Camshafts: PRV Volvo's and PRV Delorean's, the same?

[Ozzie]

hmmm.....I am wondering.

Are the cams for a Volvo's 2.8 PRV the same as the cams for a DeLorean's PRV? I thought I read somewhere that they "are slightly different", and also since they use a slightly different distributor (looks the same, but different Bosh part number), it really makes me wonder if that is true.

Last year I acquired a pair Volvo PRV heads (same part numbers on castings as the DeLorean heads), and they came with the cams, so am wondering if the cams are interchangeable with our cars, or if they would even be resell-able to the DeLorean community?

[jerzybondov]

The thinking in the UK is that the B28E camshafts are identical to the B28F ones. Ignition dizzy and fuelling gubbins are different though.

[David T]

This begs the question, if the B-28E and B-28F camshafts are the same then what was done to fix the problem that the PRV had with camshafts before the -28F? I was under the impression the camshafts were modified in some way to improve camshaft life for the -28F model. Prior to the -28F model the PRV had a reputation of prematurely wearing out camshafts.
David Teitelbaum

[DMCMW Dave]

This begs the question, if the B-28E and B-28F camshafts are the same then what was done to fix the problem that the PRV had with camshafts before the -28F? .

Nothing documented to base this on but my presumption is that the fix was to improve oiling/resistance to sludge. This would have been a change in the head or rocker arm assembly oil passage design rather than the cam itself. I've had a couple of cars in with worn cams and the root cause problem was not the cam itself.

If the problem was truly "soft cams" (as the old rumor went), the change would a change in the hardening process which wouldn't necessarily be visible or easily measurable.