power up a bit but nobody makes blanks. I was told they would need to weld mass knto the lobes and grind it from there. Is this something that is done and is reliable and about how much would that run?
A quick couple of questions. How old is that cam grinder and are there newer computerized versions that you simply enter the specs and the grinder does the rest? Good luck in the cam challenge!
This one was built in 54, we totally rebuilt it in 2016, my other grinder is a 96, you can buy a new cnc grinder, there 1 million dollars, you can't tell it x duration and lift and it grinds it, you have to have a lift table, and each cam family has different bank angles and you have to program lobe separation and intake centers ect, it not simple
Does the Cam Dr. software run on Windows 11? There are a bunch of small and fanless computers on the market for around $200, just add a monitor for like another $75. I'm guessing a Mele Quieter 3Q with 8gb or RAM and whatever you can get for storage (256 or 512 GB) would be plenty of computer for this job. I've had the older Quieter 2Q running for the last few years with no glitches, the 3Q runs hotter but a few more dollars you can glue some heatsinks to the case and get a good heat reduction. There are a few other alternative computers, especially if you go used. I'd be happy to discuss this if you are interested.
@PowellCams That looked crazy enough for me. Can't imagine trying to figure out how to grind the gear when it has to be timed. As in the early JD L6 engines. Oil pump Drive gear meshed into cam gear. Then just a slot for injection pump to drive off of oil pump gear. Some aftermarket cams had the cam gear ground out of orientation. I got lucky.
This may be a stupid question but I will ask for those of us that do not know. If you do a cam regrind, does that change or require a different or new pushrod length, spring pressure, or shim requirements, or anything else in the head? Or can you use your existing parts or sizes you used prior to the cam regrind?
@@PowellCams i guess to really have it all make sense you need to be there with it all in front of you so you can see all the steps up close and personal.....
![ค้างคืนโรงเก็บกระสวยอวกาศร้างกลางทะเลทราย [Around The World Ep. 3]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/E5bWZQhABJE/mqdefault.jpg)
Fascinating how a cam is ground and how easy you make it appear. I appreciate your years of experience, it shows. Thank you for the "behind the curtain" experience.
You are very welcome
It's amazing how a machine made decades ago is still doing the same job as accurate as ever. You're definitely very talented in your area of expertise. Great information video.
Wow, thank you!, yeah we totally rebuilt it
Americans had pride in their work back then! America was great back then every other country wanted American built products 💯🏁🇺🇸❤️
@@MrBlackbutang I totally agree. I wouldn't trade my 1959 IH tractor for a new one. Or my 1940s lathe and drilpress either.
Very eye-opening to see the process start to finish. Plus seeing the cam grinder from the other side shows how neat and orderly the rest of the shop is and how you have all the machines in such a compact area but it's all functional. Cool as hell
Ty, yes I'm ocd about cleanliness and organizing, and definitely I've never had enough room so we just do the best with what we have
Just seeing you in action and how comfortable you are with your machine and what you are doing with it makes me feel comfortable buying a cam from you. Thanks for the video
Awesome! Thank you!
Cam grinder machine looks like a total blast!
I'm jealous
It's definitely neet! I enjoy it
Thanks so much for this video!! My favorite part of building an engine is picking the right cam!
Mine too!
Always loving the attention to detail,
I know you've put a lot of research into the cam you're entering 👌🏻💪🏻
Can't wait to see the results.
Much appreciated!
Mr. Powell, u ain't no joke hoss. This was an awesome video and I learned some stuff. I can tell that you have been at this for a long time!
I appreciate that, we try hard
You have done this before, I can tell. lol
Honestly, I don’t like to joke around when it comes to talent, heart, head and to hands!
God bless you Sir!
Wow, thank you
Skipped the gym, Boss! You good people sure getting into this!
Ty!!
Man air chisel to straighten it up? That’s badass!
