Camshaft install tips and tricks

Several things must be accomplished to make a used camshaft/used lifter deal work. Each of the lifters will require that you properly polish the bottom of the lifter using a piece of window glass and a new sheet of 600 wet/dry sandpaper. The sandpaper will need to stay lubricated with a light solvent, WD-40 or similar is a good choice. Keep the lifters flat but understand that lifters have a slight convex to them. As you polish them in a figure 8 pattern you should see the center polishing first, if not and the polishing reveals the entire bottom, the lifter is beyond saving. Coloring the bottom of the lifter with a dark color magic marker will help you to see you progress. After polishing, clean all of the lifters thoroughly, several times is best. For the used camshaft, you want to make sure that there are no nicks or injuries to the lobe surfaces. You must also change out your valve springs to the lightest tension possible, not checking springs but something with minimal pressure. Apply Cam lube (Moly) to all surfaces of the lobes and bottoms of lifters - make sure to spend time rubbing the moly into the metal. A motor oil with a high level of ZDP should be used for the initial break-in period, removed after 30-40 minutes of run time and a second dose of the same oil along with a new filter should be used until the first oil change. Also during the initial break-in period, the oil level should be raised one to two quarts to encourage splash lubrication. In some instances a slightly hotter spark plug might be required due to oil fouling.