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Flat Tappet Cams
Pontiac V8 Flat Tappet Cams
The Original Valvetrain — Flat Tappet Cams for Pontiac V8s
Flat tappet is what every Pontiac V8 left the factory with, and it is still the right answer for a stock rebuild, a period-correct restoration and plenty of street builds. The lifter rides directly on the lobe, which keeps the parts count and the cost down but makes break-in a real procedure rather than a formality.
Butler stocks three families here: COMP Cams Xtreme Energy book grinds, Butler's own Hi-Torq hydraulic flat tappet grinds, and the Ram Air Series factory reproductions of the 067, 068, 744 and 041 cams, with Melling reproductions alongside them. Cams, cam and lifter kits and master kits are all available.
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More About Flat Tappet Cams
1. Break-In Is Not Optional
This is the single most important thing on the page, and Butler puts it on every flat tappet product: all flat tappet cams require break-in oil and the use of oil additives, and they require a more extensive break-in process than a roller cam does.
| ZDDP | modern API oils have had the zinc and phosphorus reduced to protect catalytic converters. A flat tappet lobe and lifter face need that anti-wear package. Use a break-in oil or an additive, and keep a ZDDP-bearing oil in it afterward. |
| Spring pressure for break-in | the seat pressure that is right for the finished engine can be too much for a fresh lobe and lifter to survive the first twenty minutes. Break the cam in on the correct pressure for break-in, then go to the final springs. |
| New lifters with a new cam | a used lifter has already worn a pattern into its face. Pair a new cam with new lifters, every time. |
| The break-in run itself | varied rpm above idle for the first twenty minutes, not a long idle, with cooling and timing sorted before it fires. |
2. The Three Families Butler Stocks
| COMP Cams Xtreme Energy book grinds | the XE256H through XE294H ladder on 110 lobe separation, each with a published rpm range. The default answer for a street Pontiac that wants more than stock. |
| Butler Hi-Torq hydraulic flat tappet | Butler/Comp grinds from 250/260 up to 284/296 advertised, all on 112 lobe separation. The wider separation is the point, and it changes how the same duration behaves. |
| Ram Air Series reproductions | Butler exclusive Comp grinds of the factory 067, 068, Ram Air III 744 and Ram Air IV 041 profiles, plus Melling reproductions of the same cams. For a numbers-correct car or anyone who wants the factory powerband back. |
3. Cam, Lifter Kit or Master Kit
Each family is offered three ways, and the choice is about how much of the top end is already correct.
| Cam only | the camshaft alone. Only right if new lifters and matched springs are already on the bench. |
| Cam and lifter kit | cam plus a matched lifter set, usually the Hy-Lift Johnson 852B made in the USA on the Butler kits. |
| Master kit | adds the timing set, valve springs chosen for your cylinder head type, retainers, locks and valve stem seals, so the whole top end goes together as one designed package. |
If the car will see hard use, high spring pressures or a lot of rpm, ask whether a retrofit hydraulic roller is the better long-term answer before committing to a flat tappet.
Hi-Torq Hydraulic Flat Tappet Cams and Cam Kits
Not sure what your Pontiac needs?
Call our tech team at 866-762-7527. Tell us your engine, heads, car, and power goal, and we will put the parts together as one combination that works.