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I wrote about this a little bit already but I wanted to get some more attention on the issue, I started a new thread here where people can constructively, share their experiences and input
I got two of these camshafts from the same seller. A big one. I degreed them both and they were not the same, different durations, different center lines. The specs weren't even close to what's advertised and to make it even worse, I believe the intake lobe was ground backwards on one of them and the other one both of the lobes were ground backwards.
Amazes me how people are willing to take a risk buying knockoff valvetrain parts to save a few $ on an engine build, that can cost them 5x or likely more than that if the engine is damaged.
I've seen people link ebay kits with springs, lifters and cam (sloppy of course) for $250. Really, you trust something that cheap from an unknown source to control your valves?
In this game if you go cheap you’ll figure it out soon enough. There’s no way in Gods green earth that anyone should cut corners especially when it comes to any components that have to do with your valve train and or engine especially internals.
But we see it every day in here. People with experience give solid advice and the folks asking the questions to get “educated” tend to do their own thing. So I say let ‘em have at it.😂
A no-name low price is NOT a good deal.
A big-name low price? Make darn sure it actually IS the big-name on the box.
Known-source big-name low price? Maybe OK...
So many unknowns in this and so many other environments...
In this game if you go cheap you’ll figure it out soon enough. There’s no way in Gods green earth that anyone should cut corners especially when it comes to any components that have to do with your valve train and or engine especially internals.
But we see it every day in here. People with experience give solid advice and the folks asking the questions to get “educated” tend to do their own thing. So I say let ‘em have at it.😂
Amen, bro!!! Like buying a $300 motorhome, and wondering why it doesn't run. Its nice someone wants to research and provide data. But it's an answer to a question nobody asked. Frankly, even if these checked out perfect, I wouldnt touch one. How hard are the lobes? What is the core made of? Whats the customer service tech line #?Mr. Dover is the tech go to guy. Ben Dover!!! Could be worse. Like if the guy who owned the airplane you just bought used one of these in the engine rebuild!!
I DO NOT recommend that anyone buy the China knock off cams... I have no experience with one of them failing, but DO know a guy that brought me one and asked me to install it in a short block I built for him... I did as he asked and put the UNBRANDED CHINA WHITE BOX SS2 cam in it, along with some china lifters also out of a white box with ZERO markings on the outside, and it did start up and is still running as of today. Even with the correct length push rods the thing sounded like a giant wooden crate filled with a half-ton of silverware being shaken by a concrete mixer. Seriously it was the LOUDEST valve train noise I have ever heard... But that was over 2 years ago and the truck is still running... I see him sometimes when he needs help with updating his tune.. and it has no issues other than just noisy AF... Again-STAY FAR AWAY FROM UNBRANDED CHINA TRASH!!!
I don't blame China for crappy parts. I DO blame the American (or ???) vendor spec'ing the parts.
Chinese shops will make whatever is asked of them, good, bad, or ugly.
A lot of good parts come from there, usually priced a bit higher than the crap parts from there.
No matter the source, you usually get what you pay for.
You can get the genuine elgin not regrind on amazon for 250$ any size. Mine came in genuine elgin box with spec card on box. I think elgin wanted 333$ from them directly. Just make sure you ask the seller if it comes in a elgin box and not a regrind. I was going to send mine back if it didnt. The cam price is 250$ and pac 1219s 150$ in pac box on amazon so 400$ cam kit about same price as a normal different vendor cam. I was on a budget with my 99 corvette.
NGK spark plugs are a good example. The packaging looks almost identical (you have to look side by side to really notice). The best way to be sure is to buy from reputable vendors and not some unknown seller on eBay or Amazon.
lol mine i checked with the seller had the actual part number and brand listed on amazon. It'd be hard to get a fake box. This is the 1839 220/224 112 lsa .575 lift. I think i checked it looked like a good cam core but that was in jan 2022. I think i asked a few ebay sellers if it was real elgin they all told me it was similar cam or same design same with the fake pac 1218s for 90$ they have on ebay. Elgin rep i had spoken with told me they could give me a discount or sell the cam for whatever price they wanted to individually sell it for to me. I agreed if it didnt come in a realbox or some way to identify it as a real cam i'd send it back. I used tsp 7.4 pushrods.
