So the vette is almost done getting the vortec heads put on today and at 8:30am I got a call from the mechanic. They need higher tension push rods because the springs are too heavy for the stock ones (the ones I have are only a year and a half old), and the new ones would be $98 for 16 of em. First I'm thinking why the hell they'd need new push rods for that. Second I'm thinking how the hell pushrods are $6 a piece when I know they're usually $1. So I tell em I'll call em back in a few minutes. I call around and ask what the Camaro Z28 with the 302 used for push rods, same ones as a '75 truck or even an '81 Corvette. So I call a machine shop and see what they think, they tell me the stock ones should be fine. So I call the mechanic back and am like "WTF mate? the stock ones should be fine" well apparently they bent 5 pushrods and it's because the springs are too strong for them. So I groan and say fine replace them because he wants to charge me extra labor if I go get some and bring them down. So I remember that he orders stuff from Carquest and I call them up. Find out what pushrods are used in a '69 Z28 302, same $1.25 ones used in all cars. I then ask how much the high tension ones are, they're chromoly and $6 a piece. That answers my second question, at least.

So here's what I'm wondering, how the hell did they bend 5 push rods with springs that are similar to Z28 springs? The Z28 302 didn't use any different type of rods so I'm not sure how they managed to do it. Now that they have chromoly push rods en route, if they break those it's DEFINITELY their ***.

 

I don't know what your build is but I'm guesing your using a
hydraulic cam, spring pressures for hydraulics are light maybe
they are running into coil bind if you used a vortec head ??

 

Ya know at this point it wouldn't suprise me if they're getting coil bind like knuckleheads... I'm gonna call em about that.

Called em and they don't THINK it's from coil bind because of a couple of things. One is because it was on both the exhaust and intake side (my cam's lift is .442/.465) if it was only on the exhaust side I would definitely believe coil bind. Two is because it bent them at idle, if it had been revving it'd make a little more sense, but at idle?

Any other possibilities?

 

I smell

 

Aren't the stock Vortech heads limited in their lift capacity? What cam are you using?

 

Yeah be sure they've clearanced the spring seats on the vortec heads. sounds like the cam has .480 gross lift or more, which would cause springs to bind and pushrods to bend on stock vortec heads.

what shop is doing your assembly? I live in the san diego area and am curious because people ask me for recommendations all the time (i usually come up with nothing because I do my own work) but at least I can tell people which shops to steer clear of...

my machinist is Tony at G&G off Miramar (Dowdy Rd.), a recommendation from a hotrodders.com forum member.

 

also, forgot to mention... but if they've bent the pushrods during break in because the springs bottomed out, you'll want to have the cam lobes and lifter faces checked for damage. don't let them charge you for this, it's their mistake if they've never used vortecs for a performance engine build and don't know any better.

 

Lee's automotive in Lemon Grove is where I took it to. A fellow autocrosser recommended them because they did some good machine work for him. When I called them they seemed to know what I was talking about and weren't going by book hours for labor. If anything else goes wrong I'm telling them I'm not paying for it, that's for sure.

Wish I woulda known about G&G to begin with... I work like .2 miles from there.

 

your lift sounds like its less then what a vortec is claimed to handle
but it could still be the springs used they need to check how
much clearance they have on the springs and the clearence on the
retainer to top of the guide. there is no way it should be bending pushrods.

 

I just talked to Tony at G G (thanks for the heads up on him indigo ). I may end up yanking my vette out of this shop's garage by tow truck and charging HIM for any additional labor.

From what Tony tells me, if push rods are BENT something solid hit something and now I may have bent valves, too. Never again am I trusting a shop further than 5 miles from my house. This is ridiculous.

 

Cool, glad to refer someone to a machinist I trust.

Tony's thinking of an extreme situation, where the cam was not aligned with the crank, causing the valves to open just before the piston reaches TDC... contact! BAd!!

Hopefully it's not that, but if it is, Tony will know where to look for additional / incidental damage.

I only trust an engine builder as far as I can throw him.... but competent machinists, as hard as they are to come by, are worth their weight in gold!

The only thing to know... Tony is a busy guy... but it's worth the wait, trust me.

 

Well I've decided I'm yanking it out of there. It's going over to chas performance, since Tony recommended em. I've had it with incompetence, now. They ain't getting a dime out of me.

 

SpeedPro pr SET P/N RP5000K are stock length (~7.8") & hardened 1010 ... will easily handle Z28 spring plus some ... about $25/set. Tried & true.

At 442/465 ... coil bind NOT likely. Maybe bottom of retainer to seal clearance not enough.

My guess ... the boneheads don't know how to deal w/ hyd lifters & they cranked lifters down too far ... then lifters pumped up & bent the prs. You may have damage to seals ... due to lifter pump up ... OR due to not enough running clearance at retainer to seal. A trusty expert needs to take over.

 

vortec heads have about a 480 limit they probably did go to
far on the adjustment.

 

They don't THINK it was coil bind??? THEY DON'T THINK!!!!! IT WAS COIL BIND???????
Run, don't walk, and get your engine out of that place!!!!! Coil bind or whatever caused 5 BENT PUSHRODS, don't let them touch another hair on its chinny-chin-chin."New pushrods" is NOT the fix.

 

I just paid $40 for a set of Crane chrome moly push rods
I seriously hope they were necessary
The engine feels very strong

 

If they cranked em down too far, couldn't that damage the lifter, bend pushrod, cause valve to hit piston or bend the vavle stem?

 

Like the pervious post stated the vortec heads are limited on the lift. I just had the guides milled down to aviod this situation . But this is supposed to be checked when building any engine.

 

Check my new post for the whole story. I had the vette yanked out of there and am suing them for damages and fraud. It's in the hands of a performance expert now so we'll see what the extent of the damage is.

Lee's Automotive at 8260 Broadway in Lemon Grove, California will be known as a fraudulent company from now on.