- Home »
- Catalog »
- Camshafts & Cam Kits »
- Full Custom Hyd & Solid Roller Cams »
- Solid Flat Tappet Cams and Cam Kits
Solid Flat Tappet Cams and Cam Kits
Pontiac V8 Solid Flat Tappet Cams and Cam Kits
Lash and Lobe — Solid Flat Tappet Cams and Cam Kits for Pontiac V8s
Solid flat tappet is the old-school race answer for a Pontiac V8: no hydraulic lifter to pump up or bleed down, so the cam can carry a more aggressive profile and turn more rpm than a hydraulic flat tappet will. The price is a valve lash you have to set and check.
Butler stocks the Comp Cams solid flat tappet grinds for the Pontiac, the 290B-6, 300B-6 and 310B-8, alongside a custom grind solid flat tappet cut to your own lobes from Comp's Xtreme Energy Solid lobe family.
Flat tappet cams and lifters carry the manufacturer’s warranty only — read the full warranty notice at the bottom of this page before ordering.
Browse Solid Flat Tappet Cams and Cam Kits Products
Popular Brands:
More About Solid Flat Tappet Cams and Cam Kits
1. What Is Here
| Comp Cams 290B-6, 300B-6 and 310B-8 | three catalog solid flat tappet grinds for the Pontiac V8, stepping up in duration. |
| Custom grind solid flat tappet | a Comp custom solid ground to your choice of lobes when none of the three catalog grinds suit the combination. |
Comp's description of the Xtreme Energy Solid lobe family is worth quoting: they are designed with similar characteristics to the Xtreme Energy hydraulics to maximize torque, acceleration and throttle response while providing even more high rpm horsepower by taking advantage of the increased stability of a solid design. The ramps provide shorter seat timing than all but the most aggressive race solids, but feature a special closing section to eliminate excessive noise.
2. Solid Versus Hydraulic Flat Tappet
| Why solid | no hydraulic lifter means no pump-up at high rpm and no bleed-down. The lobe can be more aggressive and the valvetrain more stable where a hydraulic flat tappet would already be floating. |
| The cost | valve lash. It has to be set correctly on installation and checked as part of maintenance, and it will change as the engine settles. |
| Noise | a solid lifter ticks. The Xtreme Energy Solid closing ramp is designed to keep that under control, but it is still a solid cam. |
| Where it stops making sense | if the goal is high rpm with low maintenance, a solid roller or a hydraulic roller is usually the better modern answer. A solid flat tappet is the right pick for a period-correct race build or a combination already built around one. |
3. Break-In Rules Have Not Changed
A solid flat tappet is still a flat tappet. All flat tappet cams require a break-in oil that already carries a high zinc package, and they require a more extensive break-in process.
| ZDDP | a zinc break-in oil for the first run and a zinc-bearing oil afterward. Butler recommends an oil formulated with the zinc in it, not a bottle of additive poured into ordinary oil. This is not optional on a flat tappet Pontiac. |
| Break-in spring pressure | use the correct seat pressure for break-in rather than the final race springs, then change over once the cam is in. |
| New lifters | a new solid cam gets new solid lifters. A used lifter face will not match a new lobe. |
| Set the lash cold and recheck it hot | then recheck after the break-in run and after the first few heat cycles. |
Flat Tappet Cam & Lifter Warranty Notice
Due to so many variable that can affect flat tappet cam and lifter life from break-in and beyond Flat tappet cams are subject to manufacturer’s warranty ONLY. This is due to stringent break-in procedures that must be followed (including removing inner springs for break-in), rocker ratio, the special oils/additives required, lifter bore inconsistencies of size and angle in stock blocks, issues of lifter bore wear and oil bleed off on 40-50 year old Pontiac blocks and so many other variables that can affect cam/lifter life both right from the point of break-in as well as durability after break-in. Keep in mind that just because an engine “ran for 40 years with the stock flat tappet cam and lifters” doesn’t mean that a more aggressive cam that also requires new, stronger springs will have the same life. Or even make it through break in. Block/Lifter bore issues are magnified once you change cams, springs and/or rocker ratio.
If you have an issue with a flat tappet cam/lifters and you believe it’s a warrantable issue then Butler Performance will return the cam to COMP/Lunati/Melling for inspection and any warranty/replacement will be at their discretion. We do not warranty flat tappet cams in any way past the manufacturer’s warranty. We do not warranty any parts damaged by or parts needed to replace a flat tappet cam/lifters including any labor involved.
BUTLER PERFORMANCE HIGHLY RECOMMENDS UPGRADING TO HYDRAULIC ROLLER CAMS.
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Email our tech team at tech@butlerperformance.com. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.