Camshaft endplay

[ramair]

On a SB Ford is the camshaft end play affected by how deep the rear cam plug sits? Does the cam even touch the rear plug? Is all the end play in the camshaft retainer plate and timing gear? Does anybody know how much endplay I should have with a hydraulic roller cam in a 95 351W?

 

[c9zx]

On a SB Ford is the camshaft end play affected by how deep the rear cam plug sits? Does the cam even touch the rear plug? Is all the end play in the camshaft retainer plate and timing gear? Does anybody know how much endplay I should have with a hydraulic roller cam in a 95 351W?

The cam should not touch the rear core plug therefore it should not effect cam end play. The end play is at the thrust plate, cam gear, cam interface. I don't have data for 1995 351W. Data for 1969 351W "endplay .0005-.0055, wear limit .007". I hope this helps some. Chuck

 

[ramair]

That is exactly what I needed to know, thank you very much.

 

[c9zx]

You are welcome. I can't imagine the tolerances being much different with the 95 but I would confirm that if you can. I seem to remember there being 2 drive rods for early (69-78) and late (79-95) 351W. It also seems like there are two thrust plates as well. One to be used with iron gears the other with steel gears. Iron plate with steel gear= plate wear and excessive end play. There are 2 fuel pump eccentric as well. Make sure the indexing pin in the cam is not too long causing the bolt to go tight but everything seeming to be sloppy. Let us know what you find. Good Luck, Chuck

 

[marks73]

+2 on c9zx post. be sure to find out what your clearance is in case the thrust plate has been distorted by heat or thrust.

 

[ramair]

I didn't get the camshaft endplay checked today, but I did get the crank cleaned up with the main bearings installed. After I installed the crank I checked the rings and ran into some problems. The ring gaps are too tight. I tried three different rings on four different bores and I came up with .012 on the top rings. I checked two of the bottom compression rings and they were at .011. I was hoping to get the pistons, rings and rods installed, but that didn't happen. I was going to check my camshaft endplay after I got that done, well it did not work out for me today.

BTW can I file fit the pre fit rings or do I need to buy the special file fit rings?

 

[marks73]

You can file them to tolerance. That's called blueprinting your engine. Good thing you did your measurements or you've of had a lot of heat. Might wnt to recheck the bore as well, just to be sure where the problem lies. Good Job! ::goodjob::

 

[c9zx]

I didn't get the camshaft endplay checked today, but I did get the crank cleaned up with the main bearings installed. After I installed the crank I checked the rings and ran into some problems. The ring gaps are too tight. I tried three different rings on four different bores and I came up with .012 on the top rings. I checked two of the bottom compression rings and they were at .011. I was hoping to get the pistons, rings and rods installed, but that didn't happen. I was going to check my camshaft endplay after I got that done, well it did not work out for me today.

BTW can I file fit the pre fit rings or do I need to buy the special file fit rings?

I agree .012 and .010 are too tight for what I believe you are doing. If you have access to the proper measuring tools, check the bores and pistons to make sure they are what they are supposed to be. I have run 4.030 rings as tight as .014 and .012 but we were willing to ride on the edge for a race engine (long time ago). Current good ring packages are run with larger gaps. Before going further, check the part number of your ring set to make sure they are for the bore size of of your pistons (ie .020, .030). If they match, contact the company directly to discuss the problem to reach a resolution. I know of no reason you can't file fit them BUT without the proper tools and technique it is a tedious, time consuming process that is easy to do wrong. Also make sure the hone finish is compatible with the ring package. Do the homework and do it right once. It is cheaper and much more rewarding than learning the hard way. Chuck

 

[droptop73]

A good rule of thumb for ring end gap is .004" of gap per 1 inch of bore. For example a 4" bore should have a minimum of .016" of ring end gap.

 

[ramair]

I know the pistons are right, I watched the machinist measure and verify them. The pistons are Forged Probes and they are supposed to be installed with .002-.005 wall clearance, so the machinist and I agreed to go .004 on them. The instructions on the Probe ring gap says .016 for the top ring and add .003 to the secondary compression ring. I would personally like them to be .017-.018 on the top ring and .020-.021 on the secondary compression ring. I am pretty sure the bore is correct, but I would feel better if I could measure them. I wish I had a bore gauge or a snap gauge. I hope the rings I have were the wrong ones stuck in the wrong box. If not I can always get another set, or even buy a hand crank ring filer from Summit. At least I know the crank and deck height are where I want them. The crank has .0025 clearance on the main bearings and .002 on the rod bearings. Back in August I mocked the engine up and measured the deck height, one bank measured .014 front and .016 back and the other bank was .015 front and .016 back. So we agreed to cut the block at .015 to get it as close to a zero deck as possible.

 

[Darkhorse71]

IIRC woody likes his endplay around .004, while in my Comp Cam specs it said for it to be .005-.01. I went with .004 with my end play. I also found it's best to check it with the cam OUT of the car, with the sprocket/cam plate/cam and using feeler gauges to give you correct end play.

Chaz

 

[ramair]

I have not done anything on my engine since my grandmother died only five days ago. I will update on my engine progress when things get better.