Who has used/is using a reground cam? Any problems? Source? 

I haven’t used them, but I’ve seen Oregon Camshafts mentioned either here of another site. They do yblocks, and are well regarded here in the PNW for vintage engines or anything else they do.

https://oregoncamshaft.com/

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

Thanks, Mike, but I know them. It's been a few years, but "Ken" was very helpful. 

I'm interested in a particular Schneider Racing grind, but "Jerry" says he can't get new Y-block blanks. 

When a friend's 55 292 was rebuilt, a Delta regrind was used. He's put several thousand miles on it since then/w no problems. 

Some years back John Mummert did a custom grind for me. If you can get the specs, he may still be able to do that. Worth a phone call. His site is still listing cams on new cores. They arrive with the specs from the Cam Dr., so you know exactly what you’ve got.

miker
55 bird, 32 cabrio F code
Kent, WA
Tucson, AZ

You don't know exactly what you've got until it's in the car and running; for that reason, I'm going to run what I have and live with it. I don't think it's a bad choice, but I don't know if it will be the best choice for me.

Just some early morning thoughts on the subject.  Comments or rebuttals always welcome.

Examine both the camshafts and lifters in detail before just arbitrarily throwing them in an engine.  Checking each lobe with a micrometer for lobe taper would be a start.  Check all the lifters even if they are new for any obvious defects.  Most lifters are ground with a 50-52 inch radius where they contact the lobes.  Simply checking with a straight edge to ensure that lifters are higher in their middles versus the edges will at least tell you that there is some amount of radius on the lifter foots.

In the grand scheme of things, all camshafts whether new or used, can be considered ‘reground’ from the git go as the company doing the grinding is not the company making the blanks or the cores.  The initial hardening is performed when the cam core is made and before being shipped to the cam grinder.  Once the camshaft has been ground, it is coated with a process called Parkerizing.  While this coating does not last long, it does help facilitate the rotation of the lifters upon the initial startup.  But for this conversation, reground camshafts are those camshafts that are used and are ground again to restore the original specs or a new set of specifications.

Some of the problems related to reground camshafts has to do with the coatings.  If the cam grinder does not ‘Parkerize’ or reapply an appropriate coating, then the camshaft may be too slick to facilitate the lifter rotation on the initial startup.  Besides Parkerizing, there are other coatings or processes available to make the camshafts more durable.  One of those is Nitride Hardening where the camshaft lobes are chemically made harder.

Regrinding camshafts is similar to regrinding the lifters in that the original hardness of the core is compromised each time the camshaft is reground.  When altering the lobe centerline of the camshaft, that hardness is further compromised as the camshaft is being abnormally ground more deeply on one flank more so than the other.  For this reason, the cam blank manufacturers offer a variety of cam blanks for a specific application that allows the camshafts to be ground for specific lobe centerlines so that the lobe flanks are not compromised by grinding too deeply on one side of the lobe or the other.

Other issues with reground camshafts can be improperly dressed stones making for too rough a finish or inadequate/incorrect lobe taper on the lobes.  Lobe taper is where many of the reground camshafts is lacking and without adequate lobe taper, the lifters will fail to rotate.  Just like grinding a crankshaft, it’s important that the grinding rock for camshaft grinding be constantly dressed.  The lobe taper in conjunction with the radius on the foot of the lifter is what promotes the lifter rotation.  No lobe taper, no lifter rotation.  The higher the valve spring pressure, then the greater the lobe taper must be.  With all that being said, a properly reground camshaft is expected to last just as long as an original properly ground camshaft assuming the lifters, the lifter bore clearance, and the oil are also up to the job.

So that brings us to the lifters.  While there are many companies that can adequately regrind a camshaft, the number of companies that can successfully regrind the lifters with the proper radius and finish are few.  I have received reground lifters that looked like they were finished with an angle head grinder.  Needless to say, those lifters were not used and other lifters had to be sourced.  If new lifters are available for an application, then my recommendation is to always use new versus having the lifters reground.  When dealing with some of the older and antique engines, new lifters are not always available and regrinding the lifters does becomes a necessity.

Have not touched on the oil as that has been discussed in detail on both this forum and others over the years.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

I will add that regrinding a camshaft will in most instances lower the top of the lobe regardless of the lobe lift being targeted for.  Ideally you like for that lobe tip to be as high as possible and still clear the cam bearing upon initially installing the camshaft within the engine.

The base circle of the camshaft will also be reduced as a function of restoring the wear surface which will cause the lifter to sit lower in its bore.  For a stock camshaft profile, this is not much of a concern but when going to a higher lift profile, does bring up other concerns.  Problems with base circle diameters come to the forefront when grinding a camshaft to provide additional valve lift as it’s the base circle diameter being reduced that provides the additional lobe lift.  There is a point when the base circle gets too small thus causing the lifters to reside so low in the lifter bore that they will bind.  This can prove detrimental for a cast iron or chilled iron lifter and subsequently cause them to break.  Not a good day when that happens.

Like lifters, it’s always best that the camshafts only be reground once and not successive times.  Each time the camshaft is reground, the original surface hardness of the blank is being further compromised.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)