Ty 😊
I've been working on building a cam grinder for grinding pulling tractor cam. Its basically likr yours but it started as a tool and cutter grinder. I mounted a small lathe bed on it with bearings for it to rock on. I have a program to design the lobes and I designed one that's a little more aggressive than the one we run now but it makes the lobe an inverse radius and it would need to be ground with a 3" wheel. My grinder won't work with less than a 5" wheel so I'm going to have to make some changes. The lobe has a max velocity of .010" per degree so its kind of pushing the limits.
My plan is for the masters to go right behind the dividing head kind of like yours when you are making a new master but mine will stay there even while grinding a cam
That was fascinating. Good video! Thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it!
i can tell by the way you look after your machines that your products will be top quality. abused machines are not accurate. again another very interesting video. thanks to all of you for the work you put in to make these for us.
I really appreciate that 🙏
I never thought about cleaning under my tailstock regularly. I just have a medium sized lathe but I think I will clean under my tailstock.. Thanks for the info. I always learn something,
Glad to help
I’m honestly excited to see the results. I can’t wait.
Absolutely
Pretty impressive, it takes me a while to digest your videos , the cam videos especially, thanks for all the information
Glad you like them! More to come
I can't wait to see how all our cams playout!
Absolutely, 👍
For sure. I'm not a contestant but a data nerd and very interested especially after hearing the amount of entries and 2 being identical duration different lsa.
I hope you win the cam contest and have a buy another grinder !!!
@@JamesBower-l9d we really appreciate that 🙏
@@PowellCams Good luck brother
nice to see one shop one cam for the cam challenge. others have someone else grind them.
Thank you, we appreciate that
Had lots of this as a engine merchist 😂
Definitely
Daniel, you have some serious competition in the challenge but I know you will do well
I'm ONLY in competition with myself!
Cant wait to see the results
💯
I used to use way oil on my lathe and still do sometimes because I have some left but I put some of my used Gibbs racing oil on it a couple times and it seemed to be really good. I enjoy your cam videos. One of my projects on my list is to try and figure out a way to grind predator engine cams on my lathe. I have a 1HP motor I wanna make a big tool post grinder out of. Yeah that’s on the list too lol. I’m a plumber by trade but I love my Clausing lathe and Bridgeport. Without those my pro charger brackets woulda cost me a small fortune. They came out real nice
Awesome 👌
BTW every time I watch your videos I’m like damn that dude looks good! Makes me wish I never put the weights down but after a dirtbike accident when I fractured both hands I always get sharp pains through them on the bench. Also “No homo” I’m 51 and been with my wife 27 years lmao. Just saying’ I was big into it that’s all
I'm actually excited to see the results.
Definitely
Extreme pressure lube...exactly one tube!
💯
I wonder if Pete knows about the competition?
Thanks, Daniel.
Yw!
I have scoured the net for camshaft grinding demonstrations. Found a few helpful, but yours is in great detail and i thank you. Perhaps post the same video with a different heading for more views? "Camshaft grinding basics"
@@garyprice9895 definitely
Andrew IS the cam doctor !!!
Lol, definitely
Thanks for the video.
Absolutely
This gives you another camshaft to get data from. You know the specs from the cam dr and your gonna get to see how well it does.
Absolutely, win-win
Great video! How do you get the lift and duration correct for that cam? I mean, let's just say I want 255-260@.050 and .640-.658 lift. Do you have to machine two new masters for that? Aren't the masters what determine this?
We have a selection of master designs available, we have to use what we have, but we have a pretty good selection
Excellent
Tyvm!
Well done
Tyvm
Very interesting.. i am a novice trying to learn by watching.. how in gods name do you keep all the numbers and adjustments straight for the many service's you provide?
I been doing it so long it's like riding a bike
respect
Thank you!
I see now that cam companies are selling smaller intake duration with a lot more on the exhaust duration tighter lsa even for NA applications I don’t know much about cams but you see trends come and go
Definitely
I’m a geek when it comes to machining. On the finish pass, do you than do a final polish similar to a crank polish tool?
