a little story to brighten monday. a few weeks ago assembling this 400f i pulled out another complete head to get a look at wear patterns etc. both are in excellent shape and near identical. here's the deal where 2 heads aren't better than 1. checking out the cam bearing and lobes, it was a split second check and the next split second i couldn't tell which cam came out of which head. so.. i'm thinking i'll match up the scratch patterns, taking a careful look i determine which i think goes where, i had to be right. i ran the motor like i said 5 min approx did a lap around a short block. that was the trip that i forgot to tighten #2 intake valve and the nut fell off and was sitting next to the spring. luckily i didn't start it just to prove the whole 8 month story actually happened, yet still the bike ran ok, maybe from not riding in 8 months oh well i pull back apart because of piece of rag i rolled up and put in the oil tube, while cleaning carbon off the surface, had plugged the orifice valve on the right side. got all that appart in one evening. and i'll be damned if the single centered scratch mark on the other head's thrust bearing was now on the head that didn't have it. shoot. i have feeling now that i put the wrong cam in. crazy.
so now having 1 cam that has only run in 1 head of the 2, guaranteed. and the possibility of 1 cam that's ran in both heads. the only thing i can think of is study the cam journals and lobes and the thrust surfaces and hope to pull the right choice 50:50 chance to get it right.
is there more of a definite measurement that would hands down give a precise matching, like take it to a well known machine shop. the 1 cam and the one head that for sure hasn't ran in 2 homes. could they say for sure that it either is the one or not. if not then i got them mixed. the pattern of the lobe wear i haven't quite studied for similarities. stuff like this happens to those, mostly guys in their 60s. i'm not quitting because of it. anyway, but thanks if anyone has any help on my questions.
