Sorry for the dumb question, I'm pretty sure I know the answer, but this is my first go around with the Chevy V8. Once I have installed the cam, is there anything that goes in between the cam and the cam sprocket? Is there anything to keep it from moving in and out of the block, or does the tension of the timing chain keep it in place? This is a Gen I block, from a 69 Camaro, nothing that i saw came off, so I assume its just the cam and then the sprocket that bolts to it, but I just want to make sure I'm not missing something that keeps the cam from wandering in and out of the block.

 

Flat tappet cams don't , roller cams do
The face of the lobes on a flat tappet cam are at a slight angle so that the lifter pushes the cam to the rear
Roller cams have a flat lobe to suit the roller lifter so they need some means of stopping the cam from walking forward
Factory roller cams use a retainer plate on the cam ; retro fit roller cams require cam button pushing off the waterpump

 

The face of the lobes on a flat tappet cam are at a slight angle so that the lifter pushes the cam to the rear.....What??
Factory roller cams use a retainer plate on the cam ; retro fit roller cams require cam button pushing off the waterpump .....HUH??

 

Flat-tappet camshafts are machined with a slight 0.0025- to 0.005-inch taper on the face of the cam lobe that spins the lifters. This also imparts a
rearward thrust to the cam.
Roller cams don’t have this feature, which is why a thrust bearing or washer is necessary

 

What kind of engine is that?

 

This retainer plate




fits the recess on the nose of the factory cam (shown below) to hold the cam in. The retainer plate is secured to the two holes tapped into the block

Next QUESTION?

 

I think you meant timing cover instead of waterpump.

 

On SBC's it is common to put something in the void between the timing cover and the pump back plate so the force is taken by the stronger plate
Some use a threaded arrangement so they can adjust the end play of the cam

"just installing the button is not enough.
Stock small-block Chevy stamped-tin covers are flimsy, and the forward thrust of the cam button can easily deflect these thin covers".

 

SBC flat tappet cam
You may want to enlighten yourself on cams

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/te...y/viewall.html

2nd paragraph

"Flat-tappet cams for Chevys V-8s incorporate a built-in feature that prevents cam walk, but roller cams do not.
For both the small- and big-block Chevys, cam manufacturers grind a slight taper into each lobe across its face that loads the cam toward the rear of the engine.
GM uses a 0.0025-inch taper while aftermarket cams use as much as 0.005 inch".

 

That's good to know. Your drawing threw me off since it's a very exaggerated example because .002 isn't even noticeable to the naked eye. I also think it's ground that way more for safety than necessity. Thanks

 

It's ground that way out of the necessity to spin the lifter. The camshaft retention is an added bonus, obviating the need for a retainer plate.

 

Good point. Like needing an angle on a ujoint.

 

Here's a picture of a sbc waterpump w/ a cam bolt, it justs adds alittle pressure to the timing cover when using a cam button.

 

Not only is the cam ground with the rear edge of each lobe taller than the front; but also, "flat" lifters (aka "tappets") aren't "flat". They're actually convex, with a radius of about 6'. Not bubbled-out enough to see with the naked eye, but enough that if you take 2 new ones and put them against each other, you can see daylight around the edges while the centers are touching. In fact that's a quick way to tell if they're too wore out to re-use, at tear-down. (if you're even willing to risk re-using them at all in the first place) This whole system is designed so that ONLY the edge of the lobe touches the lifter face when new, and ONLY out near the edge of the lifter; all of which is designed to make the lifter spin in the bore, thus making the cam/lifter interface a rolling rather than sliding interface. The usual cause of cam wipe-out is failure to spin, but instead the lifter sitting still while the lobe slides across its face. It only takes a few seconds of that at initial startup to permanently ruin a lifter and lobe by digging a bar-shaped rut int he lifter and ruining the "ramp" shape of the lobe, and start it on the fast downhill run to rolling off the lobe.

Edelbrock used to sell a water pump with a bolt setup like ex's pic; might even be what's in the pic; might still sell it for all I know. Unfortunately it was kind of a POS as water pumps go, used some off-the-wall bearing and seal, such that it couldn't be rebuilt, unlike say a Stewart at the time who unfortunately didn't offer one with the cam brace; and used more HP than a Stewart as well. Less efficient as a pump.

The oil pump puts a SIGNIFICANT load on the cam by way of the distributor gear, pulling it into the block as well. Large enough that it's the usual cause of dist gear destruction.

 

i am a class A troll but i still listen to every word oz says trust him


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I never use those flimsy sheet metal timing covers. The last one I used was in 2000 and it leaked for absolutely no apparent reason, been using cast aluminum ever since.