That said, one might be tempted to put a new, longer-stroke crank in there too.

This fellow has some good perspectives on piston speed:

http://vette.ohioracing.com/majmods.html

I wouldn't do anything till I found out why the oil pressure failed. Is there a critical issue for making sure the oil pump drive is secure , that isn't readily apparent ? Seems likely that the bearing that spun was probably fed by the crank journal farthest from the oil pump along the gallery; I'd check those two rods first.

 

 

The bearing that spun on my car was caused by metal particles. There were rather large gouges in it. So there is one scenario. However, I do not believe this was the result of careless install. I have reason to believe that the bearing was in trouble before that. My eveidence for this is that I had been hearing a noise at highway speeds. This noise I attributed to tire noise. It wasn't a knocking sound, more typical of a front tire cupping. Well, since getting the car back, that sound isn't there anymore. Hmmm. So I think it was getting ready to go anyway. Then, after about 200 miles on the new cam I decided to downshift from fourth to second and open it up. I would highly recommend driving the car after install very conservatively for 200-500 miles, change the oil and check for metal shavings before going over 5000 rpms.

I believe it is like this...Those of us that decide to put the Hotcam in our cars also tend to like drive, shall we say, in a "spirited" fashion. So, by the time we get around to pulling the trigger on a new cam, these bearings have already had some wear and tear. We put the cam in, and in our haste to enjoy the benfit, put even more demand on a worn out part, and they give out. Even if we don't get on it before that crucial first oil change, that new cam is giving more lift, thus more compression, thus greater force on the rod and bearing. This is a lesson learned in the review mirror so to speak.