No
impressive
@@paulrunell7821 tyvm!
nicd did U send me a txt 'll have to look for it Was that a single pattern cam I did not catch changing the master or do you have both lobes on the same master
I have only ground a few cam you bring back memories I used the grinder at MOON equiptment with Bill Jenks who had had Potvin cams (remember his ignition and front mounted superchargers? The grinder did not have than neet index feature, you had to set the lobes with the lines on the chuck Doiing the master on the grinder we smoothed by reflecting the flats off the ceiling and using file and stone this was a 192 @.060 with about 400 lift for 413 Dodge Motorhomes. I asked about getting a cam ground but not going to happsn,, I am goiong to send Eric a donation if he can take Zelle I'll try and call him tomorrow Cheers
You squared the table front to back, do you check the vertical height of the centers also?
It can't move, but yes, it's accurate
Bank angle? Does this refer to the cylinder block layout or the camshaft lobe design?
The angle between the lifter bores from left to right
You get some stuff like LA Mopars that have a 111°(?) lifter bore angle.most 1966 and later Olds blocks are 78°. BBC are 79.5 intake and 90 exhaust.
When the lifter is at a different angle in the block it changes where the lobe needs to be on the camshaft for proper cam timing. A really bad one is 392 Hemi engines having a different lifter angle than 354,331.
@timothybayliss6680 we do them and I made index plates for all those applications.
Have you ever ground any inverse radius lobes? I assume not because I think you need a really small wheel to do it.
Some, but those designs are old and outdated, lot's of ohc stuff is inverse on 1 side because of the rocker geometry
Y’all said enough to leave me suspecting this is probably for Brian Salter…
Don't know him, this cam is for a guy named Walt
I'm looking to get a cam grinder. I work on mostly diesel engines. I'd need a machine that could grind about a 4 foot camshaft. Do you have any recommendations on a machine and where to look for one. Also is there any place to learn grinding besides learning from my mistakes?
A good grinder is almost impossible to find, and they start around 40k, you just got to learn on ur own
this is why i say cams are alittle bit like dark magic because all the factors involved it probably gets easier with a non interference engine but still gotta plane lift duratin overlap and lsa (unless overlap and lsa is the same and im talkin outa my under experienced ass) to make sure valve and piston dont touch and to consider rpm ranges and where do you find the right specs related to compression ratio hell cam companies also want to know transmission specs differential ratio and even rear tire size which is why im so impressed when someone can just tell ya what cam to get vs some numbnut that just tells ya to stick a thumper cam in a otherwise stock engine cause ive pulled thumper cams outa 318 engines that we're stock except for an aluminum intake
Definitely
@@PowellCams lol i write alot of stuff and what i assume is daniel basically goes "yupp" a man of few words
Do you grind cams for any other make and model engines?
Yes, most all pushrod v8s
Hope the wife gets you a CNC cam grinder for your birthday!
Lol, unless she has a million hid back it ain't happening 🤣
Great video. If you wanted to change the lobe 'ramp' profil, do you change your master cam lube? Thank you!
th-cam.com/video/1_iN2LhZtoQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=-xe9qi2NPozk2BuF
See video I posted
Do you think this data will be useful for us ls7 guys? I already have a killer cam specd by Erik Koenig of HPR (eyeing 700whp na) but I’m wondering just for my own personal information to compare how different cams profiles effect the ls7.
Absolutely, it's all relative
I'd wager that at least two cams , made by different people , have exactly the same specs . I'd also wager they wont produce exactly the same results on the Dyno . One thing for sure , the results will be saved on a flash drive for future reference .
@@MarineGrunt definitely,
And you get that funky smell from the coolant under the tail stock. That and a vise that’s been on a mill too long 🤢
Facts.....
In the old days, with the cam grinder I used, the master determined the lobe profile. Is that still the case, meaning, do you have a master for each of your profiles? Is there a way, on newer machines, to program or change a profile, without making a separate master?
