Converting to a roller cam

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I'm with Rustys opinion of going solid, I have been running lunatis 60434 off the shelf solid roller the last couple yrs and it's been fantastic. Great cam, exactly what I was looking for out of the box. I adjust valve lash once a yr, no biggee, and at 500miles a year I could probably get away with once every 2 yrs but I won't.
I used Hughes solid roller lifters, they dropped right in, no problems to report after 1000 miles. And I'm at WOT 25% of that time,,,lol. I do hear great things about MRL lifters but mike didn't have them available when my motor went together, I am running his billet main caps. I am using 3/8 push rods and with the Indy heads I had to do a lot of clearancing for rods. I think if the were Eddie heads there would still be a bunch, not as bad but you'll definately have your heads on/off a bunch.
Also a good Idea to bush the lifter bores when going solid, strengthens bore and more oil control. I also did the oil mods in the sticky at the top of this section, some great ideas to keep oil where it's needed and supply others that come up short from factory.
Good luck with your cam decision and the rest of the build.
 
I'm running a small solid roller Comp cam in my 410 stroker, Comp XR286R (http://www.summitracing.com/parts/cca-20-740-9/overview/make/chrysler). Its a nice street roller, tons of torque, good top end. I did not have to open up the push rod holes on my Eddy heads. I used Comps lifters...but this was back when they didn't make the drop in style lifters, so I spent many hours grinding in the lifter valley to make this thing fit. Brian (ou812) from IMM had just finished making the first few sets of drop in lifters for Comp back then (not for sale in the store, but Brian was selling them)...in hind site I should have bought a set from him, it would have been way easier than doing all the grinding.....oh well, the car runs great now though, currently mid 10's and getting quicker all the time :D

As far as adjustment goes for the cam...I've had this cam in the car since 2009, and I found that I really only need to check the lash once a year. So, that is just part of my beginning of the race season routine...and it doesn't change much.
 
I'm running a crane roller cam with Hughes hydraulic roller lifters (HUG5321) in my 410 small block and the combo is working great. I had to clearance my block a little to get the lifters to drop in though. The block is a 73 360.
 
I am starting to think a solid roller is the way to go at this point. I also don't mind checking the lash. But why is brushin the lifter bored needed? And I thought those oiling mods we're for high rpms, I think the highest i revved the thing with the old cam was about 5300, so I don't usually rev it much.

I also borrowed a set of comp solid lifters just to test fit in my block, they fit perfectly without hitting anything, so I don't think I will need to do any clearancing. I have an 82 360 block. But for the pushrod holes of I do have to clearance them how do I do that? Just with a drill?
 
I'm running the Lunati Part Number: 40200732, solid roller in my 340. It's choked down with the factory intake and exhaust manifolds along with the factory 625 AVS carb.

http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=1552&gid=290

It runs great, sounds great and can blow the rubber off my E70-14 tires, all day long.

4 Speed car with 3.91 gears. My car went solid roller way back in 1989, before all these fancy new lifters so I have the tubes installed in the block. Not sure if I should have removed the tubes when I went through the engine last year.... I'm not very well educated in this area.
 
1968FormulaS340 said:
I'm running the Lunati Part Number: 40200732, solid roller in my 340. It's choked down with the factory intake and exhaust manifolds along with the factory 625 AVS carb.

http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=1552&gid=290

It runs great, sounds great and can blow the rubber off my E70-14 tires, all day long.

4 Speed car with 3.91 gears. My car went solid roller way back in 1989, before all these fancy new lifters so I have the tubes installed in the block. Not sure if I should have removed the tubes when I went through the engine last year.... I'm not very well educated in this area.
Click to expand...
E70-14 , wow 4 speed and 3.91 gears , how often you change tires ? I remember when I had those tires back in the day , 1/8th mile burnouts had zero traction with those tires . Changed the 3 times a season .
 
dodgedifferent2 said:
if they have hydraulic rollers post it up here because i am also curious.
Click to expand...

I just got off the phone with Mike, he does in fact sell hydraulic lifters, they do no have pressure feed the rollers though, but he said that its not needed due to the lighter spring pressure as opposed to a solid roller.

I am going to get a lunati cam as well. But am undecided on hydraulic vs solid, especially when its just a street motor with as of yet no track runs.
 
