LA 360 drop in roller lifters

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Gearhed73

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Hola. Currently in process of doing having some port work done on my speedmaster heads. I have been running a hydraulic flat tappet up until now. Have decided to bite the bullet and run a roller cam. Just looking for some recommendations for the guys who have been here. Leaning towards the solid side of the house. The pic is just to give you something to look at
z8.jpg
 
Check out Competition Products in Wisconsin they have hyd & solid roller lifters
machined and assembled in US and prices are pretty good
lifters are Howards brand which is a old company opened in 1945 I want to say,
They have some really nice camshafts also.
 
I just bought Comp sol roller lifters for a 440. They look well made, plus Comp used the larger 0.800" wheel [ that suits Mopar ], not the smaller 700 or 750 wheel for Chebbies where they probably would have saved money. These lifters are bushed, not needle roller.
In my opinion, it pays to buy brand name roller lifters because of the high stress loading they experience. It does not guarantee against failure but probably less likely than the 'plain' box lifters.
 
I've been using comp 8043-16 solid roller lifters for my mag block. So far so good. Lots of passes and a couple thousand street miles at the Last engine tear down they still looked new.
 
While I agree the bigger roller is better, consider this. From a .700 roller to an .800 roller we all understand is .100" difference. From the pinion center to the outside surface, that's only a .050" difference. Now, stack .050" up on a feeler gauge and ask yourself if it's worth "that much" more money for the bigger rollers for what "YOU" are doing.
 
I will tell you this. Install the roller lifters before you install the heads! Or you will be pulling the heads back off to install them. I made that mistake.
 
I put these in my current 422 SBM build. 3316SB SMALL BLOCK CHRYSLER
Had to clearance the valley for #7 cylinder. They only have the dreaded .700” wheel but they look pretty nice to me. Can’t say anything about longevity as the build is not complete yet. Springs are approximately 200/500#.
 
While I agree the bigger roller is better, consider this. From a .700 roller to an .800 roller we all understand is .100" difference. From the pinion center to the outside surface, that's only a .050" difference. Now, stack .050" up on a feeler gauge and ask yourself if it's worth "that much" more money for the bigger rollers for what "YOU" are doing.
If you did the math or could measure the loads involve in the upper rpm ranges that these engines see, I bet you'd be surprised in the difference the roller diameter and can make. I'm not going to attempt the math, but I am betting it is not a linear relationship.
 
If you did the math or could measure the loads involve in the upper rpm ranges that these engines see, I bet you'd be surprised in the difference the roller diameter and can make. I'm not going to attempt the math, but I am betting it is not a linear relationship.

I'm sure it's not, but my point was, unless he's going for all out power and race and blah blah blah, he probably doesn't need the bigger rollers.

But then, I'm tainted I guess. I look at everything though budget glasses. If I don't really need something and cannot justify it, it doesn't make it on my project. It's a habit I wish I didn't have to have.
 
I will tell you this. Install the roller lifters before you install the heads! Or you will be pulling the heads back off to install them. I made that mistake.
Yes sir - those LA blocks sometimes need to be clearanced a little before sealing up
 
The larger 0.800" rollers were not extra $$. That is how they come. There are a couple of benefits with a bigger roller.
- more contact area at the lobe/roller interface, hopefully less wear
- bigger roller turns slower, so the roller bush makes less turns on it's shaft, reducing long term wear.
 
i'm using the hughes rollers , so far no problems . only have about 8000 miles on them so no idea how long they will live . they fit with no grinding . this is not a recommendation as i'm no expert , leave that to others
 
Stock hydraulic roller lifters from a 5.2/5.9 are a junk yard item.

...and don't normally wear out.
 
The larger 0.800" rollers were not extra $$. That is how they come. There are a couple of benefits with a bigger roller.
- more contact area at the lobe/roller interface, hopefully less wear
- bigger roller turns slower, so the roller bush makes less turns on it's shaft, reducing long term wear.


And the bigger wheel allows more spring load. There is no reason to not use a bigger wheel. That’s why the GM guys pay to go to the .904 lifter rather than the junky .842’s they came with.

From BAM directly...an .842 lifter has its limits at about 300 pounds on the seat. A .904 lifter with needle bearings are good to 360-370 on the seat. The bronze bushed .904’s are good to 420 on the seat, and the steel bushed lifters are good to some unreal number I can’t remember. I want to say it was 460.

A bigger wheel is more durable. Every time.
 
Has the oil pressure bleed off issue been resolved or is it still a crap shoot with the size of the lifter bore chamfer?
 
The larger 0.800" rollers were not extra $$. That is how they come. There are a couple of benefits with a bigger roller.
- more contact area at the lobe/roller interface, hopefully less wear
- bigger roller turns slower, so the roller bush makes less turns on it's shaft, reducing long term wear.

Show me a link to where they are the same cost as .700 rollers. And I'm not talking about the same 1000 dollar price tag, either.
 
I use Morell street solid rollers with a .750 wheel. The goal is to run the spring pressure you need...

What are you doing?
Gassers are using 250 seat 550 open turning 7500 rpm....what are you doing?
Street can run much less, like 180-200seat and 450ish open. I run 200/480lbs

Your money, pick your parts.
Many dealers in every brand. Find the best deal and go for it. Dont let others dress you.
 
Yes, but I would want pressurized oil to the axle bushing. So there has to be some oil band/port.
 
I use Morell street solid rollers with a .750 wheel. The goal is to run the spring pressure you need...

What are you doing?
Gassers are using 250 seat 550 open turning 7500 rpm....what are you doing?
Street can run much less, like 180-200seat and 450ish open. I run 200/480lbs

Your money, pick your parts.
Many dealers in every brand. Find the best deal and go for it. Dont let others dress you.

That made me laugh. Made me think of the shirts way back in school that said "You're ugly and your mother dresses you funny" LOL
 
Yes, but I would want pressurized oil to the axle bushing. So there has to be some oil band/port.

The simple solution there is to bush the lifter bores. Simple, but co$tly.
 
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I put these in my current 422 SBM build. 3316SB SMALL BLOCK CHRYSLER
Had to clearance the valley for #7 cylinder. They only have the dreaded .700” wheel but they look pretty nice to me. Can’t say anything about longevity as the build is not complete yet. Springs are approximately 200/500#.


Same lifters, close to the same spring load. 180/465#. Don't have more than a few hours of run time and 50mi on them so far, but they inspected fine, I didn't notice any defects when I looked them over.

But I did pay much less than Johnson lists in their site. I bought mine as rebranded scorpions and they were listed as closeout when scorpion got out of the market.

Scorpion by Johnson Racing Lifters-Competition Products
 
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