[Oldschool@heart]

If you can hear the lifters, you exhaust is too quiet.

I'm still laughing on that one, cause its so true. I'm so loud I scare the crap out of people if I even touch the throttle. My wife hears me in the house at the other end of the mile If I lay some rubber down. Lifter? what lifters

 

[HIGH ROLLER]

Our modified circle track engines run 100 lap races 50 lap races 20 races a year with solid lifter cams turning 7400 EVERY time you lift going in the corner every lap, these are 435 hp 355 engines. These are 1/2 and 7/8 mile race tracks.

 

[HoleShot]

I know I can hit the rpms I want with a solid flat tappet, I was just wandering if I would be throwing horsepower away by not going to a roller cam. If I wasn't going to be using good aftermarket heads I probably wouldn't even be considering using a roller cam, decisions, decisions. I would say a modern solid solid flat tappet cam would fare pretty well against a solid roller, probably wouldn't make quite as much power but I doubt the difference would be a whole lot. I'm looking for at least 400 hp, a valvetrain that will handle 7000 rpms, and I want it to be reliable. I know an aggressive solid flat tappet will not last as long as a mild cam even with good oil, but this will be a pleasure car that will not be driven a lot. Its going to be a while before I'm ready to build so maybe I'll just wait and see what kind of long term reviews these new pressure fed solid rollers get.

 

[MikeB]

I never liked solid lifters, clack clack clack clack, etc.

Blasphemy! Everything from the fuelie 283 to the LS6 454 are rolling over on their engine stands!

Properly adjusted American-made lifters, when used with American-made rockers arms and valves, should have a mellow ticking sound, and will need only infrequent adjustment.

The clack, clack, clack could just as well be from PROPERLY ADJUSTED imported hydraulic lifters.

 

[pmbinc7618]

holeshot, another vote for the solid roller. My 400 sbc runs a Chet Herbert solid roller; 258-270 @ .50 with 6.10 in. 6.30 ex. 10.5 JE pistons worked over World sportsman 2 heads Crane roller rockers and triple valve springs. I drive it on the street with 91 octane pump gas and have put about 4K miles on it since it was built. I've adjusted the valves twice and they were all pretty close. When running, I've had many car guys along side who know it is a roller motor and will comment about it. It has that distinct valve train noise but there is no "click clack" going on. For an occasional driver, I think they are okay and the top end rewards, i.e. 7000 rpm +, IMO, are worth the little extra cost and noise.

pete

 

[punisher55]

holeshot, another vote for the solid roller. My 400 sbc runs a Chet Herbert solid roller; 258-270 @ .50 with 6.10 in. 6.30 ex. 10.5 JE pistons worked over World sportsman 2 heads Crane roller rockers and triple valve springs. I drive it on the street with 91 octane pump gas and have put about 4K miles on it since it was built. I've adjusted the valves twice and they were all pretty close. When running, I've had many car guys along side who know it is a roller motor and will comment about it. It has that distinct valve train noise but there is no "click clack" going on. For an occasional driver, I think they are okay and the top end rewards, i.e. 7000 rpm +, IMO, are worth the little extra cost and noise.

pete

Unfortunately, running a solid roller on the street is a crap shoot, at best. Some will say they have had good luck, but the problem is the roller lifter will have somewhere around .016-.030 lash according to the grind. The lifter doesnt stay on the lobe. Instead it jumps up and down on the lobe,causing the small needles inside the roller lifters bearings to fail. When one fails,all of these needle bearing particles and pieces of the cam lobe etc... go down into the pan requiring a tear down. Ive seen this personally too many times to count. The pressure fed lifters dont really address this problem. The extra oil doesnt keep the lifter on the lobe. Isky is making a lifter that doesnt have the needle bearings called "EZ ROLL" but they are over $800.00 a set.:confused0006:

 

[gmcferon]

I may be completly off base here but I went with the Roller Rockers cam etc. on my BB to keep wear down on the long haul. I have to say I like the sound of the clic, click click of solids over the loose ratling sound of hydraulics. But in my case I feel Cubic inch makes up for 7K+ RPM. This is an interesting thread, I don't feel these are opinions as much as tested facts.

 

[HoleShot]

Boy I'm probably going to hear it for this one, what about taking an aggressive hydraulic roller cam and running solid roller lifters on it. Heck, some of the hydraulic roller cams out there have .050 duration numbers that make me wonder how they could be hydraulic. But the spring recommendations for these cams are usually lighter than the spring recommendations for even the most mild solid rollers. I'm guessing a solid roller lifter is lighter than a hydraulic one so you could probably use the springs specd for the hyd cam. I bet it would run fine, sure it would act like a slightly smaller cam because of having to lash it, but I'm talking about a hyd roller with duration in the 250s or more @ .050. Anyone ever thought of this?

 

[iveys57]

solid roller lifters on hyd roller cam

I have heard that this is being done locally with sucess, however, tight lash and limited RPM's are what make them live (0.014 and 6400rpm). What about a good solid flat tappet cam with lifters that have the EDM ~0.021 lasered hole in them? For cost/perfomance/bang for the buck they are my next move.

 

[hddude]

Comp has that new "Thumper" series cams. 3 grinds, for that old school "lumpy" idle. roller and flat tappet.

 

[63chevytoo]

I will soon have my 421 built. I has a Lunati voodoo agressive ramp hydraulic roller. The lobe shape is different than a normal lobe. I am going with hydraulic roller because I am not going to spin this thing past 6500. I am after street torque and so far it will probably produce more torque than hp. Small 195 heads also. I want the engine to last because they aren't cheap.

I have a mechanical roller in my prostreet chevyII and I spend very little time running around spinning 7000+.

The fun street range for me is 1500-5500 with seat planting torque. I always run out of road when I run them flat out anyhow.

I am building BB torque in a SB. (can't afford a BB)
Build the engine where it will spend most of its time when you drive it.

Look at High Roller's post. He builds it where he drives it....

Don

 

[speedy55]

for performance use where you are willing to spend some time and money, go with the solid roller. I used to run an ERSON Hi-flow III hydraulic cam in my car years ago. it is 472 lift with 316 * advertised duration. sounded mean and i turned it to 7500 every friday and saturday night at least 20 times a weekend. It was definitely a top end power range cam and I never had a camshaft problem. but I am alot happier with my roller.