Paranoid old man cam question

[Phil1098]

So I opened my FRPP Hot Rods and they were factory wrapped and double boxed. Both boxes were perfect with zero damage. I am wiping the anti rust stuff off of them with brake clean and a microfiber cloth and am really impressed by the quality of the machine work (I know it's all CNC). But on a couple of journals I found a tiny nick. I can feel them with a finger nail and now the paranoid thoughts creep in. Do I say fuck it and just put them in, touch the spots with a piece of 1000 grit to make sure there aren't any edges that could dig into the aluminum, or ???????

 

[702GT]

So I opened my FRPP Hot Rods and they were factory wrapped and double boxed. Both boxes were perfect with zero damage. I am wiping the anti rust stuff off of them with brake clean and a microfiber cloth and am really impressed by the quality of the machine work (I know it's all CNC). But on a couple of journals I found a tiny nick. I can feel them with a finger nail and now the paranoid thoughts creep in. Do I say fuck it and just put them in, touch the spots with a piece of 1000 grit to make sure there aren't any edges that could dig into the aluminum, or ???????

As a "junkyard" mechanic, I don't worry about "tiny" nicks. You should see the stock cams I put back into my car, lol. There are some things you don't take pics of or admit to doing when it comes to working on cars, but I DGAF. So IMO, I wouldn't sweat it if it's just a nick, but that may be up to how you interpret a nick, and how I interpret a nick.

Also, don't let the cams sit too long without being all oiled up. The moisture in the air is enough to cause machined surfaces to rust. I had a set of cams bagged and wrapped in plastic with a splash of motor oil, I only intended to let them sit for a few weeks, however Life happened and they sat for about a month and change. When I came back to the cams they had little rust spots all over. They may even be pitted a bit, not sure yet as I'm still polishing them by hand with a dremel and buffer. Not sure what the next course of action will be, if I send them off to be machine polished or if they're trashed. Might start my own thread for opinions, with pics.

 

[Phil1098]

Here are some pics of what I'm talking about. The first one looks a little smeared, I touched it with 1000 grit for about 5 seconds.

 

[Phil1098]

I talked to FRPP, they asked for the pics, and completely stepped up. Sent me a shipping label and want them back. They are on their way as I type this. Couldn't be happier with FRPP customer service.

 

[hammeron]

glad to hear this.....now you will have piece of mind and can enjoy the cams.

 

[travelers]

Hopefully the ones they send you won't be worse then the ones you have.

 

[Phil1098]

I think the biggest problem when something like this gets a ding isn't the depression, it's the edges of the depression. Steel doesn't compress very easily and so if you look at a ding, the edges push up. My fear was a high edge carving around in the aluminum head and trashing them. As far as Ford sending me some that are worse yet, that is just something I will look at when I get another set, not going to buy trouble or worry about it.

 

[wabirch]

Hope the new set pass the inspection, nice to see they jumped on it for you.

 

[AbdullaGT500]

I think the biggest problem when something like this gets a ding isn't the depression, it's the edges of the depression. Steel doesn't compress very easily and so if you look at a ding, the edges push up. My fear was a high edge carving around in the aluminum head and trashing them. As far as Ford sending me some that are worse yet, that is just something I will look at when I get another set, not going to buy trouble or worry about it.

I'd think the edges would get smoothed down or self-machined down within the first few seconds of running. Personally I would have put them in as-is.

 

[Phil1098]

I'd think the edges would get smoothed down or self-machined down within the first few seconds of running. Personally I would have put them in as-is.

I have a hard time believing that hardened steel would ever get machined by a piece of aluminum.

 

[AbdullaGT500]

I have a hard time believing that hardened steel would ever get machined by a piece of aluminum.

What was the logic behind the use of sandpaper then?

 

[travelers]

I have a hard time believing that hardened steel would ever get machined by a piece of aluminum.

True it would do just the opposite. If you would keep them then the best thing to do is to use some emery paper on a flat to smoothen out the edges. But since they are replacing them, go for it.

 

[Phil1098]

What was the logic behind the use of sandpaper then?

To knock off the high spots or edges of the ding. The best way to do this is wrapping the sand paper on a flat edged piece of stock and lightly remove the high spots. The ding would still be there, but the aluminum carving, head destroying high spots would be gone. If I had to keep them I was already going to take them to a machine shop and get some thoughts from them.

 

[AbdullaGT500]

To knock off the high spots or edges of the ding. The best way to do this is wrapping the sand paper on a flat edged piece of stock and lightly remove the high spots. The ding would still be there, but the aluminum carving, head destroying high spots would be gone. If I had to keep them I was already going to take them to a machine shop and get some thoughts from them.

If the sand paper can knock down a weak high spot on hardened steel then I'm pretty sure the aluminum cam cap can do the same. Not trying to argue with you, just saying it wouldn't take much to smooth it out.

 

[Phil1098]

If the sand paper can knock down a weak high spot on hardened steel then I'm pretty sure the aluminum cam cap can do the same. Not trying to argue with you, just saying it wouldn't take much to smooth it out.

I'm 100% sure the aluminum would be destroyed long before any change would occur to the cam. There is no way on earth I would take a chance with ruining a set of heads and then say "huh, I thought that would have worked, oh well lesson learned." Then buy new heads.

 

[travelers]

If the sand paper can knock down a weak high spot on hardened steel then I'm pretty sure the aluminum cam cap can do the same. Not trying to argue with you, just saying it wouldn't take much to smooth it out.

Not hardly

 

[eighty6gt]

Cams only do 1/2 the RPM the engine does. If I ever had a ding in a journal I'd knock it down with a stone. These cams are pretty hard. Journals and lobes are wide.

 

[05stroker]

Since they came that way new, I would have sent them back as well. If I bought them used, I would have hit them with some Emery cloth.

 

[Phil1098]

UPDATE: FRPP said after an engineer inspected them with a microscope (yeah that's what they said), it was determined the dings were there prior to grinding so they are not high spots (my only real concern). They said they stand behind them 100% and I will have them back tomorrow and are good to go.