toolz,

where do you boat.? who does your machine work ?

Don

If your not trying to spin past 6000 then a hyd roller might be alot less trouble. Give up the few hp in trade for not having to lash your valves all the time and replace springs and rollers as much,Smitty

I have heard of rmbuilder speaking of an interesting, later design tight lash solid roller cam with more mild ramps/lobes, and used in conjunction with new design solid roller lifters with pin oilers so they don't fail from oil starvation at lower RPM's, and are (or supposed to be) very reliable.

Don- I boat some at Clinton and Shelbyville, once or twice per year at LOTO. Seems like every time I go to Shelbyville, something stupid happens. That's where the engine blew. Dick and Richie Hedrick built the engine, and I'm not blaming them for the problem. I just think something got in the oil and got caught in the lifter bore. Just bad luck, I guess. Where do you boat, and what boat do you have?

Smitty and others- I may go with a hydraulic roller- I just thought a solid may be a bit more reliable, and I don't mind adjusting the valves. Even in my drag cars, I only adjusted the valves once or twice a season, and that was with big spring pressure and lots of rpm. Of course, the drag motors have always been Mopars!

Thanks again for the replies. Toolz

Personally i would take the Isky "red zone" solid rollers lifters over the Comps.
I've used Comp. (worst in my opinion) , Crower (pretty good) and the Isky's which seemed to last the longest.
After this past season I am thru with solid rollers. Going to a hyd. roller now. Still haven't decided on which of those lifters I will use.
Stock GM's , Cranes or Morels ?

i boat mainly at shelbyville, and I have the American Offshore 3100 Cat...

Don

Sorry for your engine problem on a new motor, but I thought I would bring up a point that some performance boaters may be missing. Not sure if this applies in your case, but it sounds possible. On solid lifter cams it is imperitive to break in the cam and lifters. You should always use a moly or approved break in lube generously on the lifters and the cam itself. When the engine is first started, it needs to be run continously at about 2000 rpms for about 10-15 minutes. This actually sets a proper crown wear point on the cam and lifter that match and keep the cam from cutting metal off the lifter face or cam. If solid lifter cam and lifter is not done correctly it many times will destroy solid lifter faces and cam lobes and the resulting metal particles can get into lifter bores and really mess things up. Another item sometimes overlooked in engine builups is properly preparing lifter bores and checking for proper lifter to bore clearances.Not saying either of these procedures are responsible for your loss, just trying to educate boaters who spec. and have their engines built that great engine building comes from attention to detail. Anybody can do the big things, in an engine its the details that count!

Good Luck,

Ray @ Raylar

Thanks, Ray. You are absolutely right about cam break-in. Lack of has caused a lot of problems. In my case, the bores were checked, and the cam and lifter face look ok now, but it only takes a small chip of something to cause a lifter to hang up. After a lot of thought and advise, I'm leaning to a hydraulic roller, probably with Morel lifters. Any thoughts on cam specs would be appreciated. Engine has 9.5 pistons, max ported iron Merlins, Merlin intake with a dominator. Thanks again- Toolz

Toolz:
As for a cam recommendation I would ask the help of "CSTRAUB" here on the forum. He has made an "art" out of cam study and application in marine motors. His information and ideas are extremely successful and he can probably help you make an excellent selection.

Ray @ Raylar

Hey You IL boys, Ever Get Up to the Chain o lake or to Lake MI? I spend a lot of time out on the Chain since it in my back yard.

Sorry not trying to Hi-jack your thread
Mike