This man is showing the basics, no one in the world would have the patience to explain, this is a great tutorial for all, must give him his due respect he deserves.
Best explanation of Camshaft specifications I have ever seen! He completely goes over each portion of a Cam Card without wandering off into dry and unnecessary tech speak. I have been wrenching and driving classic cars for over 30 years. This is by FAR the best explanation on this topic. Bravo sir!!!
7 people are still trying to figure out what a cam is! How in the heck can anybody give this a "thumbs down"? I would like to see them try to explain this any better, I don't believe it can be done.
I agree, the people that do not understand this now are the people went to the doctor because they say big lumps like that on their shafts. If your pecker looks like a camshaft, you have problems!! lol
man were has this guy been , when I started learning in the 80's you had to know a guy to teach you and it was much harder to gain information . so yeah we learned the hard way. people just don't know how good they have it now days.
i very rarely comment or like videos.. but the effort put into this one certainly deserves infinite positive feedback!... you certainly did not waste 27mins of your life duration ;) . Thank You
A video from 10 years, and last coment 7 years. When I am watching it, in 2024. I am actually in nature Latin-Hispanic understanding and speaking 3 languages. I may say this vid, is one of the gratest videos I've seen, and thanks to you Sr. I always have my own catch phrase. Like this. Do now, what in ten years, result of doing.... Keep up.
I'm very familiar with all that was covered in this video. Having said that, this is about the best video I've ever seen explaining camshafts, and what they do in your engine. A must watch for anyone looking to educate themselves. Excellent, excellent video! Thanks
Thank you for taking the time to sit and break this down. Engine building is something I’ve always been fascinated by and something I plan on getting into in the near future but I’m a profectionist and I put all aspect of something together before I actually start doing something. This video was extremely helpful and really explained the every detail that I needed. I look forward to your future videos.
Never watched your videos before but I feel like you helped connect the dots for me in visualizing how everything works. Definitely going to check out everything else you've produced.
Holy crap. The best explanation video I've seen by far. I've been looking for a video like this to pass around to people when asked. I'll definitely share. Keep up the good work and thank you!
Bruhda ,,,,! Thank you so much for every one of your video's. We're you a machinist for the navy by chance. I'm a steam valves mechanic, and the best machinist I've ever worked with came from Navy Training. You seem to fit this mold. You make it look easy. Maybe it is to you. But your info helps the rest of us pull off nice builds at home. Thank you !!!!!
Every single video that I've watched from your channel has been incredibly informative and covers the basics of everything really well. It's hard to find good introductory information on engine building, because everybody assumes you already know everything and just throw specs at you left and right. Your videos are great and you should totally consider writing a book with all of your illustrations (they help a ton).
Probably the clearest you could of explained things, I kinda already knew what I was getting myself into, for sure now I'll be double checking everything I put into my motors 👌🏽
Overall good video.. noticed a few things that kinda scratched my chalkboard. 1. Lobe lift + rocker ratio = GROSS valve lift. 2. 50 thousandths is .050”, not .005” (said it right, just wrote it wrong) 3. Duration @ .050 is measuring lift between points of .050” of TAPPET RISE, not valve lift. The distance the valve is open is determined by a combination of cam lobe lift AND rocker arm ratio. So .450” lobe lift + a 1.5:1 rocker ratio would give you a gross valve lift of .675”... and high lift cam with say .610” lobe lift and 1.7:1 rockers would give you 1.037” gross... better have it timed right or you’ll get piston/valve clash. Again, overall, great video. Love the channel. Lots of great info here. I’m personally just kinda petty when it comes to things like this.
He definitely has the basic understanding of basic engine operation and definitely expresses it to move along any gear-heads willing to better themselves in engine performance. He’s also right on stating that you must start with basic understanding before you move on to the advanced explanations of engine operations, especially with today’s engine with “variable valve timing” and their latest “variable lift” technology. Good job sir, I give you a five stars!
i gave you a thumbs up.. i think the reason people give you a thumbs down is the same reason they give me one... because they have no freaking idea what they are watching... you put it into perspective for me with degree ing the camshaft... my brother has been trying to explain this to me for years... good video..
