Cam Shaft Bearing Size:

40ford

40ford

Well-known member
Engine builder told me he ran into a problem he had never seen.He told me the cam shaft bearings he always used fits my cam but are two small for the block?It is a stock 8RT out of my 1952 F-1.Are there more than one size cam bearings for a 1948-1952 block?
 
40ford said:
Engine builder told me he ran into a problem he had never seen.He told me the cam shaft bearings he always used fits my cam but are two small for the block?It is a stock 8RT out of my 1952 F-1.Are there more than one size cam bearings for a 1948-1952 block?
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I have seen that a couple times in the past.
I figured it was a factory salvage job of a block that something was wrong with.

I would do some close checking before using that block. Check the center line distance between cam line and main line end to end.

Cam bearings can be made from bar or tubing stock out of aluminum or bronze.
 
Jim Brierley said:
It was common in the old days to use .010" undersize bearings, especially on a reground cam.
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Right, we still do that quite often but oversize on the block is not very common.

We do it for roller, extreme lift and radius lifter cams.
 
Probably.080 over on block. Not common but they are out there. I have a few sets of bearings. They are difficult to find.
 
All Ford parts in Campbell CA has some of the oversize cam bearings, OD is larger.
408 378-1934.
Good luck Paul J.
 
The oversized cam bearings pop up on eBay from time to time. H&H had to put a set in my 239 when they did it last year.
 
Yoyodyne said:
Is there a Bronze alloy that works better than others that you can recommend?
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I have always used aluminum.

In most case the companies that make the material in question will have engineering data and recommendations available.
 
Pete said:
I have always used aluminum.

In most case the companies that make the material in question will have engineering data and recommendations available.
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Do you have a preferred aliminum alloy? I need to do something similar, I'm not just being curious.
 
Yoyodyne said:
Do you have a preferred aliminum alloy? I need to do something similar, I'm not just being curious.
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I have had excellent success with 75T6. This is for full pressurized applications only.

I have used Oilite bronze for drip, wick or splash lubed bearings.
 
I'm with Pete . . . have seen 7075 T6 used to make custom cam bearings on some special engines at my machine shop. I've also seen guys do this when they've bored out the front 2 flathead cam bearing bores - for camshafts with much larger lifts that can be achieved with a stock journal size.
 
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