I just found out that my fresh motor ate the cam, I am now in the process of pulling the motor to flush & replace the bearings. My question is should I go with the same cam or was it a bad choice in the first place. Keep in mind that the cam was bought as a K-kit & all springs ect. are all matched to this cam. My setup is as follows.

Combo:

· 396 Bored .040 over
· 9.7 : 1 Compression
· 702 Heads with 3 angle grind.
· Speed Pro Forged Pistons (part # L-224ONF)
· Eagle SIR I Beam Rods
· Comp Cams XE274H-10 - .552 .555 / 230 236
· Comp K-kit (matching valve springs ect.)
· Harland Sharp Roller Rockers (1.7 Ratio)
· Holley 700 Double Pumper
· GM HEI Distributor
· MSD 6AL Ignition Box
· Hooker Super Comp. Headers
Oh, & I am currently running a Saginaw 4 speed, but hope to get into a Munci ASAP (as soon as the wife allows)
I have been second guessing this cam chioce from day one. Any input would be greatly appreciated..

i've never seen a 396/402 eat a cam before when everything was matched like that. seen it and had it happen to me on a 454 before, but never a 396. i went to a roller, solved my problem. you didn't have the valves too tight or anything did you? good oil pressure? correct length pushrods? how many lobes were eaten and which ones were they?

Your 396 combo is perfect for a Lunati 302A7LUN hydraulic cam.

There has been tons of positive testimony from those who has used this cam in small BB Chevy engines (396/402's).

I say make the cam change to the Lunati. :D

Charles

M71, The valves were set at zero lash + 1/2 turn,Oil pressure is good,Motor started RIGHT up, although I'm not sure about pushrod lenth (went with stock lenth comp rods)
It only ate one lobe, it was #6 exhaust.

I did everything by the book EXEPT I didn't remove the inner valve springs, man I didn,t think this cam was big enough to wory about it. I dont know what else could have caused the failure.

Which lube did you use for the cam break-in ?

unfortunatly, I used the comp lube..

It can happen to anyone that misses a small detail, or doesnt break-in a "hot" cam on light springs.

The cam choice seems correct for a 9.7:1 396. As would an A7 Lunati.

Why are you doubting it?

I just saw your last reply. Why would they ship it with that stuff?

I thought that setup would have been stronger than it was, but then again I never even got to dial it in b4 that cam took a shi*. Only put about 2 hrs on it!

If your 396 block is a '65-'66 one, your cam needs a GROOVED rear journal. If you have such a block, and an ungroooved rear journal, the oil flow is very messed up, and may have contributed to your cam failure.
I'll have to get the dimensions of the groove, but any good machinist can cut the groove on a lathe.
If your block is a '67 or later, you must not groove the rear journal, this is the normal BBC cam core.

UDHarold

Scott,

I lost the #3 exhaust lobe on a slightly smaller Comp XE hydro cam - after accumulating a bit more than 3000 miles, in basically the same 396 set up as you have.

As others have said that XE grind is a good match, as would be the UD/Lunati grind mentioned. You might also consider a solid grind. And if you're really sweating the whole lobe failure thing - like me, consider a set of the oil bleed lifters. No real idea if they will help during break in but they sure can't hurt in the long run.

I see you're running the early 396/427 "702" heads - as am I. Don't forget what Harold mentioned about the early 396 blocks and the cam groove. If you DO have one of the early blocks just ask whatever cam supplier you go with to groove the rear cam journal for an early 396. They'll know what you mean.

Dan

The block is a '67, no groove needed, today we are gonna dig further into it & try to figure out what caused the failure.I have heard that ALOT of BBC's have probs with the lifter boars, primarily in cyls 6&7, any input on this? Although I wouldnt think that was my prob,considering that the cam that came out of this motor looked to be OK...

Harold, do you think you have a cam that would be better suited for this application? Your input would mean a great deal to me graemlins/thumbsup.gif The main reason I went with this one was it seemed to be the most aggressive cam I could find that still came in @ 1800 RPM. This is a street motor and I am trying to set it up to run between 1800 to 6000 tops. Goal is to have a FUN street machine that will rip your fillings out of your teeth off the line LOL

Scott, keep in mind that a solid flat tappet grind would give you a wider useable rpm band, essentially a "smaller" grind that will still pull to 6000 rpm. Trouble is ,not much out there. you'll be looking for 230-236 @.050, 110-112 lsa. Comp 270S or one of their new smaller XS line would be a bout right. Never known anyone to run any of these.