I guess this answers my question. Around 12 years ago I had a friend put a Comp cam into a 440 and it lasted a whole 52 miles before failing like the one in the video. Maybe the bean counters think they'll sell more cams this way, sorry, that's not how it works.

Personally I think it's a crap shoot. I lost a Comp SFT after 800 mi. Not my 1st engine build so I did it all "right"......break in, Brad Penn oil,etc. Around the same time my buddy lost a MP SFT that had MANY miles on it(unsure what oil) I switched to a Comp street solid roller, he switched to the same Comp SFT I lost.....both have been fine for many years now. My neighbor lost two SBC hyd flat tappets....neither were Comps. Another dude lost a Ford hyd. flat tappet in a SBF.

I still think rollers are the way to go in todays world. Are they fool proof? No. But I still think it's the better bet. Do they cost more? Sure. But doing mine twice cost a bunch more that if I had put the roller in to start with.

Just because it's a roller doesn't mean it has to be a race roller....many street friendly profiles out there or have someone make one. Hell...lots of guys running SFTs that are WAY more aggressive than my solid roller.

i believe a lot of it has to do with corporate greed by the Exec's as well as a changing of the guard. IE: The management that built the companies have retired and their replacements grew up in a different world.
I have had several bad experience's with products from well know Japanese companies recently and there seems to be little interest in addressing them. It's now about the $$ If you want quality you may have to go with smaller companies that are privately owned as they have to push quality or they won't survive
EDIT
Add in inexperienced engineers trying to make themselves look good reducing costs by eliminating what THEY think are not needed

Here's what really makes you think, I've had an older Mopar Performance Hemi grind cam in a 340 for 20 years, still using the oils of today and it lasts and lasts. The manufacturing processes they're using today are substandard. Looks like these companies are skipping a hardening process to save money knowing they can just blame the consumer ( improper break-in) or the oils for their cam failures.

When a "small" company starts making flat tappet cams of high quality, for 50 year old engines, expect the cost to triple. Same for the lifters. Then you'll need to decide hyd roller or paying nearly as much for a flat tappet.


Everyone seems to know what is wrong. Seems easy, just go out back, fire up your electric arc furnace, hire a few dudes and cast 30 BB Mopar fltat tappet cam cores/day, machine them up, and sell them for $175. You'll be rich.

I can get my original cam from my 51 Plymouth reground to performance specifications and my lifter's redone for less than $175 and have zero core issues. But if you are stuck on "new" cores you get what you get.

is it even possible to get a factory cam from say, a 70's 440, reground ?

There are still a few shops that can do it and resurface lifters as well. Some even put a bit more taper on the lobe to promote spinning the lifter when running

I have had several cams reground over the years and never had a problem. Also had a set of the tool steel lifters refaced. Those are still in my Hemi today.

Used to be easier then youd think. We used to make our own billet cores for our inline six pull tractor and then send them to crane for the lobe grind. A pretty simple task with the right size lathe. Actually crane would grind them but they are gone now also.

Yep. Easy-peasy. What's all the fuss?

Delta cams can do it, they have a good rep in the flathead community anyway. What your options are I do not know, I don't have a 440 so i didn't look into it.

https://deltacam.com/products/cams/

There is another, but I forget the name.