Folks:
Well, dropped my cam and lifters off at Oregon Cam Grinding (OCG)
today. Learned some interesting stuff about my car and cams...
The DPO had replaced the stock cam with a GT6 cam. According to the
technician at OCG the DPO had probably reused the original lifters, as one lobe
had gone flat (source of my rough idle?) and had trashed the corresponding
lifter.
This makes perfect sense, as the head gasket was in upside down and the
intake manifold gasket was from a CC engine. In addition, a bolt was missing
from the timing cover causing an oil leak. Conclusion: DPO decided to cam the
car, and had no idea what he was doing, so he tried saving a couple of $$ by
reusing original lifters, and got the wrong intake gasket.
The tech at OCG also told me that they grind all of British Parts
Northwest Cams, hence his immediate recognition of my cam as a GT6 cam.
The cost of a complete regrind, including the welding of the bad lobe,
will be $86. To have the lifters reground will be an additional $48. (It is $12
a lobe for welding.) Turn around is 7-10 working days. They parkerize the cam,
and can do nitriding for an additional charge.
There was no charge for altering some of the details of their standard
grind either, so you can do a custom cam for cheap with these guys. I had them
widen the lobe spacing on the grind I selected (270/272 advertised duration) to
110 degrees.
They have a real person answer the phone, and they respond to email
promptly. So far, no complaints. I will report out on their workmanship when I
get the cam back.
Next: Drop the block off at the machine shop, and port the head.
Cheers,
Vance
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