The horse is dead

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Babyblue66 said:
That I fully understand. Had I known, I may have opened up the pushrod holes BEFORE the whole engine was assembled. Well, I learned two lessons. One about pushrod clearance, one about where not to shop.
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I had one totally together and headed to the dyno when I noticed the unique snapping noise of the adjuster ball landing back in the cups. They were levering out. Nice shiny spots on the pushrods.

Tore it all down and fixed it. Not what I expected, just rolled with it.

Crazy thing, it's sort of a known issue... Don't know how you ordered the stuff. I know if it was me taking your order, you would have got a check pushrod tunnel clearance heads up.
There are people on the planet that are not destined to deal with others.
 
It wouldn't have been that big of a deal to pull the heads if the engine was still on the stand but it is a bit more of a hassle if they are in the car, especially if the exhaust is in place.
 

Babyblue66 said:
I'm usually not one to bash a company, especially one I've used parts from before, but I'll never buy from Hughes Engines ever again. I purchased their 1.6 roller rockers for my 340 with J heads. There was no way you could put a push rod in because it rubbed on the cylinder head so bad it didn't line up with the ball on the rocker arm. He got mad at me when I was talking to him on the phone because his Parts didn't fit my engine. Then told me to send them back. Then I get charged 136.00 restocking fee, plus I lost shipping back, and tax. So all in all I lost about $200 to return rocker arms that didn't fit. But apparently that was my fault.
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I've had bad experience with Hughes also... I won't go into detail as it would be a little long, but like you, I won't ever buy from Hughes again...
 
The 1.5 is closer than I would have liked them to be but they cleared . For my needs I stick with the 1.5 make up the lift in the cam lobe I can get what I need that way even though I know there can be small advantages to a 1.6. once again results May very.
 
krazykuda said:
I've had bad experience with Hughes also... I won't go into detail as it would be a little long, but like you, I won't ever buy from Hughes again...
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Is there any other reason besides money? That joey allows them to advertise on here without some kind of warning....
 
Wow! Now you all have me concerned. Hughes custom ground (or had it done) a cam for my 225. I talked to Dave and messaged him several times through the process. I told him what I was building and what I wanted to achieve. He recommended the grind, springs and valve size. He made it quite clear to me about the break-in, using single springs for the first runs then installing the inner springs. Dave made it clear about using the special break in oil, etc. To some, his communication could come across a condescending, in my case, I was asking questions and for advice, so his shortness during the conversation was taken as "that's who he is." My 20 years in the Air Force exposed me to these types of individuals almost on a daily basis. Most were officers, or as Sgt. Micklin would say "college boys!"
Norm
BTW, I'm getting close to firing up the 225, as it is now on the test run stand I've made.
 
Some engines will require clearancing for pushrods with higher ratio rockers. Hughes should include a note in the advertising so people know BEFORE they buy the rockers.
 
circlepilot said:
Wow! Now you all have me concerned. Hughes custom ground (or had it done) a cam for my 225. I talked to Dave and messaged him several times through the process. I told him what I was building and what I wanted to achieve. He recommended the grind, springs and valve size. He made it quite clear to me about the break-in, using single springs for the first runs then installing the inner springs. Dave made it clear about using the special break in oil, etc. To some, his communication could come across a condescending, in my case, I was asking questions and for advice, so his shortness during the conversation was taken as "that's who he is." My 20 years in the Air Force exposed me to these types of individuals almost on a daily basis. Most were officers, or as Sgt. Micklin would say "college boys!"
Norm
BTW, I'm getting close to firing up the 225, as it is now on the test run stand I've made.
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Horse pucky!...
90% of this forum could have told you what he said nicely with respect for your lack of knowledge...
I've worked with/for pricks and let them know about it in short order.... (got fired alot..)
The very last thing I want to hear is that's how they are cause. If now I'm supposed to put up with how they are, that's part of my job, I always say to them. What if when I walked up to you every day? I punched you in the face and everybody everybody just said, oh, that's how he is and who decides what's too much... here's an idea. How about treating everybody was mutual respect, especially if you're in a business and you're trying to shove your overpriced? Overpromoted parts you're getting from other people.I'm making a profit on...
Sorry, I went off the rails there and kind of got me started ...lol...
 
