440Source Solid Roller Lifters

[mopowers]

Does anyone have any first hand experience with the solid roller lifters offered by 440 source? If so, what are your thoughts?

Solid Roller Lifters - Set of 16

 

[MOPARMAGA]

Does anyone have any first hand experience with the solid roller lifters offered by 440 source? If so, what are your thoughts?

Solid Roller Lifters - Set of 16

Interesting, I did not know they had such a thing.

 

[Kern Dog]

I want to like and support these guys since they try to offer stuff at fair prices.
I am apprehensive though. I worry about how the cheap prices are glowing RED warning signs that the part will not be durable. It would be one thing if I were a racer and if a lifter crapped out during an event and I had to put the car on the trailer. It is quite another for the guy that drives his car hundreds of miles from home. A breakdown on a road trip screws up everything.

 

[RustyRatRod]

If you go by price, the 440 Source ones are probably pretty decent. lol

LIFTERS

 

[mopowers]

I don't like that the use needle bearings and do not have direct oiling. I'm curious if any has actually used them.

 

[Kern Dog]

If you go by price, the 440 Source ones are probably pretty decent. lol

LIFTERS

Hmmm. Made in China or India?

 

[RustyRatRod]

Hmmm. Made in China or India?

View attachment 1716420769

Just like 440 Source.

 

[Kern Dog]

All jokes aside, I don't know if India would be any better than China.

 

[Bewy]

They do NOT need direct oiling if they are needle brg. A sales gimmick. It is an engineering fact that ball & roller brgs survive on minimum lubrication [ think: wheel brgs, U joints ].

I would only buy top brand roller lifters. That is because if they fail, the cost to repair the damage they could cause....will faaaaar outweigh the cost of good versus best quality lifters.

 

[Master of Mopars]

The direct oiling is an effort to remove heat, rather than lubrication.

 

[MOPAROFFICIAL]

I don't like that the use needle bearings and do not have direct oiling. I'm curious if any has actually used them.

Needle bearings aren't necessarily a red flag. Morels are really good quality lifter, and their street solid roller lifters use needle bearings and are very streetable and durable, I've run them before and never had one fail. And I even ran them a little high on the spring pressures than they recommend.
But just like with Harlan sharp rockers which use needle bearings, not all bearings are equal. If the race is not hard enough.. those rollers will eat through it. But think about this.. we're talking about a roller wheel which is absolutely harder material then a rocker bearing race.. and lives just fine rolling on a Billet lobe

 

[Master of Mopars]

Does anyone have any first hand experience with the solid roller lifters offered by 440 source? If so, what are your thoughts?

Solid Roller Lifters - Set of 16

Call them.. ask all the big questions...

 

[Icetech]

.800 wheel at least

 

[GTX JOHN]

Roller lifters are the most common failure on our Superstock
and high HP bracket stuff. When these fail it is EXPENSIVE and
often destroys the cam and circulates metal everywhere!!

For a street car, perhaps I "might" try these but not in the kind of
spring pressures we run on a Drag Racing car.

 

[BSB67]

I don’t hate China stuff. I have a value priced connecting rods and crank in my motor.

However, I would never never never ever put low cost roller lifters in any motor, or any low cost valve train components.

 

[mygasser]

the chinese can make any parts equal to the best out there, we know that. the issues arise when 'retailers' around the world get them to make those parts to a price not to a quality. that's just to maximise the retailer's profit. then the consumer's (car guys in our case) moan about the quality of chinese parts.
neil.

 

[RustyRatRod]

I don’t hate China stuff. I have a value priced connecting rods and crank in my motor.

However, I would never never never ever put low cost roller lifters in any motor, or any low cost valve train components.

Neither do I. We don't have a choice. Scat, Eagle, Molnar.....all made in China. Unless you can afford Bryant, Callies or the like, those are your choices. I remember I think it was Eagle that had the crank breaking trouble right at the first throw, so I wouldn't use those. But I've not heard or read anything bad about Scat or Molnar.

 

[MMissile]

 

[BSB67]

the chinese can make any parts equal to the best out there, we know that. the issues arise when 'retailers' around the world get them to make those parts to a price not to a quality. that's just to maximise the retailer's profit. then the consumer's (car guys in our case) moan about the quality of chinese parts.
neil.

Exactly, don’t fear Chinese parts. Fear cheap (inexpensive) parts.

 

[mopowers]

Out of curiosity, I gave 440source a call today. Sounds like these lifters have only been out for a few months, but they've already sold a number of sets. A lot of them sold to drag and drive guys apparently.

The guy I talked to seemed very knowledgeable and mentioned that he plans on running a set on a stroked BB build soon. He said he'd run them with a hydraulic roller cam with tight lash. Not sure I'd use them quite yet, but it's interesting none the less.

 

[jos51700]

Exactly, don’t fear Chinese parts. Fear cheap (inexpensive) parts.

The problem with Chinese parts is the consistency, not the quality. You never know what they'll try to sneak through when the round eye isn't watching

 

[jos51700]

Harley uses needle bearing roller lifters in their OEM motors and I never saw any fail in a decade of working on them. Those are not race profiles or race RPM, but they lasted 100k easily. Longer than their timing chains for sure.

That said, I won't build another motor with flat tappets. Any recommendations on a set of big block hydraulic roller lifters is appreciated.

 

[1WildRT]

If I want to pinch pennies on valvetrain I'll run flat tappets & take my chances... If I decide to run rollers I'm not gonna cut corners... Wrong place to cut corners...

 

[BSB67]

The problem with Chinese parts is the consistency, not the quality. You never know what they'll try to sneak through when the round eye isn't watching

Consistently is a subset quality/quality control.

The problem with Chinese parts, in the realm of our hobby, is that most of it is cheap. Why? Because we are cheap, not because it’s from China. If you pay the same price for something made here, it will be cheap too.

It is not a conspiracy. It is the natural business progression when making old, low volume antiquated parts and selling to retail consumers.

The good news is that there are still good rollers lifters out there for us. They are not $400.

I’m with 1wildRT. I’d gamble on a SFT verses a low cost roller set up.

 

[PROSTOCKTOM]

For what it's worth the T&D rockers on Matt Hartford's Pro Stock engine in the video below has needle bearings in it.

Now the valve springs they run are 550# on the seat and probably around 1600# open pressure.

I've had a set of Comp Cams 829's in my 499" RB for 10 years and while I do inspect them every few years I've never had an issue with them.

The next set I plan to buy will be Isky, and only because I have a friend that has a sponsorship deal with them.

Personally, I wouldn't use a set of 440 Source lifters because it's just not worth taking a chance on them.

Just remember: The bitterness of poor quality linger on long after the joy of a low price.

Tom