early heads on roller LA?

I'm planning on something similar. Best I've been able to find out is the heads will work fine on the block. I think you need to use 5/16" pushrods, & double check for interference in the pushrod holes in the heads, clearance if necessary. As far as I can remember I've never been able to get a definite answer about stopping the oiling through the pushrods but it seems that pushrods with "solid" ends (no oiling holes) should do the trick. The rest of the valve train will oil normally through the deck like any LA engine. I considered letting it oil both through the deck and the pushrods but I think this would needlessly send extra oil to the top of the motor where it would just have farther to go to get back to the pan. Make sure your roller cam has a long snout if you want to run a mechanical fuel pump or there is a bolt on extension for this if you have the short snout. Not sure about the rpm range of the factory roller lifters but think I have read of peolpe taking them to 6500. Don't know how aggressive a cam can be used with them, but would think the roller portion could handle it. Probably the biggest problem would whether or not the hydraulic portion can handle the pressure of the valve springs needed for the cam. Hopefully somebody here will fill us both in.


Looks like I type too slow............:-D