Just bought a newly rebuilt LA 318 and asking about this cam that was in it?

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dustyaman

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So I went and out and bought a 85 LA 318 with 302 heads on it. It has been rebuilt recently. Probably never even saw a second oil change it's that clean. Now two of the pistons have been kissed both on the exhaust side of valves. One on piston 7 and the other piston 4. Now everything looks stock in the car except the cam and lifters and I'm confused on where it came from it has 1828 stamped on the backside but Hughes says it's not there's. The front of the cam shows 1138. Does anyone know who does this cam?

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Update. I did my own calibration on it and it's a .440 .440 intake and exhaust on the lift.
 
Are you thinking it was insufficient piston to valve,or stems stuck in the guides,or just "valve float".
I'm guessing 440 is a tappet lift spec with the heads off?
Or was it at the valve while it was still together?
 
Are you thinking it was insufficient piston to valve,or stems stuck in the guides,or just "valve float".
I'm guessing 440 is a tappet lift spec with the heads off?
Or was it at the valve while it was still together?


With that lift, it almost had to stick a valve to make it hit the piston. That is stock lift.
 
Well my father thought it was a over rev maybe. But it was like this when we got the motor when we took off the heads we noticed the little knicks in the pistons. Only 2 mins you. But the whole reason why we're taking apart a perfectly new rebuilt motor is because the guy that had it took off the intake and carb and sold it. He never covered up the motor after that. He's had the motor for 3 years. But still it's in great shape sitting in his warehouse just had grit in it. So we are tearing it all the way apart and doing a hot tank on everything and going ahead and putting in new rings and crank and cam bearings. Btw 2 cam bearings were "off" alittle of the hole alignment of the oil holes. About half a hole out. So it's just precautionary. Figured I would try to figure out the cam that's in it so we can go from there. The guy I bought it from didn't do the rebuild.
 
well I wonder if they reused the original pistons when he rebuilt it. So maybe the kissed pistons were not after the rebuild.
 
The 302 heads aren't the original heads for this block. so it had to happen on the original heads
 
Fresh rebuilt? Doesn't look like it....heavy carbon buildup, allready has rotted freeze plugs replaced with temporary rubber job, crusty looking all over......marks on pistons are probably from a timing chain issue previously, is it still std bore?
 
Fresh rebuilt? Doesn't look like it....heavy carbon buildup, allready has rotted freeze plugs replaced with temporary rubber job, crusty looking all over......marks on pistons are probably from a timing chain issue previously, is it still std bore?
That's the one thing the guy didn't do is fresh freeze plugs. I mean fresh like it probably had a few 1000 miles on it. The carbon dusting on the valves and top of pistons was very thin. Like really thin. I think the guy either put in regular steel freeze plugs so they rusted really quick or he just neglected it altogether and the motor has sleeves back to a standard bore. Either way we are putting all new plugs, seals, cam and crank bearings back in it for safe measure also hot tanking the block and heads.
 
And piston rings.... I mean I could of been one of those back yard rebuilds... puke
 
That's the one thing the guy didn't do is fresh freeze plugs. I mean fresh like it probably had a few 1000 miles on it. The carbon dusting on the valves and top of pistons was very thin. Like really thin. I think the guy either put in regular steel freeze plugs so they rusted really quick or he just neglected it altogether and the motor has sleeves back to a standard bore. Either way we are putting all new plugs, seals, cam and crank bearings back in it for safe measure also hot tanking the block and heads.

Sorry, but I'm with replicaracer..... who rebuilds an engine and doesn't install NEW freeze plugs? Look at the gunk in the lifter valley, etc......:wtf:
 
Sorry, but I'm with replicaracer..... who rebuilds an engine and doesn't install NEW freeze plugs? Look at the gunk in the lifter valley, etc......:wtf:
The funk is becuase it's been sitting open to the environment it's been sitting open to the environment. I said that the guy that I bought it from took the intake and carburetor off like 2 years ago and a sandish grit has grown to build on the oil sitting in the valley. Why do you think I said we were rebuilding it any way. That's not the point of this thread. It's the cam.
 
The funk is becuase it's been sitting open to the environment it's been sitting open to the environment. I said that the guy that I bought it from took the intake and carburetor off like 2 years ago and a sandish grit has grown to build on the oil sitting in the valley. Why do you think I said we were rebuilding it any way. That's not the point of this thread. It's the cam.



A cam is a relatively cheap investment. I'd rather see you order a custom cam than use what you have or an off the shelf cam. If you have it apart make sure you can get .500 lift concerning keeper to seal clearance and check piston to valve clearance. It's real easy to run 9.8:1 on pump gas if you get the compression the right way, and you use the correct cam.
 
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