DartVadar said:
I am starting to think a solid roller is the way to go at this point. I also don't mind checking the lash. But why is brushin the lifter bored needed? And I thought those oiling mods we're for high rpms, I think the highest i revved the thing with the old cam was about 5300, so I don't usually rev it much.

I also borrowed a set of comp solid lifters just to test fit in my block, they fit perfectly without hitting anything, so I don't think I will need to do any clearancing. I have an 82 360 block. But for the pushrod holes of I do have to clearance them how do I do that? Just with a drill?
Click to expand...

Just FYI, checking a solid lifter won't do you any good, it is the link bars (and associated hardware) that are the problem on rollers that need clearancing in the block.
 
flyfish said:
Just FYI, checking a solid lifter won't do you any good, it is the link bars (and associated hardware) that are the problem on rollers that need clearancing in the block.
Click to expand...

I know, it was the two lifters with the link bars, there was no clearance issues. Wasn't even close to hitting.
 
DartVadar said:
I just got off the phone with Mike, he does in fact sell hydraulic lifters, they do no have pressure feed the rollers though, but he said that its not needed due to the lighter spring pressure as opposed to a solid roller.
Click to expand...

That's probably true. I needed the pressure fed due to 260/600+ lb spring pressure.
 

It is my understanding also, that solid rollers did not last a long time, due to the rollers NOT being pressure fed. Seems I've read the max was around 10K miles or so. But now that they are available pressure fed, all that issue should be gone.
 
Going solid roller! I will order the MRL lifters and I phoned lunati and they recommended this cam for me. Seems like a good cam.

http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=1551&gid=290

Advertised Duration (Int/Exh): 267/273
Duration @ .050 (Int/Exh): 237/243
Gross Valve Lift (Int/Exh): .566/.578
LSA/ICL: 110/106
Valve Lash (Int/Exh): 016/016
RPM Range: 2500-6600

Now before I start ordering stuff I can run this cam and use the MRL solid lifters correct?
 
DartVadar said:
Going solid roller! I will order the MRL lifters and I phoned lunati and they recommended this cam for me. Seems like a good cam.

http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=1551&gid=290

Advertised Duration (Int/Exh): 267/273
Duration @ .050 (Int/Exh): 237/243
Gross Valve Lift (Int/Exh): .566/.578
LSA/ICL: 110/106
Valve Lash (Int/Exh): 016/016
RPM Range: 2500-6600

Now before I start ordering stuff I can run this cam and use the MRL solid lifters correct?
Click to expand...

That should be a real nice cam for your application. And yes, unless I'm missing something, you can run that cam and lifter combo.
 
LOL, yeah that's a goodun. Make sure you get the right springs and hardware that matches it. That oughtta sound nasty.
 
RustyRatRod said:
LOL, yeah that's a goodun. Make sure you get the right springs and hardware that matches it. That oughtta sound nasty.
Click to expand...

Just talked to the shop that is putting together my heads, they are matching the springs and installing them, so everything should be good to go there. Everything should work out pretty good, excited to hear this thing running again!
 
DartVadar said:
I am starting to think a solid roller is the way to go at this point. I also don't mind checking the lash. But why is brushin the lifter bored needed? And I thought those oiling mods we're for high rpms, I think the highest i revved the thing with the old cam was about 5300, so I don't usually rev it much.

I also borrowed a set of comp solid lifters just to test fit in my block, they fit perfectly without hitting anything, so I don't think I will need to do any clearancing. I have an 82 360 block. But for the pushrod holes of I do have to clearance them how do I do that? Just with a drill?
Click to expand...

Bushing ensures perfect lifter bore specs, so you're not hemorrhaging oil at the lifters due to casting flaws, plus strengthens the bore. The cast lifter bore has big openings to the main galleys that are on the bottom side of the lifter bore, where the most load from the lifter is transferred to. Bushing basically insures strength but mostly keeping oil pressure up and going where it's needed, high rpm or not.
I did it to prolong the life of my motor and all its parts relying on good oil flow and pressure. Of course don't do this for hydraulic lifters, the bushing has a tiny oiling hole to lube bushing but not enough to pump lifter up.
I clearanced my pushrods with a drill and a burr bit made for grinding aluminum. This link is an example of one, except you need one with a 6" shaft, maybe a couple different sizes.
http://www.powerhouseproducts.com/ph/solid-carbide-burr-aluminum-cut-6-shank-1-2-ovalhtml/
That cam looks like a good choice, should bring that baby to life nicely!
 
