Switch to solid lifters with oem cam?

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stumblinhorse

stumblinhorse

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Can I save myself the trouble on a 69 318 of trying to find good replacement Hydraulic lifters by switching to solid lifters? I know I would need different pushrods and adjustable rockers. But can’t do a full rebuild right now. But I am tired of lifter tick. I already have Hughes rockers. Cam, lifters etc, are original. 675 heads were redone with 901 springs when I did the guides. Will they hold up to solids? For 10k miles or so of spirited street driving? Under 6k rpm?
 
The cam is ground different for solid lifters. Not sure if the cam would live through it.
 
You don't like lifter tick and you're moving to solid? I don't think it's the way to go. get a good quality hydraulic lifters break them in properly and you be good to go.
 
I have heard that you can mix hyd and solid c and lifters one way but not the other way. I forget which way was ok and which way wouldn't work. Never tried it
 
I have seen people use solid roller lifters on a hydraulic roller cam with a very tight lash setting.

Not sure this switch applies to flat tappet cams and lifters though.
 
Isn’t solid going to have it’s own tick due to having to have lash clearance for heat expansion?

I am not against a little tick, as long as it’s not attached to a big boom lol.

More important is making sure oil pressure is getting everywhere...
 
K.O. SWINGER said:
You don't like lifter tick and you're moving to solid? I don't think it's the way to go. get a good quality hydraulic lifters break them in properly and you be good to go.
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from the daily lifter problem threads “good quality hydraulic lifters” are luck not brand. I don’t want to pull the intake multiple time just to fix crappy new lifters. And I am certainly used to the sound, my other engine doesn’t even have lifters... 24v Cummins
 
stumblinhorse said:
from the daily lifter problem threads “good quality hydraulic lifters” are luck not brand. I don’t want to pull the intake multiple time just to fix crappy new lifters. And I am certainly used to the sound, my other engine doesn’t even have lifters... 24v Cummins
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I'm sure there's something to be said for some of that, but I would say over half are due to poor break-ins or just too much spring pressure trying to control a super high rate camshaft. I would go to eBay get some New old stock American made lifters .. what kind of spring pressure are you running?
 
Wvbuzzmaster said:
Isn’t solid going to have it’s own tick due to having to have lash clearance for heat expansion?

I am not against a little tick, as long as it’s not attached to a big boom lol.

More important is making sure oil pressure is getting everywhere...
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on another (unrelated) note What ever happened to you on the Tractor forums? I'm still there and still messing with my Ariens, New holland and Kohlers.
 
volaredon said:
on another (unrelated) note What ever happened to you on the Tractor forums? I'm still there and still messing with my Ariens, New holland and Kohlers.
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I’m not going to derail the topic here so going to send you a message...
Oh, tractors are still in my life, mostly just broken down and I opted to let most of them sit in my collection as “ran when parked” to cut down on stress of fixing them lol.
 
But to answer your question directly yes you can run solid lifters on a hydraulic cam profile. But flat tap failure is flat tap failure be it a hydraulic or a solid I'm not sure why a mechanical lifter would improve fail rate. The failure is in the quality of metal in my understanding not in the function of the lifter itself. Also as you may or may not know your camshaft profile will decrease with mechanical lifters due to lash. Also you will have to use a Mopar style solid lifter to control oil pressure or make oiling modifications to accommodate a solid lift cam. zinc zinc zinc
 
Are you sure you have correct proper preload on the hydraulic lifters? If not your pushrods are not the correct length.
 
Camshafts are so cheap, why would you take a chance on ruining your engine? Just change to a solid cam.
 
RustyRatRod said:
Camshafts are so cheap, why would you take a chance on ruining your engine? Just change to a solid cam.
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Silly to do just camshaft. With the engine out, need to do a rebuild. After 6 months wait and $2500 for machine work, I am 4K into a motor.

looks like I will buy new hydraulic lifters to fix my sticky one. Maybe get a whole set so I can get 16 chances at 1 good one. My springs are 901 comps so they are 330 spring rates and 105 seat pressure when new, about 10k miles ago.
 
$2500 just in MACHINE WORK!? don't seem right/
I once bought an 87 Dodge Van with a 318, and it rattled as I brought it home. The exhaust on #7 lost its clip and the pushrod wound up wedged into the lifter body with the pushrod cup flipped up beside it. I replaced both pushrods and lifters on #7 and drove it a good 50K trouble free miles after that, til it got wrecked.
 
my most recent engine is prone to rattling... a solid lifter slant 6...... though if kept up on they can be as quiet as a typical hydraulic lifter V8.... but usually aren't.
 
ch1ll said:
Are you sure you have correct proper preload on the hydraulic lifters? If not your pushrods are not the correct length.
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Pretty sure, they are original with original heads and original stamped rockers. I have adjustable rockers in a set of 2.02 J heads on a shelf in my shop.
 
stumblinhorse said:
Wish it wasn’t. That is Colorafornia. And it is a day trip from me. After hot tank, bore and hone, zero the deck, line hone, balance assembly, plugs and bearings it is well into 2k.
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I can see that. That's alot of work! I did all the labor myself all the assembly, cleaning, cam bearings, freeze plugs etc. All I had done was an overbore with hone and valve job and mine was close to 500.
 
dartfreak75 said:
I can see that. That's alot of work! I did all the labor myself all the assembly, cleaning, cam bearings, freeze plugs etc. All I had done was an overbore with hone and valve job and mine was close to 500.
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Lol. Did my valves/heads 3 years ago $1100... the $2500 is no assembly other than plugs and bearings...
 
stumblinhorse said:
from the daily lifter problem threads “good quality hydraulic lifters” are luck not brand. I don’t want to pull the intake multiple time just to fix crappy new lifters. And I am certainly used to the sound, my other engine doesn’t even have lifters... 24v Cummins
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What year Cummins would that be? Kim
 
stumblinhorse said:
Silly to do just camshaft. With the engine out, need to do a rebuild. After 6 months wait and $2500 for machine work, I am 4K into a motor.

looks like I will buy new hydraulic lifters to fix my sticky one. Maybe get a whole set so I can get 16 chances at 1 good one. My springs are 901 comps so they are 330 spring rates and 105 seat pressure when new, about 10k miles ago.
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Which makes your original question all the more kornfrooshushed.
 
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