Converting Hyd Roller Lifters to Solid

[mopowers]

I was cleaning some old stock hydraulic roller lifters and a thought came to mind. Have any of you ever machined spacers to convert stock hydraulic roller lifters to solid? Seems like it would be pretty simple, but I'm curious how they'd hold up. Maybe run them on a HR cam with softer ramps? It was really just my mind wondering while doing some brainless bench work but I'm curious if anyone's tried it.

 

[Cuda416]

I was cleaning some old stock hydraulic roller lifters and a thought came to mind. Have any of you ever machined spacers to convert stock hydraulic roller lifters to solid? Seems like it would be pretty simple, but I'm curious how they'd hold up. Maybe run them on a HR cam with softer ramps? It was really just my mind wondering while doing some brainless bench work but I'm curious if anyone's tried it.

There have been quite a few discussions about this here. One of the best solutions I think was to get small stainless steel washers and stack them until the plunger had barely any movement under the clip. Upgrade the clips of course.

 

[PRH]

It seems like with many(most?) of the link bar retrofit type HR lifters, getting the internals out past the link bar attachment hardware would be the first challenge.

 

[mopowers]

It seems like with many(most?) of the link bar retrofit type HR lifters, getting the internals out past the link bar attachment hardware would be the first challenge.

Sorry, I totally wasn't clear. I was referring to the factory dog-bone style hyd rollers. Have you seen anyone shim them solid? I wonder if there'd be a performance gain. Or at the very least, they wouldn't bleed down like hydraulics after sitting a while.

 

[crackedback]

Oem don't have a link bar.

Yes you can do it. Find a usable solution, stack washers, inner spacer tube. Best to keep thing light. Lash them reasonably tight on a HR cam grind.

 

[PRH]

I missed the “stock” in the OP.

 

[Cuda416]

Sorry, I totally wasn't clear. I was referring to the factory dog-bone style hyd rollers. Have you seen anyone shim them solid? I wonder if there'd be a performance gain. Or at the very least, they wouldn't bleed down like hydraulics after sitting a while.

Someone here suggested it, I can't remember who but to me it's a sure way to prevent them from collapsing at the very least.

 

[mopowers]

Depending on how you did it, seems like you could disable the pushrod oiling too. Not sure why someone would do that though.

If I tried it, I'd probably remove the spring and check valve at the bottom so the thin check valve housing didn't get beat up. Then I'd stack washers or make a spacer to go between the bottom and top plungers (if that's even what they're called). And maybe replace the wire retainer with a proper internal snap ring? I've never seen or heard of someone actually doing this, so I'd hate to be the guinea pig. Interesting to think about though.

 

[Phreakish]

I remember reading years ago about a guy converting the OEM ones to solid for rather cheap. Most folks were doing it to eliminate lifter tick on factory engines. I don't think he is around anymore or at least not doing Magnum lifters anymore.
No reason it can't work, the spacer just has to be precise enough.

 

[Bewy]

I have converted hyd to sol lifters a few times, using s/s spacers. With the roller lifter, as long as you can get access to the internals.

 

[Kern Dog]

I'm curious as to what the goal is for this.
I'm admittedly not as versed in engine building as others here but the stock hydraulic roller system seems pretty good. Along with being pretty flexible in the wide range of cam profiles, the stock stuff is pretty cheap.
What is to gain by converting the lifters? I read that some claim a few hundred more rpms of operating range. Aside from racing, what advantage is that?
I'm not being critical, I am just curious about what is the upside of doing this.

 

[GGress]

I also wonder if the axle and roller are up to the task of dealing with the necessary higher spring rates of a solid.

 

[mopowers]

I'm curious as to what the goal is for this.
I'm admittedly not as versed in engine building as others here but the stock hydraulic roller system seems pretty good. Along with being pretty flexible in the wide range of cam profiles, the stock stuff is pretty cheap.
What is to gain by converting the lifters? I read that some claim a few hundred more rpms of operating range. Aside from racing, what advantage is that?
I'm not being critical, I am just curious about what is the upside of doing this.

