reground cam

TinCan

Member
Does anyone know where I could buy a reground cam for a '63 4000 172 diesel cam #310377.

Every cam #310377 I find new for sale say's Not for a diesel. People selling them can't tell why it's not for a diesel. Some think it's because the timing gear is not right on. Because it does not mater with a distributor, because you put it any where, and still get it to time right, but not with a diesel, it needs to be closer, if not right on.

I have decided to buying a reground oem cam is my best bet. Or I will have to find a cam that regrindable. Mine is junk, because of the key slot is screwed up.

I don't want to buy a 310377 cam, that say's it is not for a diesel, to find out it won't time right. After putting it in, and assembling the engine.

Does anyone have a good regindable diesel #310377 cam & timing gear (mine gear has a hair crack), laying around, they would be willing to give up. So that I may have it reground? There is a guy local that is suppose to have a engine laying around, but I can't get a hold of him.

I was also told to have a new key way cut into my cam 180 degrees, then have it reground, then put a gear on 180 off when reinstalling it. But I said nope to that. I don't like doing things like that, and I have been chasing a can of worms on this engine already.

I just prefer to buy a reground cam.

Thanks, Pat
 
Hey Pat, still slugging away at that engine? Perseverance, my friend, I dont like doing things that arent true either. I have a tractor man calling me this morning about swapping some parts, I'll ask him if he's got one. I never did understand how you could regrind a cam cause youre taking metal off. It seems to me that it would change valve lift. Did you ever try anyone in the puller forum about getting a cam. I need a ballpark figure on your price. I have a cam and gear but I dont know if its gas or diesel. My father mostly bought diesels but he has brought in gassers and stuck a diesel in them. I still dont know why they would make two different cams as they made the gassers first and pretty much engineered the diesel into the same block configuration unless they would change the lift and duration for the diesel, but why would they change the distributor drive gear. You have my email or you can call me.
 
I never did understand how you could regrind a cam cause youre taking metal off.

I'm not an expert here, but this is my understanding. Someone please correct if I am mistaken:

As long as you take the same amount all the way around the difference between the low spot and the high spot is still the same, and then you adjust the rockers accordingly to get the proper gap and the valves will still open the same amount at the same place in the timing. You will probably end up with the exact opening and closing time being off by a fraction of a degree but that shouldn't be a big issue.
 

I always thought they welded up the lobes and then reground them back down, but then what do I know? Then they have to reharden the surfaces.... Maybe someone in the know will step in.
 
Heres a post I found on the gas cams in the puller forum. dennisk

10-16-2009 16:03:23

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Re: 801 diesel injector pump timing after installing new Cam in reply to dennisk, 09-28-2009 18:02:00
Thanks for all the help. Here is what I found. The aftermarket camshaft was the culprit. The gear on the aftermarket camshaft is at a different timing position than the original camshaft.
I bought a used camshaft and the timing marks line just as they should.
The aftermarket camshafts that say for gas only even though the part number is the same really mean for gas only.
 
When I lived in Anchorage I worked at a huge
engine shop for about a year and a half.
Though I never got involved in the machine
work much - I was their welder but I did see
a lot of stuff go through that place.
I'm pretty sure Sean is correct about
grinding the cam. If you grind all the way
around the lobe the lift remains the same.
You can change the profile of the lobe too -
somewhat. You could probably even change the
timing a few degrees so I think regrinding
would work for Tincan. I never had to weld a
cam anyway.
I did weld up a bunch of cranks there on a
crank welding machine they had. It was
pretty well automated. Take a big Cummins
or Cat crank that spun a bearing on one rod
or main and it was worth repairing.
Probably not worth it on a Chevy 350 or 3cyl
Ford tractor.
 
Don?t forget to regrind / replace the lifters also. Worn lifters
on a new or reground cam will lead to certain death.
 

A neighbor had a 861 diesel in the late 60's,I'm thinking it was a 59 model, he moved to another town and we visited him in the late 70's, he told us the crank had broke some years before and he had replaced it with one from a later 4000.
I remember him telling us about the trouble they had getting the engine timed properly with the later crank shaft.
Don't remember what they had to change to get it working properly, but it had to do with the timing of the camshaft to the later crank.

My brother has a spare 172 diesel, I know he won't part it out but we may be able to pull the timing cover and take photos of the gears and the key way positions when the marks are lined up.
 

I see now that both are done... regrinding only and welding and then grinding back down.

https://camsnortheast.net/uncategorized/cam-regrinding-how-can-a-camshaft-be-rebuilt/
 

I believe this to be true. Gas cam only needs to be close, and a diesel cam has to be pretty much right on.

When grinding a cam, you need to start out with a good core, or the costs go up fast. That is why I need good bearing journals, key way, and timing gear. It has to actually have decent lobes, because you can only grind so much off, or you'll go through the hardening. Then you'll have a soft cam, or pay to have it heat treated again. You can change them to much because of that also, unless you reheat treat.

That's way I was told to have a new key way cut into mine, because the lobes on mine are only starting to wear on one lobe. But I don't want to install the cam gear on 180 off to do it.

Destroked,
You aren't really going to tell by looking at the gear marks to see the difference in the cam, from what I've been told. Besides, it's on the pump/dist drive gear on the cam, that's different. Not the gear on the end.

Greg Ky,
I never use, used lifters on any new cam. Even though my lifter are like new. My engine was gone through not long ago by the PO, they just used the old cam, that had a bad key way. We can tell that the hyd pump frooze, and took the cam gear, and snowballed from there. ending with the valves. He had it running, you can tell, but how good, I don't know. Because the pump timing was off 23 degrees. He did not get the cam gear all the way back on. You can see by the hammer mark on the gear, and the crack they put into it trying to. It was not all the way on, and allowed the cam move back, and the gear bolts for the hyd gear grind into the back gear cover.

This is why I have always said, if I was told "It's just been rebuilt!" That's fine, prove it to me! Or it's just a old motor that's been cleaned & painted. This one I bought not running, but was told it did, and ran good. It was lightly stuck from sitting 15 yrs, because the father in-law died then, and it was his. So I bite the bullet, and got burned. My own fault, now I'm paying.

Thanks, Pat
 
Heres a post from Tony about the cams. Someone else had the same problem as you. TONY JACOBS

02-10-2012 08:42:22




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Re: 801 ford 172'' diesel not running after rebuild in reply to Ed Wayment, 02-08-2012 14:53:37
Hello Ed , Only one head gasket for diesel not the problem different bolt patterns between gas and diesel . Camshafts are the same but early diesel did have diesel cast into them . Sounds to me could be a twist in the camshaft if timing gears broke or hydraulic pump locked up especially with damage that you saw . The only way you be able to see the twist is with a camshaft degree wheel to check opening and closing of valves . The twist would explain everything valves opening and closing wrong time lowering compression and smoke and hard starting timing off even when jumping a tooth . Thanks Tony Jacobs
 
Heres a post from Tony about the cams. Someone else had the same problem as you. TONY JACOBS

02-10-2012 08:42:22




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Re: 801 ford 172'' diesel not running after rebuild in reply to Ed Wayment, 02-08-2012 14:53:37
Hello Ed , Only one head gasket for diesel not the problem different bolt patterns between gas and diesel . Camshafts are the same but early diesel did have diesel cast into them . Sounds to me could be a twist in the camshaft if timing gears broke or hydraulic pump locked up especially with damage that you saw . The only way you be able to see the twist is with a camshaft degree wheel to check opening and closing of valves . The twist would explain everything valves opening and closing wrong time lowering compression and smoke and hard starting timing off even when jumping a tooth . Thanks Tony Jacobs
 

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