You will need a dipper on the bottom bolt of the connecting rod to sling oil up if trying to convert it to horizontal. I did this in highschool with all the engines I had laying around. Ive never seen a plastic cam that's crazy. I have a horizontal shaft engine off of a pressure washer but it's one of the newer ohv ones. I'm going to power an alternator with it for a small generator. The IC engines are way better though. Ball bearing shafts cast iron sleeves. They last indefinitely.