Custom Camshaft Cores

Anyone know a shop that can manufacture custom camshaft cores (or fully machined) for a one-of build? I've already tried Compcams and they said they can't help. I've also tried a few local shops but they want like 10k for a set or others have minimum orders that would total 20k+. 

I have a shop in the west coast that said they could do it and are working on a quote but I'd like to shop around and see what other options I have.

I need a total of 4 camshafts, but only 2 unique cores (intake and exhaust)

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/building-a-ford-v10-4-valve-motor/196721/page1/

Thanks!

You cant do a regrind of a factory cam?

Ignore what I said. Just saw your link. 
 

Without blanks it will not be cheap. 

There's a place a mile or so from my house, Delta Cams. Been around for decades. I've never had them make me a 'from scratch' cam but they've never turned away a broken cam I've brought them. Real nice guys every time I've been in there, albeit gruff.

https://deltacam.com/

In reply to iansane :

Thanks!, We actually already spoke to them, they were not able to help either unfortunately.

At this point it seems more likely that a machine shop whips some up in a lathe rather than a camshaft shop, they seem to have a lot less constraints.

If anyone knows of a machine shop that would be willing to make some let me know!

In reply to Slippery :

Yeah, we got one quote for $2400 but that was just the one shop and I'm trying to see if that is even realistic. Maybe they just said they could do it without giving it much thought. I am hoping other shops weigh in and confirm if $2400 is real or if the 10k-20k quotes are more what I'll be dealing with.

needless to say if the 10k-20k quotes are what I'm in for, I'll find another way lol

Jones cams, i'd say 10-20k sounds more like the number though 

Frenchy apparently knows a cheap place local to him. I'd ask him.

Have you try American Custom Cam?

PM sent

BuildItYourself said:

In reply to Slippery :

Yeah, we got one quote for $2400 but that was just the one shop and I'm trying to see if that is even realistic. Maybe they just said they could do it without giving it much thought. I am hoping other shops weigh in and confirm if $2400 is real or if the 10k-20k quotes are more what I'll be dealing with.

needless to say if the 10k-20k quotes are what I'm in for, I'll find another way lol

I am quite familiar with CNC lathes, especially one that would be able to rough a cam so that it can be ground afterwards. What is the length of the stick?

Maybe try to find some engine shops that specialize in super-high-end antique cars.  They'll do crazy stuff like repairing severely cracked 100 year old cast iron and making pretty much anything from scratch. The best ones are always busy and don't advertise.  There are people on the AACA forum who know the shops, but they won't like your project. Also, I agree that a machine shop should be able to handle most of this, with the possible exception of getting the lobe hardness right.

Is welding 4.6/5.4 cams together out of the question?

Any chance you could start with a core from an in-line 6 and shorten it?

From a machining standpoint what do you need?  A blank of heat treatable steel, centerless ground to the proper O.D.  One end stepped/threaded for mounting a gear. 

Other than grooves cut for between the lobes are there any other special features?  No oil pump or dizzy gear drive, I assume.  We have custom shafts made all the time, that part should be easy, then send it out to a cam grinder.

Custom blank should be a non issue, then lathe work for the basic shape and features, grind.

Tool steel round blank $400

Grind to O.D.  $250  Grind and Machine?

Lathe work $500, If done manually or CNC setup

Custom Machine end holes/keys  $500 

Grind a custom lobe profile based on your head flow numbers/intended use, vehicle weight and gearing etc.  $500

I have worked in Manufacturing for my whole adult life.  Old machines need custom parts made all the time, the Midwest has lots of capability to make pretty much anything.  This doesn't need to be an auto specialty part until you get to the profile grinding part.

Slippery said:

BuildItYourself said:

In reply to Slippery :

Yeah, we got one quote for $2400 but that was just the one shop and I'm trying to see if that is even realistic. Maybe they just said they could do it without giving it much thought. I am hoping other shops weigh in and confirm if $2400 is real or if the 10k-20k quotes are more what I'll be dealing with.

needless to say if the 10k-20k quotes are what I'm in for, I'll find another way lol

I am quite familiar with CNC lathes, especially one that would be able to rough a cam so that it can be ground afterwards. What is the length of the stick?

