There you go again; always picking on me. I assume you are insinuating that my run out growth is the result of installing gear driven cams? Of course, I disagree. If you read the complete post you should also have read that run out was .0025" when I built the 95" motor. No one can say for sure but I am confident that the "soft" '05 crank that was near the factory run out spec for warranty purposes is the source of the problem which would have occurred with chain driven cams as well. The crank was basically near out of spec to begin with and it wouldn't have taken much to grow it another .002". Something appears to have passed through the oil pump but I have no idea what it could have been. I don't believe .0045" run out would have caused the scoring but maybe?

The new motor will be going back together with, wait for it, gear driven cams; I guess I just like living on the edge. At least I won't have to worry about all that orange anodized coating getting into the oiling system.

 

djl....... Gotcha!

Its been awhile - all in jest & the run out you mentioned is not that bad from where it started. have fun on the build...!

 

Bad enough that I can't run gears without addressing the crank. Could have gone stroker for a 107" but I already had parts in hand; cams, pistons/cylinders fitted and set to 0.00" deck, heads done, etc.. So, I would have had to abandon the original build plan mid stream which would have left me holding a set of pistons/cylinders and cam which would have to be replaced; a double hit. Faced with that surprise and a desire to see how the original 98" build plan would perform, I decided to stick with the original build plan.

 

Is the cam swap worth doing? I can only find the Cyco pads, not the tensioners. Im starting to warm up to doing this after watching some youtube videos. Will have to price out tools and everything.

 

The pads are what you need. Just make sure you get the kit with the installation tool and you'll be fine.

I put in the Drag Specialties/Daytona high volume oil pump while I was there. My old one had a tiny bit of scoring and I like the extra pressure at idle.

 

Forget gear drive unless it for race only. Just do the HD update if it has not already been done and never worry about it again. 90% of what you read on the subject is BS.

 

If you pick the right cam, yeah, worth the time and effort. All you need are cams, inner cam bearings, CYCO pads and install tool, gaskets, etc. There are work-arounds for the tools that will save you some $$. Go back and read #6, pick whichever option you like, get the OEM service manual, roll up your sleeves and dive in.

In spite of what others may say, gear driven cams are not a "race only" option and are the only way to eliminate cam tensioners as a maintenance item. As long as there are tensioner pads that wear, they will be a maintenance item. The advantage the CYCO and SE pads offer is much longer period between checks; maybe every 25K-35K miles instead of every 10K-12K miles required to check the early OEM tensioners.

The Daytona hi-capacity oil pump LazySundays installed is a nice upgrade as well.

 

Do you know what the part number is for the Cyco tensioners? The ones I found in ebay are for the hydraulic version. And also the part number for the oil pump mentioned above? Thanks.

 

Here's a link to the shoes.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...5V5Kcyrj3TDFZ1

I did the plate/pump/cam route. My first dive into a Harley engine. Much easier than I thought it would be. Just follow directions and pay attention. I, too, was intimidated by the idea at first, but having worked on cars and trucks most of my life, I figured it's just nuts and bolts like everything else.
Good luck and have fun with it!

 

Oil pump from Drag Specialties.