CompCams tool steel retainers BEWARE

[Bill Edgeworth]

Just a heads up to anyone who might buy the Comp Cams light weight tool steel retainers;
I just bought a couple of sets, the good news @ 20 grams they are 15 grams lighter than the Manley ones I was using. The bad news; they have horrible quality control and wont admit they have a problem.
I got the first set from them put them on a set of heads (just swapped out the Manly ones) and all of a sudden I had about 0.09” variation in installed spring heights. With the locks sticking out of the taper almost 1/10 of an inch on some.
I took them back off and inspected them and found that the chamfer at the top of the taper was improperly machined; they probably had a damaged cutter on their CNC machine. I called them up and told them about the problem. They refused to accept that they could possibly have an issue and in fact told me that it was very rude of me to imply that they have a quality control issue. They gave me an RMA number so that I could return them for “warranty consideration” I had to buy a second set and have them overnighted at my expense so it could get the job done.
I get the second set, same thing! So I just threw them in my lathe and fixed them myself. I called them again today and told the customer service guy I was just calling because I needed to get a message to their Q.C. department about a problem, that kind of agitated him, but he said he would pass on the information.
So if you buy a set be prepared to re-cut the chamfer at the top of the valve lock taper. I will at least give them the benefit of doubt that it is more than likely an issue in the one particular size (part 1730). After machining and hardening they are tumble polished through that process the parts get all randomly mixed up. In each of the sets I got about 1/3 were bad.

[Dave Ribeiro]

Bill,

Thanks for the heads up on Comp Cams lite-weight retainers, I see your not at the big race this weekend ? Hope you didn't hurt anything in the motor ... Send me an e-mail when you have a moment... thanks, Dave

[Aubrey N Bruneau]

Thank YOU, Bill !
I'm expecting my replacements in a couple days, so I can FINALLY put my engine back together.
They sent me the wrong ones the first time, and didn't ( still don't ) have stock on the correct ones... P/N 1732.
Yup... one month
Cost me attendance at every single available event for this season.
One more year gone by.

And some of you guys wonder why I tune on the highway

[Bill Edgeworth]

Hi Dave, I did not hurt anything (other than the cam I changed); I just didn’t get it back together until Thursday so going to Sonoma was out of the question. I went to the National Open @ Mission instead. I put in a nitrided cam this time. But the only bad lobe on the old one was #1 intake. I’m suspicious that maybe in one of the recent tear downs I might have hurt the lobe maybe with the checking lifter or contamination.

Aubrey,
Maybe you will be lucky and have it ready for the Medicine Hat National Open?
I’m not going, its about a 20+ hour tow from here, I don’t need a grade point that bad and I’m not in the points chase. I’m also not fond of the no fuel check, no weighing and no heads up races for the Division 6 National Opens now.

[Aubrey N Bruneau]

How was Mission, Bill ? !
Only fast track in my "circuit"... damn, I wanted to be there.

No fuel check / weigh in / heads up ( not that I'd want that ! ) at Opens ?
The weigh in at the very least, should be absolutely necessary.

[Woodro Josey]

Aubrey, just curious, if there is no heads-up why would you want to weigh in?

[Bill Edgeworth]

The air was okay @ Mission at worst I think it got up to 1700’. The track seemed a little slippery to me though.
There were 23 of us, including one of your Alberta buddies running his Comp car as a SS/BM
The one thing I was surprised to see was Charlie Smiths old Dart, I think the guy that bought it was just running in Pro bracket. Mission would be a real easy place for that particular car to get the combo a Monday morning AHFS “gift”

[Aubrey N Bruneau]

Just for my own curiosity, Woodro. If I managed to finally make this "car" work properly, and perform decently, I'd like to know that it was at a legal weight.

Gee Bill... 1700 ft, at a sea level track ?
Might as well save my travelling money, and just go to Saskatoon !

But on topic...
other than the inconsistent machined finish, do these new light weight tool steel retainers seem to be the answer ?

[casper]

Aubrey ... you going to make it to the Hat this weekend ? Everytime I have been to the N.O. at the Hat they have had fuel check , scales , and I have seen numerous records set there .
Mike Pruss 668 SS/GA

[Aubrey N Bruneau]

Thanks for asking, Mike...
nooooo, I'll miss that one too.
You know, I SHOULD go and watch though. No doubt, I'd learn something.