Correct, we use master plates
What grade of steel are the cores made from? Is it already hardened?
5150,5160,8620,8660,s7 depending, yes , it's hard, I will post a video
th-cam.com/video/32FrFNtppIg/w-d-xo.htmlsi=FG1RXMD9citkUN3B
I have an 05 Cadillac xlr with that junk Northstar engine. At what time i wanted to get cams for it just to bump the power up a bit but nobody makes blanks. I was told they would need to weld mass knto the lobes and grind it from there. Is this something that is done and is reliable and about how much would that run?
We only do v8 stuff
@@PowellCams ? Isn't that considered a V8? I put plugs in it and there was 8. It has that dual cam crap. 4.6 liter v8
A quick couple of questions. How old is that cam grinder and are there newer computerized versions that you simply enter the specs and the grinder does the rest? Good luck in the cam challenge!
This one was built in 54, we totally rebuilt it in 2016, my other grinder is a 96, you can buy a new cnc grinder, there 1 million dollars, you can't tell it x duration and lift and it grinds it, you have to have a lift table, and each cam family has different bank angles and you have to program lobe separation and intake centers ect, it not simple
@@PowellCamsas always, thanks for taking to responding to mine and other viewers questions.
What do you think about dynosim 6 for designing a engine combinations and cam opening and closing numbers as well as lobe separation?
Never seen it, so I have no opinion
Did you have to make the cam master plates?
Yes,
@@PowellCams that might be an interesting process to see. Cheers
@@PowellCams would be interesting to see you do one.
Does the Cam Dr. software run on Windows 11? There are a bunch of small and fanless computers on the market for around $200, just add a monitor for like another $75. I'm guessing a Mele Quieter 3Q with 8gb or RAM and whatever you can get for storage (256 or 512 GB) would be plenty of computer for this job. I've had the older Quieter 2Q running for the last few years with no glitches, the 3Q runs hotter but a few more dollars you can glue some heatsinks to the case and get a good heat reduction. There are a few other alternative computers, especially if you go used. I'd be happy to discuss this if you are interested.
Yes, that's what's I'm going to do
At 13 min i was so freaking lost
Lol, well I'll explain better next time
@PowellCams That looked crazy enough for me. Can't imagine trying to figure out how to grind the gear when it has to be timed. As in the early JD L6 engines.
Oil pump Drive gear meshed into cam gear. Then just a slot for injection pump to drive off of oil pump gear. Some aftermarket cams had the cam gear ground out of orientation. I got lucky.
This may be a stupid question but I will ask for those of us that do not know. If you do a cam regrind, does that change or require a different or new pushrod length, spring pressure, or shim requirements, or anything else in the head? Or can you use your existing parts or sizes you used prior to the cam regrind?
It can require a longer pushrod, just depends on base circle size
Do you ever have to do any polishing after you grind a cam?
Na, it's a really nice finish
@@PowellCams great!
Does the grinding stone change in diameter as you grind a cam or is that a slow process over many cams?
No, it's stable over 1 cam
between the first lobe ground and the last lobe ground how do you compensate for grinding wheel diameter degradation so all the lobes within spec???
It doesn't wear on the finish pass, we are taking very little
@@PowellCams i guess to really have it all make sense you need to be there with it all in front of you so you can see all the steps up close and personal.....
@@abruptlyblunt definitely
Do you machine import cams?
No, not yet.
Just curious about your safety, I’ve noticed you leave your equipment running while doing other things….
I'm still here and have 10 fingers and toes, so I'm pretty safe I think 🤔
EYE PROTECTION is Safety JOB#1
It appears you do not do custom ramp rates?
th-cam.com/video/1_iN2LhZtoQ/w-d-xo.htmlsi=-xe9qi2NPozk2BuF
See video I posted
Thank you for your knowledge and videos USA 🇺🇸 TRUMP
You're welcome!