It's true That big duration cams have a min static compression ratio requirement this is because at low rpm's big duration cams will produce low dynamic (running) compression ratio the valves stay open so long that they allow compression pressure to bleed out of the cylinder if your static compression ratio is to low it will not support combustion and the engine will want to die out at idle, on the issue of flat tappet cam life I do have a video where I go into detail on that. I will say however that the cam profiles have gotten much more aggressive but the biggest factor is still the oil high Zinc (ZDDP) content is the key I use Joe Gibbs oil with flat tappets and have never had a flat tappet cam failure while running it I figure if It's good enough for NASCAR It will work for me
+myvintageiron7512 Thanks for the info. Very well explained. As a back yard mechanic, I purchased an 04 Sierra. I would like to transplant the 4.8 into my 88 Cheyenne 1/2 ton. With great power #s for these motors, I'm hoping to up the performance. I'd like to home port the heads, install headers cam, higher stall converter, & 3.73s with 15" 60 series tires. Also down the road a power adder like nitrous or a turbo. I'm still fuzzy on LSA. & there are so many cams available. I'm not looking for 7-8000 rpm but the 4.8 is down on torque hence the higher stall. Any recommendations on what to OR not to do during selection? I've seen 4.8s with fantastic performance & I'd like to get in on the fun. Thanks again for the vids.
hello, myvintageiron i have a cam quistion that i seem too keep getting different answers in ur opinion for a low rpm truck cam will a daul pattern cam with a ten degree split make more torque or a single pattern ?whats ur take on this trying to decide between two cams.thank u
There are instances when you can run too much duration, if you have an old race motor you want to run on the street. Put a big duration cam in to bleed off compression so you can run 93 octane instead of AV gas. Not optimal, but serves a purpose.
LSA is referred to as overlap. A small 106 LSA means the intake/exhaust openings are closer together, rougher idle, higher peak RPM power (for racing), where a wider LSA (115) example is exhaust/intake opening is further apart lower peak RPM power (more streetable better idle).
Thank you for the in-depth description of cam identification. I had that classic question of what is a 264, 272, 280 camshaft. now that i have a better understanding of camshafts i should be able to make my camshaft purchase a lot more smarter. MUCH APPRECIATED!!
There's a kind of respect I can't describe for people like yourself that are willing to make the effort to help others. Gratitude comes to mind. Really good videos. Big thumbs up and subscribed. There where some points in this video I've never heard anyone say before. Gold.
I really like your videos, i have actually learned a few things about Camshaft timing and I also enjoyed your video on maximum engine speed, that was very informative. I can understand now why a lot of newer overhead cam engines have variable valve timing that changes the relationship of the intake and exhaust cams so that you can have more or less valve overlap at higher RPMs. so you can have a little bit of both worlds, a little better emissions, fuel economy and low end torque of wide valve overlap, and then once you bring the revs up you can have some narrower lobe separation for exhaust scavenging for higher RPM.
@@Myvintageiron7512 I'm reminded everytime I watch another 1 of your videos lol I don't think you've made a video that I didn't walk away from without learning something new and enjoyed every sec of it! As usual brother another awesome video, thanks for taking the time!
Perhaps it sounds better this way: the more you learn, the better questions you get to ask, but... you never really get to stop asking questions. I'm always learning something, and sifting about for nuggets on one topic or another.
Excellent video of a complex and hotly contested subject. While some of the points are arguable (about why this does that, etc.) your explanation is as good as any out there and goes a long way towards providing a clearer understanding of how everything works and is relative to everything else. Deeply appreciate you taking the time to make the video/s.