Oh I don't plan on doing it. The motor I'm finishing up is just a cruiser and won't even see high rpm. In the hours of cleaning up these used factory lifters, I was just thinking about it and curious if it had been done before. Seems like a pretty easy conversion, provided the lifter can handle the extra load. As an aside, I couldn't believe how tarnished and sticky the internals of these used lifters are.

I'd imagine converting them would provide valvetrain stability at higher rpm and all other advantages of solids over hydraulics. If I ever end up building a hotrodded factory roller motor, I may give it a shot.

 

[CRUZE 418]

When looking for my tick, I just bled the lifter down and gapped it like a solid.

 

[PROSTOCKTOM]

I would use 7075-T6 aluminum bar to make the spacers out of. You want them to be lite, and 7075 is really strong.

Tom

 

[RustyRatRod]

I'm curious as to what the goal is for this.
I'm admittedly not as versed in engine building as others here but the stock hydraulic roller system seems pretty good. Along with being pretty flexible in the wide range of cam profiles, the stock stuff is pretty cheap.
What is to gain by converting the lifters? I read that some claim a few hundred more rpms of operating range. Aside from racing, what advantage is that?
I'm not being critical, I am just curious about what is the upside of doing this.

Since solid roller lifters are available very affordable now, not much to gain from converting.

 

[Bewy]

You don't want alum spacers inside the lifter, because using it as a sol lifter means it is going to have clearance [ lash ]. So it will be subject to
'hammering', & that requires hard steel or s/steel, post #10. You can use s/s washers, which have a hole & are light.

 

[PROSTOCKTOM]

You don't want alum spacers inside the lifter, because using it as a sol lifter means it is going to have clearance [ lash ]. So it will be subject to
'hammering', & that requires hard steel or s/steel, post #10. You can use s/s washers, which have a hole & are light.

I've used it to make solid lifters out of hydraulic lifters for decades. I never had any issues with using 7075. It's actually stronger than 1018 steel.

Tom

 

[33IMP]

I'm curious as to what the goal is for this.
I'm admittedly not as versed in engine building as others here but the stock hydraulic roller system seems pretty good. Along with being pretty flexible in the wide range of cam profiles, the stock stuff is pretty cheap.
What is to gain by converting the lifters? I read that some claim a few hundred more rpms of operating range. Aside from racing, what advantage is that?
I'm not being critical, I am just curious about what is the upside of doing this.

Depending on how good the hydraulic rollers are, a solid swap MIGHT. get a little power throughout the rpm band. It could get a few hundred extra rpm, and quite a bit of power at the very top, compared to when the hydraulics nose over or float.
So basically, you nailed it. It's for racing. Or, for power past the power peak. Unless you're really spinning the motor, or want that last little bit of rpm......?
My opinion, anyway.

 

[Bewy]

Many early production engines used sol lifters, like the 318 Poly.
The benefit of solids:
- they never bleed down
- they never pump up
- they offer more precise control of valve events.

 

[junkyardhero]

Many early production engines used sol lifters, like the 318 Poly.
The benefit of solids:
- they never bleed down
- they never pump up
- they offer more precise control of valve events.

also solids are:

-never gonna give you up
-never gonna let you down
-never gonna run around and desert you
-never gonna make you cry
-never gonna say goodbye
-never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

 

[Bewy]

Yep, we can agree! I love my solids....

 

[crackedback]

Since solid roller lifters are available very affordable now, not much to gain from converting.

Does anyone make a solid roller lifter that can be retained by the factory dogbones/hold downs. I've never seen a set.

If you can spin out a spacer, it's a cheap way to get a solid roller set up in a magnum or LA roller block.

 

[crackedback]

also solids are:

-never gonna give you up
-never gonna let you down
-never gonna run around and desert you
-never gonna make you cry
-never gonna say goodbye
-never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

somebody got rickrolled

 

[CRUZE 418]

I shouldn't get into this, not knowledgeable enough, and not going to say who the reputable engine builder is that told me this. After 4 to 6 thousand miles, solid roller wheels tend to get out of round, sounds like they can be reconditioned once. When I took the solid roller Crane out of the Hemi Road Runner that I bought, the cam lobes all had chatter marks on them. No idea how long the cam was in the engine. Just saying.