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A new application for the use of aluminum powder metallurgy in automotive engines has been developed. The dual overhead cam Northstar engine which began production in the 1993 model year uses aluminum metal powder for the camshaft bearing caps in the cylinder head assembly. The material was chosen because it offered the opportunity to eliminate both the machining operations and the capital required for the machines when compared to traditional die cast bearing caps. Tolerances for the P/M cap were essentially the same as those for traditional machining operations, and from a functional perspective, they performed equally as well as the die cast parts. Cam bearing caps for overhead cam engines are typically made as high pressure aluminum die castings which are subsequently machined to provide flat mating surfaces, bolt holes, and many other features.