Hughes lifters

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1stgen

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Hi there, has anyone had any experience with these lifter? Hughes give different info on preload, in the cam instructions there saying 0.130” to 0.150” preload, but in the lifter instructions there saying 0.90”to 0.95” which for me is 1 1/4 turn from zero lash,
C7EC2E48-407C-4B00-AA3A-74D943C36476.png
 
We just did the cam in a 383 replacing a solids for hyd. We had the same question. The man at Hughes said 1 turn.
 
I set them at Zero for race motors for higher RPM's. All others 1/8 to 1/4 from Zero. But its where the cam is at that is critical for adjustment. Per cyl. follow these steps.

When the exhaust just starts to open adjust the intake

When the intake is open and just starts to close adjust the exhaust

Doing the 90 degree method is old school and can not be used on most cam profiles today. So throw those old Direct connection valve adjustment decal in the garbage. The method I explained above is the proper way.

Most companies now have been providing defective lifters. They collapse when setting and take a while to pump up. We just had a 340 here after 3 sets from Comp cams that were bad we opened a old mopar performance cam kit and stole the lifters. What a difference. If you can find old kits even if the cams are rusted buy them for the lifters.
 
The 90 degree method works fine and is actually quicker. If you ever set the valves with the intake manifold off you’ll see the lifter is centered on the base circle which is right we\here it should be.

Doing it the other way, you can be off 15-20 degrees and not know it.
 
Hmmm that page shows plunger travel as .146 +/- .002.......
How do you set at .150 a lifter that only has .146 (or .148).
They say "1 turn"...they say ".090-.095"....they say ".130-.150"...
I think I might be calling HYlift-Johnson Monday morning and get the poop straight from them as it seems Hughes doesn't know their a-hole from their elbow....
 
Last edited:
1stgen said:
which for me is 1 1/4 turn from zero lash,
Click to expand...
Hang on man;
My adjusters are 28threads per inch. 1.25 turns would be 1/28 x1.25=.044 inch..
In order for you to get into the 90s, your adjusters would have to be very coarse.
IMO, prior to break-in, set them to 1/2 turn or .020ish, then do the break in. Then reset to the same .020 for street.
The only reason to run more preload is to extend the maintenance period.
.020 will last for several to many years, and if you exceed the rpm limits of your springs, at least you won't drive the valves into the pistons, when the lifters do their job of taking up the slack. Plus, the big one for me is if the valves start ticking right after an oil-change, chances are lobes are dropping into the pan. So .020 is your early warning system.
That's my opinion, and I'm sssssssticking to it..
 
Thanks for all the advise, although all mixed but I was expecting that. I have emailed Hughes to see what they say but not expecting anything different from what you guys are saying.
cheers
 
I’ve set the preload but there really noisy, horrible clacking sound, is this normal for these lifters? I have read that others have had the same problem
 
The lifters should work anywhere within the range of pre-load travel, normally about 0.180". Some people like to set them with minimal pre-load, close to the circlip, theory being that if lifter pump up occurs, it is minimised as is any power loss. In my opinion this is a bad idea if the circlips are of the paper clip variety & not heavy duty c/clips.
 
Run a solid cam. Problem solved. No more pussy hydraulic lifters.
 
That's the way I'm leaning for my current build. I'm still learning about the quality of solid roller lifters, but I'm not hijacking the OP's thread. I'm still searching the archives and learning.
 
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