early heads on roller LA?

[thanson_mopar]

My 360 came from a 90 dodge pickup, so from the factory it was a roller cam engine with swirl port heads. When I went through it the first time I put a regular hydralic cam, lifters, and a set of 79 360 heads on it. I want to put a roller cam back in it. can I still run these heads....I noticed that the pushrod holes on older heads are smaller than the swirlport heads it used to have on it. How about engine Oiling? am I going to have to go back to oiling through the pushrods with the roller cam? What am I going to have to do to make it work? I dont want to ditch these heads....I have alot of money stuck into them for bigger valves, porting, bronze valve guides...ect....

also can I want to run an agressive roller cam...can I get a set of stock roller lifters? will they be okay?

 

[dodgetkboy78]

You will have to find skinny pushrods the roller cam length (cut to fit), unless someone here says they wont work, I DNO, never tried.
They make some real nice roller cams that use the stock lifters.
LIfters are oiled from the galley, rockers are oiled from the shafts, so solid/hollow, it doesn't matter, I like hollow, they are lighter, and lighter is the key!

Keep them 308's, next set you build, they should be it. (best OEM Head)

 

['64 Cuda]

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

 

[thanson_mopar]

yea, im not sure but trying to clearance my heads might be an issue. Since they have had major port work done. I hope they pushrod holes wont be too small. Has anyone else out there actually done this? I wasnt sure why the factory oiled through the pushrods on roller engines also? why not just oil like normally on all the previous LA's?