Cam lobe quality

Maybe someone cam comment on the finish of cam lobes. I have just bought an Edelbrock Performer RPM cam.

1) there are some pits on the journals - not terminal
2) also slight scrathes and pits on the lifters
3) worst the edges of the lobes are not ground but have feathering
(see photo) its not too clear as I squished into the 50K limit. What happens if one of these nasties comes off? Can I grind the edges myself or is this dangerous?

I have more pictures which I will append using a URL to my website.

Dave Champ
Comments? Should I send it back
 

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Ron Earp

Admin
I just had a new one in the garage from Isky and it didn't look like that at all. It was smooth, radiused edged, etc. I vote send that thing back, I wouldn't run it.

Ron
 
YIKES!

I wouldn't put that in my lawnmower! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif Send it back! And demand that they pay shipping /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif , both ways!

Bill
 
Yikes! I wouldn't put that thing in my lawnmower! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Send it back, and demand coverage for shipping! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

Bill
 

Jim Rosenthal

Supporter
It does look like it missed the polishing machine. A sobering thought when you think of how many cams they sell. What I think they ought to do is send you a new one.
On a similar thought, today I got a call from the machine shop which is assembling my 302 engine for my GT40...I bought the entire rotating kit from Scat Crankshafts; the shop miked everything and found that the small ends of the rods are bell-mouthed, too large at the ends, so the piston pin rocks back and forth in the rod. Scat told us they heard this all the time and that the rods were fine, but agreed to take them back and look at them. I am glad we found this stuff out BEFORE all of it went in my engine. Is this kind of thing common?
 
Thanks everyone, not building engines regularly it still looked very bad to me but your confirmation is a great help. I know the company concerned have a reputation for being awkward so I am well armed with your valued opinions.

This forum is really great; post a question before you go to bed and get answers when you wake up - the time difference is a benefit for a change /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Cheers
Dave Champ
 
Is anyone else suffering from quality control from Eidelbrock? We have been suffering for some time on poor product quality and complete lack of customer care from eidelbrock, particularly with castings such as cylinder heads. The most recent significant problem has been core shift in head castings, making correct gasket fit impossible, some heads are now scrap, also with porous castings allowing coolant to bleed out. The last claim for replacement was satisfied imediatly by my supplier in UK, who is a major customer to Eidelbrock, but it still took more than a year for him to get replacement. Please let me know if anyone else has had problems. Frank
 
Well I took the cam back to the supplier. They said that they would install it in one of their engine builds but even so my concerns were understood and they would give me a refund. However we then looked at some other cams as an alternative.

Firstly another Edelbrock to compare, it was exactly the same finish, with rough sides to the lobes. Then he opened a Comp Cams and this was again the same finish - in fact it looked near identical with the same stamps "CWC EP15". Obviously from the same source.

The guy at the shop also said that they have had lobes with blow holes from the casting and had to send these back. Edlebrock are not keen to accept returns it seems and their quality control is poor.

So at present I have kept the cam. Frank Catt has confirmed this quality is par for the course.

I have already ordered heads, intake manifold and timing set and now fear for the state they will arrive in. Has anyone else had similar issues??
 
I have seen cams with a parkerized finish which is supposed to be used in break in to hold oil, etc. Not sure if that is what we are looking at here. The pit is deffinately a problem. I have seen several cams with rough lobe sides.

Most of the ones I have seen have been Comp Cams.
 

Jim Rosenthal

Supporter
I am surprised at this. I thought these manufacturers would pay more attention to quality control Is this what cams are supposed to look like...hard for me to believe. I have seen Parkerized finish, it doesn't look like this, but then again I've never seen it on engine parts. I am going to ask the machine shop doing my engine if they've had this experience, and will post it when I find out.
 
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