Those that installed Twiggys or Integrals, need some help...

[Installshield 2]

I recently bought a set of unused Twiggy NA cams from another member...everything with them seems to be in perfect order, and as it should be...he did include the 'welsh' plugs for the cams also, which is where i need some assistance...

the internet is full of BS related to these things...so much so that i can't seem to find any noncontradictive (i think thats a word?) information about installing them...or even what the hell they do exactly...Even the correct name for them is impossible to find (some say welsh, some welch, some press plugs, some freeze plugs, etc.)..

So first...and i'm only assuming Integrals have the same design as they're based on twiggys...How do you press these in properly?...I'm talking about the small brass plug that fits into the cam shaft's end...opposite the cam gear end...The cams are nearly hollow all the way through, other than the threaded end for the cam gear bolt (which dead ends in there)...and this hollow space travels to every single journal the cam rides on...just as the stock cams...

I've tried freezing the plugs (it was -2*F here last night) and tapping them in with a small washer for pressure distribution, and an appropriate socket...with the cam firmly on a vice, even full blown wacking that socket with a hammer...absolutely nothing...I could easily pick it out with my finger, and am starting to worry about the plug as its simply gouging up its outer section...

I've narrowed it down to a strong assumption they need to be in there for using the cams in the engine (and are removed for machining purposes if you have the cam reground or something)...so i'm not going to just say F it, and not use them...but other than a big old hammer and various hardware...i can't really see how its supposed to get seated...it would be extremely hard to get these in a press or something, the pin is on the other end of the cam...and most presses don't extend enough to fit a whole cam in there to begin with...

any ideas? thanks.

 

[Installshield 2]

So, i just worked a little more with it...and i'm totally lost haha.

I heated up the cam end a little with some flame, only slightly too hot to touch with bare hands, nothing extreme...then tried another plug that was sitting outside for a while...

I put the washer on, tapped it in...with much less resistance than before, the plug worked its way into the bore...and left only a very slight little lip to prevent from going any farther into the hole...but...its not tight, at all...it just sits there, i can pick it out with a finger...and if the cam is turned flat like it would sit in the head, the plug just falls out...

So I'm going to look into some alternatives, because these plugs at least...aren't going to work properly...I'm thinking i could slightly tap some thread into the hole, and plug it with a very shallow bolt and some lock tite...or maybe skip that, and try quick steel or something to just seal it off (which could be drilled out in the future if need be anyway)...

honestly, i can't see why a big glob of RTV gently pressed into that hole and allowed a few days to cure...wouldn't accomplish the same thing as a brass plug...it can't be under much pressure from oil, the temps would be no more extreme than a simple valve cover gasket would be under...and I use the same stuff for that?

I guess i'm more worried about whatever goes in there...falling out..and clogging a jacket or something...

Also, for the record...the stock cams have a ball shaped detent in there...not a brass plug...I have yet to see a picture of a plug like this installed in a cam, and i'm starting to think i'm missing something very obvious...like these were never supposed to go there haha...

 

[Maxx Mazda]

I thought there were two versions of the plugs? My integral stage 3's don't have this piece. I believe they are solid right through.

Make sure to check the cam bearing journal clearance. Iirc the twiggys had to be machined or else they would crack in half upon installation.

 

[Installshield 2]

Its cool man, I just used a thing layer of quicksteel, and pressed them in with the same socket...then put a small amount over the plug once installed...let it cure for 24 hours, and from what i can tell that plug isn't going anywhere...

you're right about some twiggys...the first batch from the group buy had an incorrect thrust journal (the first journal on the pin side of the cam)..When i bought mine i got the info from the original person who bought them in the GB, and he entered it late...and received cams from the second batch...which were all corrected before shipment...checked the journals the day i got them, all perfect...

I installed them last night...went fine...but i'm thinking i might be a tooth off, despite having to redo the belt like 20 times...I was expecting a bumpy idle, and this is considerably bumpy haha...but it often stalls when i lift the throttle after warmed up, and this morning after a quick drive it stalled at an intersection...restarted immediately, but left the engine light on...

I have the gears on too, just left that at neutral for break in...