Ask any serious engine builder what keeps them up at night, and valvetrain stability is probably high on the list. A shaky valvetrain can kill power, or worse, kill an entire engine. Callies Performance Products knows this, and they’re tackling the problem head-on by bringing their entire manufacturing process for cores and finished camshafts in-house.

From Raw Steel to Final Grind Under One Roof

For years, getting a camshaft often felt like a game of telephone. The core might come from one supplier, the grinding from another, and the heat treatment from a third party. Every handoff was a chance for something to go wrong. Callies is ending that by controlling every step of the process. They use top-tier Landis CNC grinders to shape the lobes and verify every single one with hyper-accurate Adcole and Jenoptik inspection equipment. This means the cam an engine builder specs out is the exact cam they get, whether it’s for a 6.0-liter Power Stroke, a big-block Chevy, a modern Gen-III Hemi, or a 7.3-liter Godzilla. That level of control is a huge deal when you’re chasing repeatable performance and don’t have time for surprises.

Torture Testing Camshafts With A Spintron

So how do you know a new, aggressive lobe profile won’t toss a lifter out of the bore at 9,000 rpm? You test it, hard. Callies’ Cam Research Lab uses a Spintron to do just that, spinning a complete valvetrain—cam, lifters, springs, and all — up to a screaming 11,000 rpm to hunt for problems before they happen in a customer’s engine. This high-tech machine lets their engineers see everything in minute detail, identifying issues like valve float or valvetrain instability that could lead to catastrophic failure on the track or the street. It’s an obsession with durability that goes far beyond just designing for peak horsepower numbers.

Callies’ Ground Camshafts and Cores

Callies knows that a Sunday bracket car doesn’t need the same material as a Pro Mod engine. That’s why their VTG (Valve Train Group) brand of finished cams is built on a foundation of different materials tailored for specific jobs. Their Indurocore line, made from tough 1050 or 4150 steel, is the go-to for high-performance street cars and many racing builds. When spring pressures and engine speeds climb, the Carbocore line, made from hardened 8620 steel, provides the next level of strength. And for the all-out, money-is-no-object builds, their Titan Tool Steel is the top dog, offering maximum durability for the most extreme applications. This range ensures builders can select the right foundation when ordering custom cores and ground camshafts.

More Than Just a Camshaft

What Callies is really selling here isn’t just a part; it’s confidence. By controlling everything from the raw metallurgy in their lab to the final grind and inspection, they are removing the guesswork and uncertainty that can plague an engine build. Professional builders and even hobbyists can now focus on what they do best: assembling, tuning, and making power, knowing they have a solid and reliable foundation for their engine. You can find the current complete listing of Callies camshafts here.