You would be a great engine building teacher / shop teacher for young people interested in getting into engine building / rebuilding as a profession. I say that as the highest form of compliment. You explain the tech really well without being condescending. The only other things I would have added when discussing cam lift would be, for example, over .500 lift you need long slot rocker arms on the old style small blocks, watch out for spring bind with too much lift, and make sure the spring retainers don't hit the top of the valve guides / seals if using Perfect Circle style valve seals. You are probably planning on touching on those factors in later videos, but definitely worth mentioning. Excellent videos.
......excellent video. plain and simple. now I understand basic concepts of what the nomenclature means. thank you very much for producing this lesson. keep up the good work!
Wow just wow I went to Diesel school, and they went over over this in gasoline engines but NO WHERE NEAR IN DEPTH of how you broke it down and made it simple and attainable, GREAT VIDEO
Excellent work sir. I'm mechanically inclined but never quite understood this aspect, but I definately understand it much better now. Down the road I'm looking to do a head and cam job on an 80 vette which we all know has week numbers when it comes to power. Thanks a bunch!
thank you for your videos man. i have learned A LOT from you and when i finally get the chance to rebuild my old Chevy truck i will be using your videos for help. please never delete these! keep em coming
Excellent video. I've been watching various videos from other channels trying to make sense of what the numbers actually mean. This video brought it all together. Thank you so much for taking the time to make this video! I am a new auto tech student but I don't start on engines until next semester. I'm sure I will be watching more of your videos in the future. Thanks again.
Yes that is true but like I said this video is really just about what the cam specs mean if we bring up everything I didn't say we could probably write a book thanks for posting
Love the explanation of what lobe separation does for a vehicle does in terms of idle and low end tq, vs hi rpm HP.. But there was now explanation on what duration can do to a vehicle
I already know all this information, but I can't seem to stop watching your videos :-] It is good to see there are still other capable machinists out there in the world.
@Bizzhatesme:???? Who do you think are making the cars? China is promoting progressive centralized dictatorship, choosing to use capitalist theory only for exporting shoddy plastic injection molded consumer crap., China is focused to surpassing American arms expenditures and acquisition with her GDP profits. America, Europeans, Japanese, and South Korea, and now[India] continue moving the world forward.
Aye Bee I'm not certain to what you are referring, I was only attempting to compliment a fellow machinist, not a political statement. I can attest that there are very few true "machinists" left in this world, we are a dying breed. Nothing else inferred, and sorry for any confusion. Cheers
Bizzhatesme: There are very few machinists left in America. The people were told for thirty years that degrees from Colleges were needed. Many thousands of software engineers were overcreated. We now have a situation where the machines and foundries cannot be re created by the new generations because they don't understand the mechanical principles of physics and motion. Electron theory, that is about it now. So I applaud you in your skill. But it's lost on the instant gratification Boolean logic gate children. I had to adapt to digital world. I too am a remnant from post war Industrial society. May God help the kids.
I didn’t know all the specs that you just explained, I still have some questions but at least now i have an idea on how they work and how important are those numbers when chose a cam, thanks a lot this is the video I was looking for!!!
Good stuff!!! Well done. I am still looking for the cam with the right "flames" on the box.... I have seen so many friends search for the right "flamed box". Sharing this video with them. Thanks for your videos!
I've watched HUNDREDS of videos for many different reasons.MOST show just enough for someone with little to no experience. that, more often than not causes some kind of damage.Only two that i have found,actually covers all grounds that perhaps could teach a class. WHAT,WHY,HOW,WHERE,REASON AND PURPOSE W/ a dash of HOW TO. They are, Eric thy car guy and this gentleman here.My hat's off to you guys.I believe,in order to prosper you have got to help other.Just a thought from a RU-vid idiot.
dude i swear he made this video just for me cause i sure called summit racing and said im looking to get a cam for a 454 the guy ask me what do you want the engine to do. i said i want it to sound bad ass..he said it dont work like that and i never knew what he meant until i saw this video so i must agree this guy and eric the car guy really breaks this down so it makes sense and i understand everything he said..thumbs up from upstate NY
Havak37 i would have bought it too..but i know better now im pulling this 454 out of a c-30 and its going in a c-10 its in very good shape and low miles..i think ill leave it be till i get the money to go through the whole thing. i just love the sound of a camed big block flowing through 40 series flowmasters..thats some good exhaust porn there
Very good video two thumbs for a very complex subject. Should have said that you just scratched the surface of what came do. And you know to big a lift can cause more damage than bad running.