It’s an expensive hobby. Don’t cut corners. I get it that some try to save money, but I say that if you can’t afford to build it right, don’t bother. It’s cheaper to buy quality parts from known venders once, than to find out after you start it, that you bought junk, and you have to do this twice…or three times. Makes for entertaining threads however, I suppose…
...and the engine self destructs due to low quality parts...
I'd rather spend an extra $200+ on a quality cam than another $2,000+ cleaning up the mess cheapo low quality cam or valvetrain part will leave behind.
Many of those tempted by dirt cheap parts appear to need to be different, original & unique. Going against conventional advice from the forum sourcing parts is more important to them than selecting quality parts for their project car or truck. There's a fair number of folks that are only capable of learning the hard way...plus a number of 🧌 trolls.
Last edited by 99 Black Bird T/A; 08-04-2023 at 07:29 AM.
...and the engine self destructs due to low quality parts...
I'd rather spend an extra $200+ on a quality cam than another $2,000+ cleaning up the mess cheapo low quality cam or valvetrain part will leave behind.
Many of those tempted by dirt cheap parts appear to need to be different, original & unique. Going against conventional advice from the forum sourcing parts is more important to them than selecting quality parts for their project car or truck. There's a fair number of folks that are only capable of learning the hard way...plus a number of 🧌 trolls.
What I don't understand is why people think China can do the hard part by knocking off mechanical parts (not necessarily GOOD parts!), but can't knockoff labels and boxes. With modern computerized printing, making counterfeit labels and packaging is the easy part. Hot Rod magazine ran an article maybe 10 years ago showing real deal parts, comparing them to counterfeit ones, showing both genuine and knockoff next to one another. Unless you had both side by side, it would be damn near impossible to discern which was which. Even then, which one is genuine, and which one isnt?
I'm surprised you didn't buy the matching Pac springs from Amazon. When you buy a $100 cam you get just that plus buying these type of products supports the offending vendor to pump out more.
With almost everything being made in China, how do you differentiate a real Chinese product from a fake Chinese product. They might be coming from the same plant.
With almost everything being made in China, how do you differentiate a real Chinese product from a fake Chinese product. They might be coming from the same plant.
you be very careful, they may be ok, who wants to risk it.
With almost everything being made in China, how do you differentiate a real Chinese product from a fake Chinese product. They might be coming from the same plant.
Boils down to vender reputation and customer service. For instance my Compstar crank is a China piece. I bought it through a known, reputable vendor, who orders them wholesale in bulk from his guy at Callies. Now take the same crank, and find it on EBay or Amazon, and I wouldn’t touch it, especially if it’s a couple hundred dollars less. I look at all internal engine parts this way. If its too good to be true…walk away. Now if we are talking lightbulbs, or household trinkets, who cares? But for internal engine parts, or other crucial products, trust your (reputable, long-standing) vendor. Stay away from FleaBay for the important stuff in life.
Just to add to the above post, Callies Compstar crank forgings are made in China using Callies own dies then semi-finished, machined offshore before coming to the US where they are final finished and quality controlled checked.
08-02-2023, 08:39 AM
Do not buy unbranded sloppy camshafts 
Its nice someone wants to research and provide data. But it's an answer to a question nobody asked. Frankly, even if these checked out perfect, I wouldnt touch one. How hard are the lobes? What is the core made of? Whats the customer service tech line #?
Mr. Dover is the tech go to guy. Ben Dover!!!
Could be worse. Like if the guy who owned the airplane you just bought used one of these in the engine rebuild!!
