I got the 272 Cams from Delta installed, but now ive heard they need shims under the lifters?

 

 

I called Delta and they said YES they need to be shimmed sometimes under the lifter since they grind the center of the lobe down. They said after the cam towers are tight the lifter should compress .030" He said some need em some dont. Nice of them not to tell me this before I installed them, im hoping it doesnt need em when I fire it up.

 

Anyone else have info on this?

Well I fired it up, and yeap im going to need shims under the lifters, there clattering pretty good, so its back into the motor I go

 

 

Any future people looking for 272 cams, you will need #10 Stainless Steel Flat Washers that can be had at the local hardware store.

 

Insert them UNDER the Lifters in there bores to bring the lifters UP and take up the extra clearance.

 

Make sure once the cam towers are bolted on the lifters compress .030' and this will fix this problem.

on ford 2.3 ltr engines we use dimes, cost 80 cents to shim a set, re ground cams are that, reground. if you specify new billets you dont have to shim them.

I wonder if I'm gonna need to shim my 260 cams I got....

So when they do this grind they are removing the lift from the cams and in return we are gaining duration? Is this correct? That seems kinda strange!

So when they do this grind they are removing the lift from the cams and in return we are gaining duration? Is this correct? That seems kinda strange!

 

 

methinks that they add material and then regrind them to spec.

Thats what I thought but if you have to shim the lifters where did that extra amount of lift go? That makes no sense. So you lose lift for longer duration. We are talking air flow here, if you are trying to force air through a tighter area then normal but for a longer period of time doesnt that seem strange? I would imagine that the CFMs would be close to the same. Am i the only one hung up on this. Am I wrong about this?

Thats what I thought but if you have to shim the lifters where did that extra amount of lift go? That makes no sense. So you lose lift for longer duration. We are talking air flow here, if you are trying to force air through a tighter area then normal but for a longer period of time doesnt that seem strange? I would imagine that the CFMs would be close to the same. Am i the only one hung up on this. Am I wrong about this?

 

 

that is strange that they would need shimming, if the cam is bigger then one would think that you would need shorted lifters, or something like that,. ill ask about that when i talk to my machinist.

I dont think the lifters should change. The duration has no effect on lift but only on the length of time the valve is open. The lift should stay the same. This could have been an accident by delta cam durring the grind, they may have ground too much off of the top of the lift. I plan on getting my ER27 cams gound to 262, I hope this isnt an issue.

 

How much was the grind job?

 

What engine was this cam from? EA82 or ER27?

Here's what happens :

 

 

When they regrind the cam, they do not loose lift or duration, they increase both, BUT when they grind the lobes they grind down the lobe center (area where no valve is opening) This is why the lifters need to be SHIMMED back up to take up this space, and the CLICK sound is when the lifter hits that spot and the LIFT, the difference is the sound that you hear.

 

I called DELTA and they said YES they need to be shimmed.

 

This is for EA82-T and its the 272 Grind

 

In the future ANYONE using DELTA Cams any Grind, before you RTV the Cam Cases back on, just put the cases on dry and torque em down to specs and make sure the Lifters COMPRESS .030', this will tell you if they need to be shimmed or not, then after you figure that out and get it back into specs, RTV The Cases together and your done.

so how can one figure out how much the compress? I'm just trying to get everything in line when I go to put the engine back together. I just decided to go ahead and get my block and heads O-ringed to help prevent it from blowing headgaskets.

Where do you plan on getting the engine O-ringed? I have looked around and it is expensive. You wouldnt imagine that cutting a groove in the block would be that pricy.

Hey how much was the cam grind anywho?

IIRC, its like $65 per cam, so $130, but you need to pay for shipping to their place in tacoma, WA. or if you live close by you just drop them off. i wouldnt think more than$20- $25 to have them shipped up there, but i think they pay to ship them back to you.

 

 

~Josh~

All of this seems to relate to the EA82 OHC motor. Is it possible for them to grind the cam for the EA81? If so how would you accomplish the shimming part since the cam is inside the block?

All of this seems to relate to the EA82 OHC motor. Is it possible for them to grind the cam for the EA81? If so how would you accomplish the shimming part since the cam is inside the block?

 

Qman has a gen 2 Brat with an EA81 in it which he got a custom cam dome up for from Delta. Not entirelly sure what yo'd have to do to make it work with shims, etc.

I have their cams in a couple of EA81's, an ER27 and an EJ25. The reason it will require shimming is simple once you understand a couple of things.

 

First, The EA82's and ER27 engines are overhead cam/hydraulic lifter engines. They have cam cases that the cam slides into. The diameter of the bearing surfaces is unchanged and can not be altered. So, the cam overall diameter must stay the same. They do this by removing material from the backside of the cam and adding material to the front side. Because the EA/ER is not adjustable you must shim the lifter up to overcome the fact that material was removed from the cam. I used dimes as well. This is where it will get a little tricky. You need to find 8 dimes that are exactly the same thickness. Dimes vary a lot due to age, circulation and casting. It cost me a roll of dimes from the bank($5.00). Just use a micrometer or caliper to measure them.

 

For the record, I was the one who told them about the shimming. And I got the original info from Chuck the original Monster XT6 guy from WCSS3.

All of this seems to relate to the EA82 OHC motor. Is it possible for them to grind the cam for the EA81? If so how would you accomplish the shimming part since the cam is inside the block?

 

As Caboobaroo stated I do have a couple of EA81 running Delta cams.

 

EA81's need to use the hydraulic cam as they have more material and are adjustable. So, once you install them you adjust the lash and are good to go. No shims required on an EA81 or an EJ for that matter. They have two grinds available for the EA81. Torque and HP are the way they describe them.

 

Anyone reading this can drop my name when talking to Delta about cams. It may not get you a better price but it should get you better service and will let them know that I continue to recommend them to people. They sponsor my XT6 rallyX car. They know me as Ken.