camshafts

[nuinqua]

Is it possible to put a camshaft from a N42 head into an E88 head?

[Jeff G 78]

Yes. Be sure to move the mating rockers and lash pads with the cam and keep them all in the same order.

[siteunseen]

What about a cam out of a 09/'76 N47 with oiler cam plus spray bar? on a E31 with larger valves? Would it work too?

[Jeff G 78]

An N47 cam should be internally oiled. The best method would be to remove the E31's spray bar and block off the passages. MSA sells a block off kit for a few dollars. If you have plenty of oil pressure, you can run both internal oiling and the spray bar, but I would only do it on a new build. I run the block off plates with an internally oiled cam on my race car that sees high RPM for 24 hours straight. Other than the oiling method, the cam from the N47 will work fine. There were several different cam profiles over the years and they will each have slightly different characteristics. You can find the chart somewhere online that lists them all. I'm sure I have it somewhere. If you need it, PM me with your email.

[siteunseen]

Thanks Jeff. I could use that cam and if I didn't like I could always spend some $$ and get a new cam kit. I want to try and put a spare motor together while I'm paying off the 240 I bought. I need a feeler gauge to see if I have any money in my wallet right now, it's that flat. That N47 was just a boat anchor until now. thanks again.

[Captain Obvious]

I've got an internally oiled "A" grind cam and all the valve train bits from an N47 if someone needs a cam. Came from an early ZX motor that I'm parting out. $80 shipped east of the Mississippi, $85 west.

Cam, rockers and retainer springs, lash pads, adjuster balls and their mounts. I kept all the bits for each lobe segregated and packed up independently so you know what goes where when putting it together.

[Jeff G 78]

Speaking of keeping everything together, does anybody know how critical it is to keep the lash pads oriented the same direction as they came out? I always try to keep them facing the same way, but sometimes they rotate upon removal of the rockers and it's tricky to tell which way they were facing.

[siteunseen]

Speaking of keeping everything together, does anybody know how critical it is to keep the lash pads oriented the same direction as they came out?

I do now. :bulb:

Captain Obvious I'm not sure of the stamp on mine but it is internally oiled and also had a spray bar that was barley there when I bought the car. I'm going to get it down this weekend and see what's what and I'll let you know if I need it.

Thanks for the help.

Cliff

[Captain Obvious]

Cool. Let me know.

Here's the grind stamp on that cam:

[siteunseen]

I've got the "B" internal oiled cam on the N47 and an "A" stamped spray bar oiled cam from the E31 I suppose as it was not attached the the E31 head when I bought that car with the extra engine (almost complete extra engine). They both are E30 stamped too. I'm guessing he took it off for the new valves that were put in it, the E31. So as soon as it rains I have some reading to do to see what I think I should do then I ask all of you what to do and it'll be 180 degrees different I know.

Well I already know now that cams '70 through '83 are the same except the turbo. So I could use the "A" spray bar cam on the E31 head. Only problem now is what Jeff said, all the rockers and lash pads are in Gatorade bottles, mixed up.

Edited June 15, 2013 by siteunseen

[LeonV]

Well I already know now that cams '70 through '83 are the same except the turbo.

Not true, each model had a unique cam profile (although some 240Z and 280Z profiles may be similar).

[siteunseen]

I'm sorry Leon, I was speaking of their size and fitment.