cam thrust washer

joe

1930 super six. Does it have a thrust washer or does the chain keep it from moving forward. I pulled this apart more than two years ago and I can't remember removing something that would control the cam lateral movement. Its been at the machine shop for over a year, its all new and at home now. My book and the info I can find on the web mention a thrust washer for a hudson. My 1930 essex super six does not seem to have a means of controlling lateral movement other than the timing chain.

Geoff

There is a  peg fits in then nose of the cam, with a spring behind it.  The end of the peg bears against a hardened steel plate rivetted to the timing cover.  Yes, there is a .065" thrust washer between the  front camshaft flange and the  block.

joe

thanks, the book describes removing the cam sprocket, thrust plunger, washer, spring, and guide.  I looked in my cans of bolts and found the plunger spring and guide.  There is a plate rivetted to the inside of the chain cover.  also is there a .065" washer between the cam flange and block?  now it makes sense

joe

reading further, the book says to block valves open to allow cam removal, "together with thrust washer"

Hans

The cam  spacer purpose is to provide spacing so the cam lobe can be in a more central location for the lifter to ride on.

With Roller lifters in earlier valve trains and shoe lifter faces in later engines the contact  positioning of the cam lobe and lifter in its boss can be more centralized.

There are two  types of cam spacers,

The first with the "ears"  requires cam shaft removal.

The front engine support plate, is the locater for the " cats ears" which protrude on one side of the spacer.  The spacer does not rotate.

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Later the factory came up with a streamlined spacer which looks like a piston ring with a long diagonal spiral cut, separation. 
  
The cam shaft can be pried forward with gears and chain still in stalled and it is "spiraled" into position behind cam rear face and front of engine block.

The chief advantage is not pulling valves up to clear cam shaft for removal.!!!

The other advantage is the entire spacer can move and lubricated on both sides there is 
a possibility that wear will be reduced and cam lobe face and lifter may stay more ideally located to each other.

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The earlier spacer "cats ears" can be trimmed to remove them, and cut so it can be spiraled into place.
 

Hans

The phenolic spacer can be trimmed cut to remove the "cats ears".
A 1/2 inch long spiral cut will allow insertion.  Similar to a scarf cut on a piston ring.

If the primary purpose of the spacer was to position the cam lobe and the lifter face, then most any material could be used as the parts would be lubed in operation.

The phenolic would seem to have a good slippery coefficient of friction, itself.

Many engines have operated with the cam shaft rear face having contact, with out a spacer remaining in place.
The wear pattern on lobe and lifter face, I think I have seen is off set and wider. But only the width of the spacer and nominal width of lobe on the lifter face.

Most of these comments reflect on the shoe lifter faces, however the roller lifters that I have experience with I want to be properly aligned to preserve roller axel and support holes in lifter body, as in you 1930.

 No pictures taken when doing this.  

barrysweet52

Good info. Thanks