Cam bearings 8BA

T

TexasT

Junior Member
hey guys I have a question about cam bearings, I just ordered new cam bearings and they seem smaller than the ones installed. Matter of fact the ones that are still installed seem to have the same size bearing but there looks to be a bigger bearing between the bearing and the block. Am I looking at this wrong or is this right? Thanks for any info guys. James
 
All Flathead cam bearings are all the same. You can get them .010 or .020 undersize for cams that have had the journals ground down. Thay also make .010 oversize for blocks that have been align bored. Walt
 
Have to get a pic in the AM. thats the issue i Have it almost looks like two bearings inside the other. I just read that Ford actually didd use different O.D. cam bearings, but nothing said as to where to purchase.
 
Melling dura bond F-1. Interchanges with shs21s. These bearings look to be the size in the block, but there is something between the block and the bearing
 
I've never seen this, but it's possable that the block has been bored out big and a steel or cast sleeve installed and them bore for std. cam bearings. I got a set of .010 oversize bearing from a H-H a couple of yr;s ago. Walt
 
Hey Walt, that's exactly what they look like to me. I'm still waiting on my bearing tool too come in so I can knock them out. I tried to post a pic but it won't let me with my phone​
 
Having worked on flatheads for a while, I have found there are several bearings in the engine that don't ware out very often. The first are the wrist pin bussings, Over the past 25 years I've only had to replace a few. Nest come the cam bearings, best lubricated and least loaded bearing in the engine. Yet we always replace them. With a bearing mic you can compair the new with the old ans seldom see a difference. and last the floating bearings of the 32-48 engines, I measure these and re use them. Some of the original OEM bearings have a tendancy to flake and I'd rather have a good used bearing than a new unknown one. This is especially true when using the 4 1/8 stroker 21A rods. Last but not least is the oil pump, it's rare to find a bad one in the old engine and unless Mellingd has inproved their inspection practice, I'd use the old one. As for rebuilding the original Ford pump, consider the fact that the rebuild kit comes from Mellings??? Something to keep in mind when rebuilding a flathead.
 
yeah I wouldn't be worried about them but the guy I got it from had it rebuilt then he decided that he wanted to do a cam swap and he wasn't so gentle and chewed them up forcing the cam in
 
Well guys I found out my cam bearing problem. Some blocks Ford over did it on the boring of the cam bearing bores which resulted in an over O.D. bearing. .080" I think it was. Which are 95.00 a set, more than the standards. Thanks for all the info
 
Yes Walt, I had one about 15 years ago and the guy that ran the UV machine shop got me a set. But ol Willy is gone now.
You could bor it out to run late Ford cam bearings then run a roller cam. That might cost alittle more.
 
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