Hmmm, there goes that idea then....

Was hoping for a cheaper/easier solution than a set of custom cams from Kelford ($500 a cam, quad cam, $2000)

EDIT

I've sent you an email with those pictures you were looking for.

 

That's still cheaper than what I got quoted by an outfit in California to regrind my Aston Cams. I think they wanted like $3-4K!!


Can you get cam blanks for the AJV8 from Kelford?
I've seen they do stuff for the classic XK DOHC

 

It's been a while since I spoke with them, but that was the ballpark price for a re-grind, they wouldn't even consider going down the road of casting blanks unless there was some big quanities involved... between the Jags, Land Rovers and Astons, they didn't think there was a big enough market...

It was still going to be a very costly exercise as i'd have to get four cams out of a donor engine to send over to them, plus the shipping was not cheap...

 

I've been told the actual engineering- the profile generation- in terms of airflow and mechanically- is the tough and most expensive part.


Most of the aftermarket seriously do NOT have a clue. They still quote durations at 50 thou and talk about meaningless metrics like LSAs.
Kelford may be good- I don't know. Neuman were pretty knowledgeable and perhaps CAT cams. I know the chief guy at Comp- they focus on domestic cars mainly.
The Jag has lightest in class valve system mass- which allows high flank accels. Its no good just using carry over profiles from BMWs. The aftermarket did this to Mopars in the old days, when they would just use Chevy profiles, when the Mopars architecture could always get more lift due to its wide tappet.


Well in this case- I can design the profiles, (when I can make the time!).

 

Try CatCams in Belgium, there it is about 400 euro or so (without VAT) for all 4, have done already a couple there. You need to add the costs for the lash caps as well when re-grinding, but that that is still way south of the prices I see here.

 

Count. You don't like how CatCams informs the cam specs. They don't play with your rules. They are wrong with 0.1 and 1mm values.

 

In all fairness, they did provide me a full graph, however I haven't measured/compared mine.

 

You know my point. Everything fine with CatCams

 

when i had Crane Cams Florida regrind my Jag V12 cams (2 pieces) SOHC, i honestly had no idea what profile to use!

i talked with there head cam engineer(ex employee of Smokey shop), we talked about what i expected, and use of vehicle!

he had them done in couple days, OK they are still in the engine 22years later,kinda old tech.

i also knew Harvey Crane owner, at his home he had a cam profile machine all set up, so he did a run and overlaid the results into a computer against other known profiles , he gave me a CD disc, with all sorts of stuff on it,(which promptly got lost when moving).

any way Harvey said the closest profile was to a 1975 PORSCHE N/A race engine!

had covers off a while back(oil leak), and cams and followers were perfect, Nitrided surface perfect! NOTICE the slight polish on the follower,more room for a bigger base circle, and more lift.

cost at that time $150. each, lot of work getting valve lash set up tho.

 

Jag V12 has a typical long flat HP curve, not exceptionly high but carries torque for long flat run, great when the other guy beside you is shifting and Jag is still pulling !

you know silly road runs! Yah gotta use these cars,(darn i should talk, mine spends most time as a garage Queen).LOL

 

little off subject , would any of Ford cams fit a Jag V8.??

 

Not really, because Ford is Roller Finger follower, and Jaguar direct acting non hydraulic.


The older Ford V8 before was pushrod.


Fords themselves in Dearborn were always conservative compared to Jaguar- they thought out Direct acting profiles on the X type engine were too aggressive for their Lincolns- which took the DAMB (Direct Acting Mech Bucket) design and they always thought we specced up too high a CR.


They may have changed now with the launch of the fabulous Coyote engine and the new cyclone/Eco Boost (which is also DAMB- a big departure for Ford).


GUess- Ford guys don't like to admit it, but they gained a lot from Jaguar with alum construction bodys and DAMB valvetrain and actually utlising higher Comp ratios. Focusing solely on next quarters profits and BOM costs isn't going to get you innovation.

 

count agreed, its only logical to follow the crowd, like today it DI(direct injection).

so history says Peugot developed the DAMB, 1914, and DI Mercedes Benz petrol 1934.

we all have to copy somebody!

a ways back maybe 20yrs, i was at a PRI vendor show,Orlando FL. and was talking with a big FI racing company, and i asked if they had any injection that was directly into the chamber and he gave me a funny look and said no such thing ,never heard of it!

odd how history sometimes repeats itself, the latest DI chambers have the combustion taking place in the piston top/crown, well seems Germany(imagine that) had an engine that would run on most any type fuel , and they had a pocket in the piston top, principle very close to todays designs, called the MAN chamber multifuel. technicians only had to change injection timing for different fuels!

another interesting one was USA, called the Texaco chamber,( actually a takeoff from Germany) but not patented by them!

all had basic designs from many years back, nothing new just redeveloped with modern tech computers.

just some useless information.