I will add, I don't think that I have heard anyone complain about the quality of the parts that they sell.
The 1.6 ratio rocker arm set that came on a 360 I bought last year are over $1000 a set!
 
j par said:
Horse pucky!...
90% of this forum could have told you what he said nicely with respect for your lack of knowledge...
I've worked with/for pricks and let them know about it in short order.... (got fired alot..)
The very last thing I want to hear is that's how they are cause. If now I'm supposed to put up with how they are, that's part of my job, I always say to them. What if when I walked up to you every day? I punched you in the face and everybody everybody just said, oh, that's how he is and who decides what's too much... here's an idea. How about treating everybody was mutual respect, especially if you're in a business and you're trying to shove your overpriced? Overpromoted parts you're getting from other people.I'm making a profit on...
Sorry, I went off the rails there and kind of got me started ...lol...
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Well I understand how you feel, I guess I'm "sliced" a little different, until I get pissed off...but it takes a lot to piss me off. :thumbsup:
 
Verifying and correcting pushrod clearance is SOP for anything that isn't stock. Even going from 5/16 to 3/8 pushrods can cause clearance issues.

Dave reminds me of my machinest in a way. He is there to do business with engine builders. He has very little time or patience towards what he considers novice engine builders and hobbyists. If he senses that you "don't get it" he wil cut his losses.

Years ago I had a set of MW Victors CNC ported and ordered a set of 1.7 ratio rockers, etc to build my first 511" low deck. Wanting to take advantage of the port work I paid for; I attempted to set everything up for a .750ish lift solid roller. My initial hurdle was installed height. I needed close to 2" IH and was struggling to make things work. Between valve tip geometry, rocker to retainer clearance, etc there were issues. Knowing of Dave's reputation I delicately emailed him asking if they had a "go to" retainer / lock combination to get over 1.950" IH. His response was:

"Been there, done that. Run a smaller cam"

I didn't even respond to thank him because "Dave is old and doesn't have time for pen pals."

We eventually made everything work with a B3 kit and lots of mock up. Following that ordeal I decided anything that serious would get a used set of Indy's with a paired rocker setup. In the end the cost would have been close.

I can understand both perspectives. There is a huge discrepency between the customer's expectations and the level of service offered.

End result? OP learned something about engine building and also cadence of automotive retail economics. Hughes lost another customer. Sounds like a normal day in Mopar hotrodding to me.

it's a shame someone doesnt turn Hughes around like what happened with Indy. Indy, Hughes and my engine machinest are the only places I have ever heard of that had a reputation for talking down to the customer and then hanging up on them lol.
 
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circlepilot said:
Wow! Now you all have me concerned. Hughes custom ground (or had it done) a cam for my 225. I talked to Dave and messaged him several times through the process. I told him what I was building and what I wanted to achieve. He recommended the grind, springs and valve size. He made it quite clear to me about the break-in, using single springs for the first runs then installing the inner springs. Dave made it clear about using the special break in oil, etc. To some, his communication could come across a condescending, in my case, I was asking questions and for advice, so his shortness during the conversation was taken as "that's who he is." My 20 years in the Air Force exposed me to these types of individuals almost on a daily basis. Most were officers, or as Sgt. Micklin would say "college boys!"
Norm
BTW, I'm getting close to firing up the 225, as it is now on the test run stand I've made.
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I've used three of their cams. All worked well. One is in my 66 coronet since 2006. I have no problem with the quality of the parts I've received. I've built a lot of mopar engines, but I still think these rockers were way off. It wasn't just a little grinding on the heads to make them work.
 
