What solid roller lifters are you running in your LA non roller block

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lomchivok

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Lots of folks having issues with hydraulic roller lifters rattling, collapsing and bleeding down too fast in their LA flat tappet designed small block...mine included.

The issue with my 408 is not the oil band coming exposed at high lift but more of the inner piston to inner bore wear causing excessive leak down over time...probably due to the excessive side load the push rod angle imparts to the lifter. I'm on my third set of hughes retros...thank god I only had to pay for 1 set.

What brand/ part number solid rollers are you guys running in your non roller LA? Are the lifter bores bushed or not? Did you have to grind the block for link bar clearance?

This topic could help many in their search for a fix for the hydraulic roller issues I/they, am/are having.
 
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Oh yes, I had to grind clearance for the link bars. I also found out the hard way that you can not install these roller lifters with IndyBrock aluminum heads bolted on.
 
I'd order Crane Pro Series or call the guy on here who works for Crower and order their lifters that have an .810 or bigger diameter wheel in full solid. Lash your valves at .002 cold and run it.

I no longer tell anyone to use hydraulic rollers on anything. You have to live with the noise anyway, might was well use solids and be done.

You should lash the valves every 6-7000 miles until you see them not moving then you can bump it to 10k unless they get noisy.
 
BAM Pro solids.(the old MRL lifter) .815 roller with internal oiling. Those Comp 828's are splash oiled. I have run the BAM's in 3 engines now and they have been rock solid. Current engine does have lifter bores bushed, but i have run them in a bone stock block twice.

they are kind of pricey but I don't think you should try and save money anywhere in the valve train. I run fairly high spring pressure so I don't want to have to even THINK about my lifters. I can't see how any lifter could be any better, money aside.

When I ran Indy/RHS heads, I could sneak them in and out with heads on, but not with Edelbrocks. No block grinding needed. In most cases.
 
I was talking to Bill at RAM Racing Engines and he also strongly recommends the BAM solid roller lifters with a bushed block.
 
so if they have straight link bars you can clearance the block for them to fit?
 
Lots of folks having issues with hydraulic roller lifters rattling, collapsing and bleeding down too fast in their LA flat tappet designed small block...mine included.

The issue with my 408 is not the oil band coming exposed at high lift but more of the inner piston to inner bore wear causing excessive leak down over time...probably due to the excessive side load the push rod angle imparts to the lifter. I'm on my third set of hughes retros...thank god I only had to pay for 1 set.

What brand/ part number solid rollers are you guys running in your non roller LA? Are the lifter bores bushed or not? Did you have to grind the block for link bar clearance?

This topic could help many in their search for a fix for the hydraulic roller issues I/they, am/are having.
 
Lots of folks having issues with hydraulic roller lifters rattling, collapsing and bleeding down too fast in their LA flat tappet designed small block...mine included.

The issue with my 408 is not the oil band coming exposed at high lift but more of the inner piston to inner bore wear causing excessive leak down over time...probably due to the excessive side load the push rod angle imparts to the lifter. I'm on my third set of hughes retros...thank god I only had to pay for 1 set.

What brand/ part number solid rollers are you guys running in your non roller LA? Are the lifter bores bushed or not? Did you have to grind the block for link bar clearance?

This topic could help many in their search for a fix for the hydraulic roller issues I/they, am/are having.



So what are the symptoms of failing H/R lifters apart from noise issues?
 
So what are the symptoms of failing H/R lifters apart from noise issues?
The lifters don't pump up to where they're supposed to. You lose lift and I notice detonation. If I'm thinking right...the valve opens late and closes early???
 
Run a solid no issues easy to adjust valves you don't have to do often , no need to bush lifter bores ! easy Peasy.. and I run the Hughes retro solid lifter
 
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Morel, street .750 wheel under .600 lift.
Mine were made doug herbert repackage, only they have them now. Morel does a couple street styles ..Low set dumbell and hyd roller body w/wo solid ..that type does not bleed off oil psi. That's the body style I use. Morel 'race and beyond' offers .810 wheels in both solid and hyd..and also offer a hi rpm hyd roller version w/.810 wheel.
If that's not enough...get jiggy and open them up for a .920 wheel 1" body..hehe.

