BillK

bad,
Take a look at the heads of the rod bolts, they might have the rod manufacturers name on them. ARP makes them for a lot of the rod companies and puts "Scat", "Eagle" etc on them.

As far as the lifters go, it really does not matter which ones you use. Depending on the lift of the cam, you cannot use the stock type retainers on some engines. I do have a question though. Do you know what brand they are ? I had a problem with a set of retrofit hydraulic rollers a year or so ago on a pair of 502's I was building for a customer. The lifters did not seem to run straight on the cam, almost like the link bar was bent wrong We replaced them with a set of stock type, with the "dog bone" retainer and they were fine. Sent the lifters back to the manufacturer, but never heard anything from them. Have your builder take a look at them.

As far as the timing chain goes, I have used the single roller design on almost all of the new Big Blocks I have been building but .... I do use the good Cloyes one. Have yet to see one fail.

Bill Koustenis
Advanced Automotive Machine
Waldorf Md

2112

Are you saying the extra valve spring pressure killed the cam? I would look at oil or break in.

How would you manage valve float and not kill a cam? Looking to learn here, I just increased my spring pressure to control float at 6500 and now I am nervous. Solid roller cam though.

Experts?

Outdrive1

Bill why would anyone want to use the gen iv type with the link bar in a gen v motor? I was told it wasn't neccesary but that it wouldn't have a negative impact either.

I'll find out what type of lifters they are Tuesday. Everything will have been documented, dissambled and examined for damage. The cam was a solid roller Comp Cam with supposedly over 700 lift. Funny thing is the builder said the name was ground off the front of the cam, it took him a while to figure out what it is, he thinks it may be used. He also said at first glance it's not set-up for marine use. He is going to get some specs to see if we want to use it again.


Cloyes is what I've always used too. A stock Merc. or Gm type is dissapointing to find, because I will not put it back in.

We've already determined the seat pressure was wrong and the "new" valves didn't mate to the heads properly. With that being said it is a comp cam and the builder thinks they will repalce the cam for him no charge(a couple hundred bucks for free is better than nothing if we decide to use it again). I think we are leaning towards the cam and seat pressure, ruining the motor in general. Three lobes in the front of the cam were gone, the front cylinders were washed down (all the holes are full of black soot), the pistons melted, bearings failed and thus the motor is done. Heads and intake may be the only good parts left, although I wish the heads weren't ground on, and they will need a valve job. Good thing I still have the brand new valves the heads came with.

Outdrive1

Sure, super spring pressure can easily ruin a cam. This motor was never designed to run at 6500 rpm, I was talked into solid roller to make more hp. As far as I'm concerned the benefit of solid roller vs. hydraulic in a non race marine application is not worth the trouble. I should have never let him change the spring pressure that was set up for hydraulic roller from AFR and we should have stayed with hydraulic roller and used the same roller lifters that were in the motor.
The guy was such a blow hard about how he's tested so many type of cams and such and that his tests showed that hydraulic lifters blead down in marine applications due to air in the oil from bouncing around a lake and how he was instrumental in showing all the cam builders how to make proper cams.

He also said he was the first to properly port heads and that AFR copied his design and port work in their cnc ported heads. What a jack-off.........


I should have known when a guy has to tell you how smart and how good he is compared to every other builder on the planet than he's probably full of crap. He bad mouthed every builder in town and all the big names on the west coast. I guess I should have asked what racing teams used his stuff since he was the worlds greatest motor builder.

2112

I killed tappets with valve float. I also like solid rollers. You know exactly where the adjustments are by using a feeler gauge. But thats just me.

Other opinions?

jeff1000man

That looks sharp.

jeff1000man

I don't prefer hydralic flats or rollers, I like the solids. Usually I have learned from my own break downs and those of others, You usually kill the tappets with to much spring pressure or improper break in. Since you are using rollers, probably to much pressure.

The cam maunufacturers can always tell you what the maximum seat pressure is your your cam model.

Big Block Billy

Motor will blow up immediately if plummed backwards, especially with old oil cooler sending junk directly to the mains. Motor builder should have checked oil pressure cold with an oil pump priming tool and mechanical gauge, before trying to run. If motor was blueprinted, this would be in specs or on tag on motor.

2112

How about tappets jumping off the lobe onto a hard landing due to inadequate spring pressure? The tappets I speak of were not totally destroyed, they splayed in the skirts that held the roller and were very difficult to remove. Some of the roller bearings were going south too.

What is the proper break-in for solid rollers?

I can visualize it both ways.

BillK

Bad,

To be honest with you, I thought you were dealing with a Hydraulic Roller. I dont know if any one even makes solid roller lifters without the link bar ?? I have never even looked. On a solid roller, an extra 100lbs of seat pressure probably did not cause the damage unless the open pressure was way off the scale, or the springs were coil binding. Most of the drag race guys have been increasing spring pressures to help reduce lifter failures, among other reasons.