The problem is that the bus isn't used enough and the lifters pump down. When I checked them today every one of them except for the new one I fitted before T/E could be pushed down all the way at TDC after leaving it a week or so. Every time I start it the engine sounds like a skeleton having a w**k in a biscuit tin for the first couple of miles which I guess has battered the cam into submission!
Keep the hydro lifters but use 15w40, 20w50 isn't good for hydro lifters imo Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk
If the cams had it I may as well switch to solids and be done with it, I'll check the lobe lift tomorrow and confirm.
Did you have a look at the lobes? Check the easy things first. I would consider ordering from Webcam directly. They are very knowledgeable and have great customer service. They answer their phone and answer questions. I have an early automatic and tried to find an automatic cam because yes, it was different. Search it on forums and you can go in circles with cam arcana. I have run a web 142 (stock grind) and 73. Both worked well. I am currently building a type4 2 liter and trying to decide between them. There are advantages to both. I didn’t feel like the 73 robbed me of low end performance or caused a lopey idle, but it didn’t kick me in the pants either at the rpm’s I drive. I am going back to stock dual carbs which may not like the 73. Decisions, decisions...Btw, both these cams are for solid lifters.
Aircooled.net sell a 73/86 but that also looks a bit tame. Then they leap to the next split duration cam that's too wild. Annoying.
The stock grind cam I received from Webcam had a lot of sharp edges on the lobes and the thrust faces were a little rough compared to the Web73 which looked like it had more finished grinding done to it. I called Webcam and asked them about it. They explained that their stock cam was the billet they start with. They offered to clean it up for me free of charge even though I had already run it and had bought it in 2012. I ended up cleaning it up myself; putting a little radius on the edges of the lobes and polishing the thrust surfaces with a thick feeler gauge and fine sandpaper. They are a family business and keep their employees a long time. Lori usually answers the phone. Don’t even think about asking to talk to a man. She knows everything about those cams and had my info from 2012 in front of her seconds into the call. I wanted to ask about cam choices at some point but don’t want to hijack this gentleman’s thread. I will start my own when I get a chance.
I know fruitcake will be interested for when he gets to that point. I got the 73/86 the wrong way round, it's a 73 inlet lobe with an 83 exhaust which has a bit more duration. Could be good for stock. The general principle sounds good but I would like an 83 inlet with more duration exhaust but I can't see a suitable exhaust to pair the 86 with.
Well, I will throw in my question then and hopefully the information might be useful for Fruitcake too. This is my third attempt at engine building. My first two attempts were with an 1800 GEX crate engine that turned out to have been built with a bent crank that the machinist missed. I found it when measuring myself and the machinist later verified it. My current build: Re-machined case, align bored, decked, gallery plugs drilled and tapped. 94mm NOS stock Kolbenshmidt pistons and cylinders-slightly shopworn but quite servicable Len Hoffman stock 2 litre blueprint special heads (New AMC heads reworked with better hardware) Mahle or Silverline mains whichever fits better-I have a set of each Stock 2 litre crank ground one undersize mains and rods from DPR Machine Stock 2 litre rods from DPR Machine Parts were balanced individually and as rotating mass 003 automatic transmission Rebuilt Solex PDSIT carbs with stock air cleaner or Weber 34 ICT's (or something else) Web 142 (stock grind) or Web 73 with solid lifters 4 in one EMPI cheapo exhaust or stock muffler. Original heat exchangers You can probably see my dilemma already with cam choice as it affects carb choice, etc. I would say I use my bus for long distance touring; spring summer fall camping trips. My main goals: reliability, longevity. I am planning on doing the great American road trip (again) with my kids while they are still kids. It's a 73 Westy, btw. My understanding of the Web 73 is that it makes more power, but it may not work well with the idling system on original dual carbs or the vacuum modulated shift on the early automatic. It is also said to offer cooler head temps. When I ran it in my 1800 engine, monza style exhaust and progressive carb, I didn't experience issues with idle or problems with the automatic. Neither did I experience anything that felt like more power. It would pull nicely to just past 70 mph and crawl towards anything faster. Head temps were quite good. Strangley, the original GEX engine with stock cam, dual ICT's and 4 in 1 exhaust would just go and go, easily past 80, if I remember correctly. My understanding of the 142 is that it would probably work better with the original carbs and autobox, but yield hotter cylinder head temps. I'm not married to the stock carbs, but often hear how nice they are when running properly. Realistically, bus handling feels iffy past 70 mph and I prefer to cruise around 60-65 on 2 lane state highways when I can. It's a cooler quieter ride. Sometimes though, interstates are impossible to avoid and having the extra power to avoid getting run over is helpful, though I try to avoid this type of driving if I can. Thanks for reading along and I hope the information will be helpful to others.
Mine was originally an 1800 it had a Vege recon motor and standard PDSIT carbs. It was ok but lacking in torque and struggled on inclines. I must admit the 2.0 I rebuilt is a much stronger motor and pulls much better with the auto box. I am running with dual ICT’s which are an improvement on the original carbs which were worn anyway. I sometimes wonder whether I should have gone the whole hog and fitted twin 40’s. However the ICT’s give a smooth pick up and decent enough fuel economy.