 

have to admit if Ford had not bought Jaguar it might not have exsisted today!

they helped alot with there electrical components a redesigns, and of course there methods of manufacturing!

lets face it a hand assembled vehicle is a hodge podge of small misfits and each one is hand made to fit!

credit to Japanese for good manufacturing assembly lines,robots etc.

the one thing Jag that for the life of me was WHY that Damn V12 rope rear crank seal(i have in mine), didnt change till Ford became interested,1989 abouts.

USA V8s GM ,etc, changed to neoprene 1958 onward, plus other V8s.

after much R&D they came to conclusion that aluminum block expanded to much when hot, and allowed long crankshaft to whip around and open up the seal bore.

i have never seen a Jag rope seal not leaking after a few thousand miles, some guys tried to packit in tight, then they burned up crank and turned it blue!

OK starting to rant, over & out.

 

someplace i read ,about 20years ago, reason that Ford bought jaguar because they had $400 million in future soft ware R&D,already available!

 

.

count, you mention Mopar sometimes used Chevy profiles, i remember back in late 1957,had a new corvette,283 SBC, twin four barrels, solid lifter, screamer 8300rpm many times!

well i for the winter season,57/58, built a new engine ,10.5-1 pistons, new cam,ported heads, chevy performance said they had a better cam(HMM maybe).

back in those yrs, for 283 high-perfromance there was 2 factory cams , 1st one cam Called Duntov 8 and 18, (lash clearance),designed by Duntov himself,,
the new cam every body was buying was called the 30/30 cam,lash clearance cam designed by Chevy engineers!

well my new built engine in Corvette would out pull the new cam guys all day long, and still run out to 82/8300 rpm, simply more mid range torque and more top end! used factory performance springs,shimmed .060 thou.

after a yr or so, the tuner guys would close up 30/30 lash to around .020 thou. and it helped but not enough, by then most of the early cams had been sold out , Chevy said no longer available, the new cam was only one available for 283/302 displacements.

oh yes, new cam it was called Fuelie cam, not Duntov like older profile was called.

after reading your info about ramps etc, it makes more sense, after 50years,,DUH,LOL

to add the Crane cams in my V12 Jag, recomended .004 clearance inlet/exhaust, but it had no lowend torque, so i opened clearance up to .010 thou. much better driveability and more tractable around town!

not the best fix ideas ,but it works quite well!

 

Blowing the dust off of this thread....

Question: Anyone try to fit a Lincoln 3.9L 2000-2002 LS Intake cam gear onto to Non VVT 4.2L AJV8 camshaft. [Teeth count appear to be the same, but the LS gear has a counter bore, and our 4.2 gears have a raised hub profile.]
See image below.

 

Hey guys, bringing this back from the dead. Question about AJ26 cams NA/SC for timing. Ive read somewhere (cant find the post) that the NA cams are timed differently but are otherwise the same. Reason I ask is the PO of my car had the drivers bank head replace with an NA head and Im certain left the NA cams in. My mixtures are off side to side and the drivers side pings in the upper RPMS. If someone has parts numbers, that would be excellent.

 

Can you please provide more detail on your model and year of car? I assume that you have a 4.0 SC engine based on you AJ26 statement. (I assume non-VVT on your car as well?)

Regarding cam compatibility, I can confirm that on the later 4.2 engines, There are N/A and S/C cams that have the same lobe profiles, but the timing flat used to time the engine is in a different position. In either case, I currently don't have access to my P/N file after my old laptop's HD failed.

Not all is lost. You should be able to correct the problem using the existing camshafts on the N/A head. Remove the valve covers, crank the engine to TDC, put on the valve timing chain cam retention bar on the original SC head to lock the engine in place, then look carefully at the N/A head and determine which direction the lobes are off and determine which direction they are off. Then you will have to figure out if you can reach the bolts that hold the timing gears to the camshafts without removing the front timing cover. Loosen the bolts and rotate the cams so that they are in an equivalent mirror position as the other head that has the camshafts held in proper position. (There is the possibility that only one cam is off - inlet - with the large gear - so you will have to be very methodical in looking at the relative timing of the camshafts to the SC head.)

The timing flats will no longer be aligned on this NA head side, but the timing will be correct.

 

I have the opportunity to purchase some S/C cams which I think may be the route to take, however ill have to determine weather or not I do indeed have N/A cams off of the part numbers.