Appreciate you taking the time to explain this. Helped me out a lot. I'm new to all this and you've helped me grasp the concept. Great video and explanation.
great stuff best explanation i have ever heard and i have never degreed a camshaft but rebuilt a few motors and i realize I've been very lucky but Thank you for the great explanation
Hi, Thank you for your nicely done and educational video. I have a big issue and hope that you can help. I have a 2006 Mercedes E350. I took it to a dealer to check it out they said that my timing belt and intake cams are fine but my exhaust cams are out of timing and cost $4670 to repair it. I asked how much did they want to buy the rest of my car. My car neither worths it to spend that kind of money on it nor can I afford to sell my car. So, I began educating myself by watching videos like yours. Yours is very unique since there is no other video such as your in RU-vid. I must say. I learned that in order to check the timing of cams I must take out the sensors, turn the crankshaft pulley to 305 degrees and look through the hole where the sensors were taken out from. Then I should see one marking per cam. If the markings are dead center of the hole then they are in sync. Otherwise, the timing is off. Again, according to the dealer's diagnosis, my timing belt is fine. So, I looked through the holes where the sensors were and noticed that the passenger side markings are right in the middle. But on the driver side, the intake was again in the middle but the exhaust cam marking was way off and could not even be seen. I finally saw it by keep rotating the pulley. I'm not sure how cams can go out of sync if there is a chain connecting them together. I don't know how to tell if a cam must be replaced or just synced with the others, nevertheless, If I have to replace the exhaust cam I don't have any problems doing. But I'm not sure if just replacing the cam is going to resolve the timing issue. I don't think replacing a cam would automatically solve my cam timing issue and there are more steps involved in order to sync its timing with the other three cams. The dealership told me that they adjust the cam timings with a microscope. I don't know how they are going to use a microscope on the cams. I do not want to race my car. I just want a clean running car that takes me to work and back. how do I go about correcting the exhaust cam timing and synchronize it with the other ones? I don't think installing the cam in a way that falls in the middle of the hole is going to adjust the timing because the exhaust camshaft would still be in the wrong position. Also, I noticed that eBay sales a tool called Camshaft Synchronizer Alignment Tool Kit (www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=Camshaft+Synchronizer+Alignment+Tool&_sacat=0&LH_TitleDesc=0&_osacat=0&_odkw=engine+dyno) If this tool is needed in order to align the cams then how could cams just sync their off-balanced timing automatically? There are also other tools for locking the cams and camshafts when replacing a cam. I will be grateful if you can explain what I need to do to fix my cam timing issue since I was not able to find any article that explains the timing adjustment after installing a new cam and I don't have the means to take my car to a professional. I am very handy and my intelligence is not below average. I can follow instructions very well. Thank in advance for the time you afforded me. With Kindest regards
I love this video and will get around to watching the cam degree one soon. I need a cam recommendation. Setup: 86 El Camino -- Engine: 305 roller-block bored .030 over (311); Cam: COMP 08-501-8 (D @.050: 212/218; Lobe Sep: 112; D: 264/269; Val Lift: .488/.495; Pwr Range: 1200-5200); Heads: Casting #: 14102193 (64 CC); Transmission: 700R4; Diff Gears: 3.42; Tires: 205/75 R14; Carb: Edelbrock 1406 (600 CFM); Ignition: MSD 6A w/ HEI distributor. -- The a/c, smog accessories and computer have been removed. I had the car dyno'd recently and the output was way lower than I anticipated. The tech stated that I had too much cam for the small displacement and that the cam's duration was good for mid-range to high end power (max 6000 rpm), but not for low-end power. My takeoffs suck. I now have some freshly machined 305 heads (14014416 --58cc). What size cam would you recommend for this setup to maximize its HP/TQ output?