That's exactly what we're looking for, grinding the cams shouldn't be a problem, we're just trying to source the cores at this point. We can easily find someone to heat treat and then grind these to finish size. The length of these cams is about 2 ft. 

chiquito1228 said:

Have you try American Custom Cam?

Looks like they do custom grinding, which we'll need eventually, but the first step is getting the cores made.

Uncle David (Forum Supporter) said:

Maybe try to find some engine shops that specialize in super-high-end antique cars.  They'll do crazy stuff like repairing severely cracked 100 year old cast iron and making pretty much anything from scratch. The best ones are always busy and don't advertise.  There are people on the AACA forum who know the shops, but they won't like your project. Also, I agree that a machine shop should be able to handle most of this, with the possible exception of getting the lobe hardness right.

We have reached out to a few of those, either they can't help or no response so far. Keeping my hopes up we get some responses. Do you have a person or a shop in mind?

iammclovin804 said:

Is welding 4.6/5.4 cams together out of the question?

We thought about doing that, but the problem with the stock cams is that the lobes are pressed in, so if we cut and weld them, most shops won't touch them even for a re-grind because they can't guarantee they will ever be back to spec due to distortion and they also will never guarantee the lobes will be (and stay) in the right place

No Time said:

Any chance you could start with a core from an in-line 6 and shorten it?

I'm not sure of an inline 6 motor that is compatible with these Ford Mod motors, so at that point it would still require a lot of machining work, would be better off starting from scratch with a  blank

akylekoz said:

From a machining standpoint what do you need?  A blank of heat treatable steel, centerless ground to the proper O.D.  One end stepped/threaded for mounting a gear. 

Other than grooves cut for between the lobes are there any other special features?  No oil pump or dizzy gear drive, I assume.  We have custom shafts made all the time, that part should be easy, then send it out to a cam grinder.

Custom blank should be a non issue, then lathe work for the basic shape and features, grind.

Tool steel round blank $400

Grind to O.D.  $250  Grind and Machine?

Lathe work $500, If done manually or CNC setup

Custom Machine end holes/keys  $500 

Grind a custom lobe profile based on your head flow numbers/intended use, vehicle weight and gearing etc.  $500

I have worked in Manufacturing for my whole adult life.  Old machines need custom parts made all the time, the Midwest has lots of capability to make pretty much anything.  This doesn't need to be an auto specialty part until you get to the profile grinding part.

 

 

 

 

Honestly, we just need someone to machine the cores, take a blank, machine it for the correct lobe spacing and ends, oversized lobes, and we can propbably take care of the rest. Seems like it's much easier to find a place for heat treatment and finish grinding. 

Getting one-of cores is what we're having issues with. Do you have a shop where you do this kind of work? If so, I'd love to reach out to you and talk about more details.

In reply to BuildItYourself :

My current shop makes Snap On drawer slides and lots of other precision and heavy duty slides.  We just have a lot of old equipment to keep running.   So really you just need a generic machine shop to cut grooves and add provisions for a cam gear.  

Where are you located?  Any machinist with a mill and lathe should be able to make the blank.  It may cost 10-20 hours of labor plus materials but totally possible.  Cam gear probably needs a key and center threaded hole or maybe a step with three threaded holes in the face.

In reply to akylekoz :

We're located in Michigan. You would think it would be easy to find someone to do this out here but it's been the most difficult part of this entire build.

We'll keep looking though, we have a couple local mahine shops around the arear that we still need to reach out to

Do you have a drawing?  Even a rough one with a few dimensions and material requirements will make those conversations with machine shops go a lot smoother.

Another option is to put an RFQ up on Alibaba and have your blanks made by a shop in Asia.  I've done this a couple times on one off prototypes and have a couple shops in the Shenzen area I have had good luck with.

In reply to BuildItYourself :

Many modern cams use a tubular steel shaft with the hardened lobes attached.
The shaft is expanded internally to lock the lobes in place.
Lot's of specialized high tech, optimized for high volume production. 

But you could use blank steel lobes, laser or waterjet cut to rough size, and furnace braze them to a shaft (solid or hollow), then have just the final lobe profiles ground.
Avoids turning most of the cam blank into chips.

I watched a Youtube video:
How A Camshaft Is Made, Start To Finish With COMP Cams
Fascinating stuff.