Topic: Early vs. Late cam towers with big cams

[andrewk]

Hi all-

Hope this is high performance enough. 

I had some top end oiling issues on an 849 that I built.  Using a Webcam 41A, so not the biggest stick.

Anyway, it wiped out the towers and the cam, so I bought some replacement parts on Ebay.  Not really paying attention, I bought a set of early towers and rockers- the ones that aren't pinned into place.

My question is- is there any detriment (or advantage) to these over the later pieces with the small bolts?

I've got the HondaMan book, and he talks about why they did it, etc, but I didn't see much about what I'm asking.  I'm really trying to avoid having the problem again- plus I don't want to destroy good parts.

Maybe as an aside- what's a set of early towers and rockers worth?  I got a screaming deal on these...

Thanks!
Andrew

[Turbogrimace]

The floating shafts provide a tad less friction loss in the top end, However, without them bolted in, if the shaft breaks in the center, they can walk out and cause a disaster.  The 41a cam is a very mild upgrade from stock so i dont think you'd ever break the shaft if it's in good shape.  mic your rocker shaft bores and the shaft itself to make sure it's in spec and wont develop a lot of flex.  You should be fine running the early setup considering there are many similar engines out there with a lot of miles on them and no problems.  The additional oiling holes that Mark recommends seem like a good idea to me. 

If you go to a radical cam later, it might be a good idea to bolt them down or block the ends in the event they decide to split and walk out on each other.

[Bill/BentON Racing]

+1 .Have at least half dozen matched sets anyone in need,Bill