Here's the alignment. I used this hydraulic pushrod length checker to show how off they were. Also, the pushrod checker is laying on the side of the hole. This was not just a little bit off.

20250124_145057.jpg
 
Babyblue66 said:
Here's the alignment. I used this hydraulic pushrod length checker to show how off they were. Also, the pushrod checker is laying on the side of the hole. This was not just a little bit off.

View attachment 1716361735
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I'm not an expert, but it looks like the adjusters in the rocker are out too far. That significantly affects rocker alignment on both the pushrod and valve side. My understanding is that you only want two threads or so exposed on the underside. Raise them up and that pushrod will be more in line, but need to be about an 1/8" longer.

My one experience with Hughes on the phone was not awe inspiring at all. The only reason he can get away with such a P-poor attitude with customers is that we don't have many sources for Mopar speed parts, like there are for Ford/Chevy.
 
I have purchased one item from Hughes. Needed a flexplate for a slant six with a 9 inch converter. Did not need a SFI unit. Purchased a HP 1456, with the intension of opening up one crank bolt hole. Part is supposed to be a "heavy duty" unit with a thicker material . Bull crap, it is just a repackaged aftermarket stock replacement part. This part can be bought at any parts store for half the price. When I called Hughs about this, I just got a song and dance. Will never buy from them again.
 
Babyblue66 said:
I've used three of their cams. All worked well. One is in my 66 coronet since 2006. I have no problem with the quality of the parts I've received. I've built a lot of mopar engines, but I still think these rockers were way off. It wasn't just a little grinding on the heads to make them work.
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Can we see pics of the 66 Coronet????

I have a soft spot for '66 Coronets : D
 
gzig5 said:
I'm not an expert, but it looks like the adjusters in the rocker are out too far. That significantly affects rocker alignment on both the pushrod and valve side. My understanding is that you only want two threads or so exposed on the underside. Raise them up and that pushrod will be more in line, but need to be about an 1/8" longer.

My one experience with Hughes on the phone was not awe inspiring at all. The only reason he can get away with such a P-poor attitude with customers is that we don't have many sources for Mopar speed parts, like there are for Ford/Chevy.
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Yes they are out far, but all the way in didn't help much. And I tried shimming the shaft.
 
I didn’t read the entire thread but maybe the guy is an asshole because of stuff just like this.

Clearly the OP is not an engine builder. He bought rockets he thought would bolt on. 99% of them do not, and the ones that do still need work.

I run 1.6 rockers and they didn’t fit either. Why? Because the heads were designed for 1.5 rockers. That means the pushrod tunnels and everything else is wrong for anything but a 1.5 rocker.

You not only need to clearance the tunnels for 1.6 rockers you need to correct the geometry.

That’s SOP.

So it’s not bad parts or customer service. It’s a guy that’s been in this business a long time. And he’s been dealing with guys who are unqualified to build engines trashing his parts.

This is on the OP.
 
circlepilot said:
Well I understand how you feel, I guess I'm "sliced" a little different, until I get pissed off...but it takes a lot to piss me off. :thumbsup:
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Well takes a bit to get me upset as well, but just think, instead of them saying, send them back.They told you to just run it...?..
Same thing.In your case, now, if that was their last word and you're looking at what youre just showing me, you'd have to determine either there or moron, or you are if you're going to actually run it like they told you to.....
 
Babyblue66 said:
Here's the alignment. I used this hydraulic pushrod length checker to show how off they were. Also, the pushrod checker is laying on the side of the hole. This was not just a little bit off.

View attachment 1716361735
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You know what I am seeing here is that those adjusters are way way too far out...
In mine, you can't even see the threads coming from under the rocker..
The farther you adjusted out the the closer it comes out towards the fulcrum...
 
j par said:
You know what I am seeing here is that those adjusters are way way too far out...
In mine, you can't even see the threads coming from under the rocker..
The farther you adjusted out the the closer it comes out towards the fulcrum...
Screenshot_20250204_083137_Chrome~2.jpg
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