A Close Look at Speedmaster's Roller Rockers

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Valkman

Valkman

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Hey all I haven’t seen much on this forum or anywhere else for that matter in detail on Speedmasters (Procomp) stainless steal roller rockers. So when I found a set on EBay for $165.00 with a set of measuring pushrods.

Mopar Chrysler SB 318 340 360 1.5 Stainless Steel Roller Rocker Arms W/ Hardware

For that money I figured I’d bite the bullet and see if they are worth a crap.

You can go ahead bash these if want, they're not $800 rockers. I'm posting this if anyone is interested

Here’s what you get:
Rocker1.jpg


Notice it has the steel anchor plates instead of aluminum.

rocker2.jpg


It's not show quality but the finish is not bad, and the adjusters fit tightly.

rocker3.jpg

It has Bronze bushings.

rocker4.jpg

the adjuster accepts a ball type push rod and there's a oil hole through the shaft.

Rocker5.jpg

I had a head lying around so I decided see how well they lined up, and right off the bat I noticed the anchor plates on the ends push the rockers too far in causing them to bind and become off center. But this is nothing a bit grinding on the plate wouldn't fix.
rocker6.jpg


When I removed the anchor it lined up really nice, in fact the roller tip sits just slightly forward of the valve tip, so would think the geometry's not to bad.

Everything move nicely (even the roller tips) with not too much play. I think I'd replace the mounting stud with some grade 8 bolts, they look to be a bit sketchy!

From what I can tell (I'm no expert) these turned out to be better then I thought. With out have any experience using them I'd probably put them on a street motor. Hell there cheaper then what most people ask for 273 rockers.
 
The ad says needle bearings but you got bronze bushed ones? Interesting. There's just one way to find out if they are any good. Be sure to check them at 500 to 1000 miles to see if something is giving out. Our cheap eBay PRW's with needle bearings wore into the shaft in less than 1000 miles; the shafts look to have not been hardened properly.
 
I just sent my 1.6 ratio stainless PRW set back to the engine builder after 5 years and more than 20k miles on a 520 hp stroker , On mine the bushings are shot and the shafts are grooved ,the engine builder was certain he could get PRW to send me a replacement set so I guess we'll see in a week or so if thats going to happen or not .That said you got a killer deal the cheapest I could find a set of the 1.6 ratio ones on Feebay was $412US which is still a great deal compared to PRW's list of $540US .
 
DusTed74 said:
Do you plan on putting these into service any time soon?
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I putting together a build now with a '71 360 block and it's probably going be a 408 with good street manors I'm haven't decided yet. Either way it may be a while till it all comes together. It's all comes down to money and time. Anyone in NC want to help with that (the time part)?
 
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Its been posted elsewhere, that if you buy a set below cost on eBay, they are likely rejects that were sold out the backdoor. Just something to think about.
 
how many wide anchor plates and how many narrow ones do U have? the end anchor plate is usually a narrow 1
 
Marcohotrod said:
how many wide anchor plates and how many narrow ones do U have? the end anchor plate is usually a narrow 1
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There’s 4 wide anchors and 6 narrow one's, so that's the only they'll work
 
Marcohotrod said:
how many wide anchor plates and how many narrow ones do U have? the end anchor plate is usually a narrow 1
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on my rockers, the wide hold downs go in second and fourth saddles. narrows go on ends and middle saddles. I have 273 rockers, Harland sharps, and prw sets.
 
replicaracer43 said:
Its been posted elsewhere, that if you buy a set below cost on eBay, they are likely rejects that were sold out the backdoor. Just something to think about.
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AT Racing World is just another name for Speedmaster AKA Procomp. They have a website AT Racing World I think Speedmaster uses a different names so they can sell things cheaper without diluting there brand. By the way Jegs sells Speedmaster now!
 
perfacar said:
on my rockers, the wide hold downs go in second and fourth saddles. narrows go on ends and middle saddles. I have 273 rockers, Harland sharps, and prw sets.
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That makes sense, I'll take a look at, and that might solve that problem with the spacing. One thing about this kit isnthat it comes with no instructions and I just slapped them on real quick.
 
Have had a set of those on my 73 Duster for about a year and half....was bracket racing it on and off.....used stock eddy heads with stock springs....cam is an older hughes hydraulic with 550/570 lift,,,the bolts were too long so i used a different set....used some .015 and .030 spacers to adjust the alignment....outside of that they have worked great...
 
Problem is,$165.00 rockers can and will cost you more than $165.00 when they Fail! I really don't understand people cheaping out when it comes to rockers? Remember,"Never be afraid to buy the best,you won't be disappointed!" Buy T & D, Jesel or Harland Sharpe.
 
I don't understand your premise that grinding on the end hold down will fix the alignment problem. Unless you intend to shim the opposite side, the rocker will just flop back and forth.
 
You should probably pick up some .010, .015, and .030 shims to limit the side clearance to .015" per pair. I believe regular valve spring shims should work.

BTW- those look JUST like the PRW stainless rockers. Even come with the same pushrod measuring tools and hardware.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I don't understand your premise that grinding on the end hold down will fix the alignment problem. Unless you intend to shim the opposite side, the rocker will just flop back and forth.
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As perfacar pointed out had the anchors mounted incorrectly and the wide one was pushing the rocker inward. When removed it the rocker lined up correctly. I'm sure mounting the anchors correctly there won't be an issue.
 
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mopowers said:
You should probably pick up some .010, .015, and .030 shims to limit the side clearance to .015" per pair. I believe regular valve spring shims should work.

BTW- those look JUST like the PRW stainless rockers. Even come with the same pushrod measuring tools and hardware.
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I wouldn't be surprised if they were the same. I'm sure they'll need some adjustments when installed with a full valve train.
 
Valkman said:
I wouldn't be surprised if they were the same. I'm sure they'll need some adjustments when installed with a full valve train.
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do not use the grease they sent with that setup, use motor oil only!!!! grease will get trapped and will burn shaft and rocker. same with pushrod ends.
 
mopowers said:
Are you sure there is a hole behind the roller???
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Yes. The is a hole under the rocker. It blows oil all over hell. You need to prime the oil system with a valve cover off. Then tel me what good those holes on top do, except blow oil into the valve cover and add windage losses trying to get all that oil back to the pan.
 
yellow rose said:
Yes. The is a hole under the rocker. It blows oil all over hell. You need to prime the oil system with a valve cover off. Then tel me what good those holes on top do, except blow oil into the valve cover and add windage losses trying to get all that oil back to the pan.
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I'm not too sure there is a hole behind the roller. I think you may be assuming so. Has the OP installed these yet? If not, let's hear from him.
 
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