Set5260Pair5259_3_MR.JPG.jpg


Set6072Pair6071_1_MR.JPG.jpg
 
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Can the layperson with a press replace a .750 wheel if it gets scuffed? I have an extra lifter that spun and ground the wheel, it looks like the axle is just pressed in? I know you can send them in for rehab but maybe the wheels are N/A? Id like to sell them as drop ins but not with a scuffed wheel. And I need to find some of those V'd bars.
 
Can the layperson with a press replace a .750 wheel if it gets scuffed? I have an extra lifter that spun and ground the wheel, it looks like the axle is just pressed in? I know you can send them in for rehab but maybe the wheels are N/A? Id like to sell them as drop ins but not with a scuffed wheel. And I need to find some of those V'd bars.

Nope. You have to machine the body for the bigger wheel. It pisses me off the lifter companies are so cheap (or maybe it's just they understand the Chrysler market) that they just don't make every lifter with an .810 wheel. There is no reason not to, other than they use the small wheel like a Chevy to save themselves money but they damn sure don't pass it on.

I'd never buy ANY lifter with a .750 wheel. Ever.
 
Can the layperson with a press replace a .750 wheel if it gets scuffed? I have an extra lifter that spun and ground the wheel, it looks like the axle is just pressed in? I know you can send them in for rehab but maybe the wheels are N/A? Id like to sell them as drop ins but not with a scuffed wheel. And I need to find some of those V'd bars.
New axels,wheels,pins,bars etc...included in rebuild. Lifter body is extra if one/some need replacing. Hyd lifters they do not, tolerance is too strict to simply change inerds.

John Callies, Inc. - Rebuilds
 
If I'm going for it... I'll take a .750 wheel over a solid flat anyday. I'm not intolerant to the point of giving up some hp. To each his own.
 
If I'm going for it... I'll take a .750 wheel over a solid flat anyday. I'm not intolerant to the point of giving up some hp. To each his own.


Not really a performance deal. The smaller wheel was used because that's all they can fit in an .842 body. The Chevy cores and base circles are much smaller than Chrysler stuff. The smaller wheel hits is resonance frequency much quicker. The damage is devastating.

I'd run a FT any day over a .750 wheel. Been there, done that.
 
Not really a performance deal. The smaller wheel was used because that's all they can fit in an .842 body. The Chevy cores and base circles are much smaller than Chrysler stuff. The smaller wheel hits is resonance frequency much quicker. The damage is devastating.

I'd run a FT any day over a .750 wheel. Been there, done that.
Everything has its limit/ceiling, resonance frequency is not something I'm worried about at the level of rpm operated at. After a ton of 6900 shifts the lifters look new. I can believe you had a failure at some point , that you were at such rpm level that the engines internal operating frequency matched your roller wheel frequency... did the body crack ?did the wheel disintegrate? So far the only talk of this phenomenon ... is coming from you. I'd like to hear more specifically as to how, what brand,rpm, app this occured. The lifter body fits a .904 hole, that makes the body a .903 body with .750 wheel. Sbc uses both .750 and .810 wheels. Fitting isnt seemingly an issue. I'm one of those guys that has always heard nightmare stories from people about not to use this or that most of the time I find out the problem was with them and set up, or use beyond the products app. When I do share a failure .. it turns out to be unrelated to their explanation/cause... not 100%...but about 99%.
 
The smaller wheel hits is resonance frequency much quicker. The damage is devastating.
Is this within the wheel/axle itself? Interesting... I would expect a smaller wheel (lighter mass) to have a higher resonant frequency.. unless this is related to the roller rotation speed. Any links to more info on this would be appreciated. Tnx
 
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