Can you use stock rockers with aftermarket aluminum heads?

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Heywodja

Heywodja

The Heartbeat Stops Here
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Does anyone know if you can use stock stamped rockers with any of the big block aftermarket CNC aluminum heads such as stealths, edelbrocks or trickflow?
 
If ur spending the coin on CNC alum heads it doesn’t even make any sense to even think of using stamped rockers. As u will need a decent lift cam to take advantage of the heads. Kim
 
Yes but to a point as noted. You'll need to look at some flow numbers, the cam your going to use and make a decision. Rocker geometry also comes into play, these are not production heads, valve stem heights can be taller or shorter and shaft pedestals can be relocated and shorter or taller than stock.
 
Stamped rockers = less accuracy and precision for valve movement. Not to mention I believe if you upgraded “later” you’d be buying pushrods again.. It sucks but wait until you have the coin and buy nice stuff...
 
Ok, thanks. I wanted to verify whether they were compatible, even at a basic level. It would not make much sense to run them with stock rockers, but isn't there no shortage of crappy aftermarket rockers being run on engines equipped with these types of heads? And the crappy rockers by themselves seem to cause more damage than the stamped rockers in stock and modified engines?
I guess I just wanted to know how far from stock the aftermarket had evolved, I can see some obvious changes such as port shapes runners etc, and even some which require aftermarket valve trains. But then again I have buddies slapping .500+ inch lift cams in their stud mounted rockers and they do it without any fear and usually end up running the hell out of stuff with no catastrophes, just sayin.
 
Yes you can.

Spring pressures are the issue. If this is with the XE268H, you should not have an issue with the hyd cam spring in most of those choices.
 
crackedback said:
Yes you can.

Spring pressures are the issue. If this is with the XE268H, you should not have an issue with the hyd cam spring in most of those choices.
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Thanks for all the replies!

That is the cam I plan on using,
There are many more options today than when I started this project.
 
Stamped rockers have a lot less than 1.5 ratio, more like 1.4 so ur cam is even smaller. Then u r absolutely waisting a set of cnc alumn heads. Kim
 
oldkimmer said:
Stamped rockers have a lot less than 1.5 ratio, more like 1.4 so ur cam is even smaller. Then u r absolutely waisting a set of cnc alumn heads. Kim
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I actually agree and will probably decide on a non cnc version of one of the aluminum heads.
 
Your spending your good money on aluminum heads why would you ever want to put factory crappy rockers on them..
 
stroked340 said:
Your spending your good money on aluminum heads why would you ever want to put factory crappy rockers on them..
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I believe he got the point, no need in being an a$$, humble your self a bit !! omg ! negative Nancy got to throw rocks at members just for asking a question .... My day ! so there you have it in a nut shell :rofl:
 
memike said:
I believe he got the point, no need in being an a$$, humble your self a bit !! omg ! negative Nancy got to throw rocks at members just for asking a question .... My day ! so there you have it in a nut shell :rofl:
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Don't believe I was talking to YOU..HE asked a question just responding to it..move on:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
Just a suggestion
to take maximum advantage of aluminum heads, you might want to try 2 things
1) lotsa cylinder pressure
2) lotsa dwell time at high lift

I wouldn't "settle" for a 268 cam, that might have only 218@.050...there are "better". Cams in the 268 to 276 range make great street cams in a Hi-compression 360, making gobs of low-rpm torque, and properly sprung, will rev willingly to way past what you might expect......but they don't "have" to on account of the fat midrange, that the higher cylinder pressure brings.
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To those ends I highly recommend; cylinder pressure up around 190,with Q down about .034,with oiling mods to spend lotsa time in the 6000 to 7000 zone, with 1.6 rockers, and tappet lift more than .550.
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On the third iteration,I ended up with a 367 along these lines, for a 4-speed car with 3.55s. At 3467#, it went 93mph in the 1/8th, yet will idle down to 550 if you set it right. It will break 295s loose at 50 in second gear. You can play at drifting, in first gear, to any speed up to about 40mph, after which you better be good at it. This is with a 276/286/110 (230/236@.050)
I couldn't be happier..............................................
But my next cam will be a solid,a touch smaller advertised/ a touch bigger .050,and I will try a tighter LSA; I'm thinking 273/279/104, and I'd be hoping for 235/241 @.050. ..At 10.9 Scr,that should be a ripper!...188ish psi
I ran 185 on 87E10, so..........guess what I'll be trying again,lol.
 
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Heywodja said:
Does anyone know if you can use stock stamped rockers with any of the big block aftermarket CNC aluminum heads such as stealths, edelbrocks or trickflow?
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Yes you can use stock rocker arms with aftermarket CNC ported heads. You can also eat your lunch off the floor, wash your hair with gasoline, tell your wife she is fat, and crawl into the lion exhibit at the zoo. These are all things you can do.
 
AndyF said:
Yes you can use stock rocker arms with aftermarket CNC ported heads. You can also eat your lunch off the floor, wash your hair with gasoline, tell your wife she is fat, and crawl into the lion exhibit at the zoo. These are all things you can do.
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I did one of those.......10 years ago.........and my sex-life has never been the same since. July 2007
Well I actually didn't call her fat.
What I said was " Honey, I'm a little concerned about your weight-gain."
And just like that; POW!, I found myself in a war-zone.
What I had wanted to talk about was that two of her five sisters, at about the same age, got fat, fell down,broke hips, went to the hospital and expired shortly afterwards.And her mum too. Soooo, of course I was concerned. She was only 50. But she never gave me a chance...........
So yeah, you can do that.... but a strongly advise not too. I got no second chance.
Oh gees , the 11th anniversary is coming up.....................
 
Ok Stock valve train is in, I had a couple valves touching the tops of the pistons so I put the rockers in a vise and gently persuaded them until I had no valve to piston contact..’ adjustable stamped steel,rockers sweet!
 
AndyF said:
Yes you can use stock rocker arms with aftermarket CNC ported heads. You can also eat your lunch off the floor, wash your hair with gasoline, tell your wife she is fat, and crawl into the lion exhibit at the zoo. These are all things you can do.
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Well, I've done 3 out of 4 of those things but even I am smart enough not to use stamped rockers!
 
Heywodja said:
Ok Stock valve train is in, I had a couple valves touching the tops of the pistons so I put the rockers in a vise and gently persuaded them until I had no valve to piston contact..’ adjustable stamped steel,rockers sweet!
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I suddenly feel my left leg being stretched about 3". Stop pulling, stop pulling! It's too painful!

Of course with these you wouldn't need the vise..............

adjustable stamped rockers 001.jpg
 
Those must be for a hemi or a minivan.
I remeber that they made some some kinda special for a 440 hemi, maybe even a one off factory experimental!
I wonder is they come in 2.5:1
 
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