Camshafts Explained - The Engines Personality

These are the roller tappets used in 5.0L and 5.8L small-block V-8s.Instead of the bar shown earlier, these guys use a master spider and dogbones to keep the tappets square in the bores.

Camshaft manufacturers ship camshafts with cam cards or sheets with allof the specifications. These specifications tell us everything aboutthis camshaft's personality. Speed-Pro, for example, shows us with agraphic where valve-timing events are.

FE-series big-blocks and 144/170/200/250ci inline-sixes haveshaft-mounted rocker arms like these. This is a 200ci six.

Small-block Fords, 335-series middle-blocks, and 385-series big-blockshave stud/fulcrum-style rocker arms. Some have a stud and ball fulcrumlike this one. Some use a bolt and a fulcrum; the basics are the same.These rocker arms pivot at a single point.