Questions on getting a cam for a head

[sujitroy]

I got a pair of spares heads. On inspection, they came with cams for one side only. So I'm not he hunt for a cam. What should I look for or ask a seller when looking for usable cam?
Sujit

[flying farmer]

If they are not rusty they are generally ok. I have never seen lobe wear (unlike the Rover V8 which eats cams)

It is worth asking about the condition of the bearings, particularly the rear one.

I have seen the rear cam bearing quite badly worn in one instance, unfortunately it was on a fast road reprofiled exchange cam. I had to return this and send one of my own cams for re-profiling.

I suspect it is caused by the not unusual casting sand problem, it washes down the length of the head but having reached the end of the oil way it has no where else to go except up into the bearing.

Wear on the alloy of the heads is usually far more obvious, but unless you can see the head it came from it is more a matter of looking for scoring.

Neil

[sujitroy]

Thanks

[new to this]

you know you may have to have the head line bored to suite the cam

[flying farmer]

you know you may have to have the head line bored to suite the cam

That is only if the head has warped badly and had the face skimmed flat, the warp can involve the whole head including the cam bore. All the cam journals should be the same diameter