Rodzilla said:
Bushing ensures perfect lifter bore specs, so you're not hemorrhaging oil at the lifters due to casting flaws, plus strengthens the bore. The cast lifter bore has big openings to the main galleys that are on the bottom side of the lifter bore, where the most load from the lifter is transferred to. Bushing basically insures strength but mostly keeping oil pressure up and going where it's needed, high rpm or not.
I did it to prolong the life of my motor and all its parts relying on good oil flow and pressure. Of course don't do this for hydraulic lifters, the bushing has a tiny oiling hole to lube bushing but not enough to pump lifter up.
I clearanced my pushrods with a drill and a burr bit made for grinding aluminum. This link is an example of one, except you need one with a 6" shaft, maybe a couple different sizes.
http://www.powerhouseproducts.com/ph/solid-carbide-burr-aluminum-cut-6-shank-1-2-ovalhtml/
That cam looks like a good choice, should bring that baby to life nicely!
Click to expand...

If you bush the lifter bores wouldn't that restrict oil to the pressure fed roller on the lifter? And I've been seeing mixed feelings on bushing the bores, the MRL lifters are said to drop in with no modifications I thought.
 
Another thing, how long do the solid rollers typically last? I probably drive the car about 3k miles a year, I understand that you check the lash every once and a while, but do the rollers wear out in let's say 10k miles and need to be replaced or rebuilt?
 
I bought the Comp retrofit hydrolytic lifters and found (like others have said) that the pushrods rubbed on the holes where they went through the head (of course nobody told me about this). The issue appeared to be because the lifters are taller and it changes the pushrod angle. I then decided to use Comp solid lifters and found that the block need to be ground so that the bolts in the lock bars wouldn't rub the lifter valley. I think that there are some TRUELY drop in retrofit lifters available now, but I'm not sure who makes them.
 
Has anybody used the Retro hydraulic roller lifters in a factory roller cam block(85-up)?
Or used stock rollers with a aftermarket roller cam? I understand they are very heavy and that is the problem with them. Any other problems?
 
superchargeddrt said:
I bought the Comp retrofit hydrolytic lifters and found (like others have said) that the pushrods rubbed on the holes where they went through the head (of course nobody told me about this). The issue appeared to be because the lifters are taller and it changes the pushrod angle. I then decided to use Comp solid lifters and found that the block need to be ground so that the bolts in the lock bars wouldn't rub the lifter valley. I think that there are some TRUELY drop in retrofit lifters available now, but I'm not sure who makes them.
Click to expand...

I am planning on the pushrod holes being an issue but I am not worried about that. But the solid roller lifters that I tested cleared the block fine, the link bars had lots of room. They were a set of comp ones. The MRL ones are drop in from what I understand.
 
I don't know if the roller is fed oil, the Hughes lifters I have are oil fed for oiling through pushrods to rockers, not sure if it oils down to roller. I'm not using oil through pushrods, so that pressure just dead ends, what little there may have been with the bushed bores. The roller I believe is gets its lube from oil sling Onto the cam. However the design it works good, in a 1000 miles I'm issue free. You definitely can't bush lifter bores and oil rockers through pushrods.
I would think the life of solid roller lifters should be pretty good, if the quality is there to start. Look at a flat tappet lifter used in small blocks for years, lasting a hundred thousand or more miles, almost flat metal on metal surface.
 
Zero need to bush the lifter bore when you use pressure fed lifters. The only reason to bush them would be because of wear. That's actually pretty rare to have to do it.

Now, some people do it if they are building a total race engine going the Nth degree to make sure the lifter angle is correct, but that's a whole nuther ball game.
 
I hope they last a decent amount of time, It wouldn't be the end of the world If I had to check the rollers out every 1-2 years or so (if thats even needed, and periodic valve adjustments). I have been reading alot about the solid roller lifters and people check them and rebuild/replace them after a few thousand miles (seems crazy if they only last that long). This seems to be chevy guys, and I think the lifter size is different? don't know if it applies to mopar stuff as much. I can see them lasting shorter with less spring pressure and very aggressive lobes, but being that the cam I picked out is fairly mild should help longevity? I hope.

And thats good about the lifter bores as well, one less thing to do.
 
I think all of that refers to non pressure fed roller lifters. Call Mike at MRL. He will tell you all about it.
 
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