Why would this apply to no rockers, ohc? A cam is a cam, it turns and if the lobe opens a valve directly then great. If it pushes on a lifter, pushrod then a rocker arm that's great too. If you've got a 1.7 ratio rocker arm just multiply cam lift x rocker ratio = total valve lift
Interesting explanation and I did learn a few things, I had a 67 Yenko clone Camaro back in the day. I bought a 67 body with the hideaways, found a 427/425 which had a .520 solid cam and ran 456 gears and a 4 speed, true old school by todays standards but that's how things were in the early 70's. I can tell you that factory solid cam was a great match to the 456 gears matching low end torque with high RPM, idle was lumpy but not like an L-88 cam. No many engines could match the performance of a 427/425, I am sure by todays standards and with all the testing procedures that cam could be improved but for a factory cam it worked well. The 425 version also had the rect. heads with bigger 2.19 intake valves, there seemed to be a debate to the rect. head vs the oval
When choosing a cam the two things I mainly look at is lobe separation and intake duration @.050. Those two things are going to have the greatest effect on how your engine behaves. It's best to keep it simple
Good video, and yes: the business of valve timing is a huge subject. But just for fun... I propose that duration is directly proportional to the cost of the total build/having your ride drive and behave. As numbers go up, little things creep up like do you need a vacuum pump or special booster setup for brakes? Does that higher stall converter push you into a installing a transmission cooler? Does low idle vacuum force carburetor mods [beyond simple jets/power valve swaps]? Will you need a different ratio in your differential?
Hey Mike, you need to write a book covering these topics!!! Like David Vizard and them other guys write books for SA Designs covering building sbc engines and cams and such. I'd for sure buy them all lol Great info as always brother! I don't think there's been a video u made yet that I didn't learn something new after watching
I've learned more than I knew before,thank you you made it very clear.some complicated stuff involving head port flow ! I once put a cam in a 72 340 Mopar that I had installed 10.5 to one cr pistons in the cam I got from a guy who raced big block Chevy the duration was 284/284 with 454 lift that thing wouldn't run if you dropped it out of an airplane I gave up and drove it as a work ride it ran smooth not to bad on gas around 17 mpg but I was very dissapointed in it's performance now I know the 72 heads were shit I should have used 69 heads at least ,I was just looking to improve power over the stock engine this it did but my brouthers 70 340 would run off and hide before I could see where he went
You should also talk about how everyone is measuring adv duration at different points. Crane and SAE manufacturer measures their advertised duration at .004s (the gold standard), Comp Cams measures theirs a at .006s (compared to .004s measuring Comps Cam their adv duration # should be 10 degrees MORE), Isky measures theirs at .008s. Comp Cams best cam line is the Xtreme cam line I just add 10 more degree to their adv # to get a better idea what Comp Cams actually has. The less spread you have between .004s and .050s is best. Crane called this hydraulic intensity. If this is coupled with more valve lift vs another cam that is great. Narrow lobe separation also help engines that don't have enough valve in them like chevy 305 and 400 engines, like 108 or 110 LCA just make sure the exhaust is set up good (headers). 112-114 lca Wide lope separations are great from engines that have VERY large valves in them like the Chevy BB 396-454, and the Pontiac SOHC 6 engines. Crane cam does have a Energizer cam line that uses 110 LCA like Comp Cams ( they got it from another company they brought out a while ago).
People that couldn't learn anything past their 4th grade education lmao this stuff is more valuable then gold and I'm pretty sure he explains it so well my teenage son can learn it
