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Re: Spitfire Cam Bearings

To: "ALAN N. TAYLOR" <atenglish@mindspring.com>
Subject: Re: Spitfire Cam Bearings
From: Joe Curry <spitlist@gte.net>
Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 18:59:35 -0700

"ALAN N. TAYLOR" wrote:

> Joe..The later MkIV and 1500 engines that do not come with cam bearings
> have the same diameter cam journal holes as 1300 engines with cam bearings.
> That is to say just grab a  1300 MkIII cam and bearings and install it in a
> 1500 engine. As to running a race engine without cam bearings? No Way!  I
> drove a GP Spitfire in the middle seventies. I couldn't find a later cam
> bearing/large follower block so I used the earlier one. At the race in
> Rockingham I found that I had to adjust the valve lash after each session.
> At teardown I found that the cam bored itself downward into the block about
> .040". I still finished the race in driving rain on slicks.   AT
> 

Alan,
That is precisely what my understanding was before I talked to BPNW.  I was told
by them that the 1500 cam journals were just under 2" in diameter while the cam
I took out of my 1296 (small bearing) engine is just about 1-13/16 in diameter
on the journals.  

As a follow up, I looked at Ted S's cam specs and he doesn't list came for any
spitfire engine except the 1500 (Spit and MG Midget).  If they are all the same
(as I previously thought), it would make sense that he would list the cams for
all applications.  This only increased my confusion.

Thanks for the reply,
Joe

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