They are CNC ported. The motor is together but not in the car yet. Seems like if I was going to end up doing it later, now would be better since it would easier. I will be driving the car to work every day but the EFI should make it driveable even with a bigger cam. The only reason I went with the hydraulic cam was to avoid adjusting the valves a lot since I'm driving it every day. How big a deal is adjusting them and how often would it need to be done?

 

You guys crack me up..... weenie cams and 1125rwhp/1020tq you all and 632C2 are making me think I have a 6 cylinder !

 

The 315's are the CNC version of the 305's.

I think your 675 hp guess is probably pretty close.

I am not as familiar with that tranny but my buddies 690 hp 540 made 460 at the wheels through a Turbo 400. He had a pretty big stall converter though and that can make it tough on the dyno figures. The car ran a 10.80 at almost 4000 lbs race weight. It went 6.5xx's in the 1/8 with a 150 shot

 

If you use shaft rockers or stud girdles with a solid roller, you won't have to adjust the lash too often.. I mad 100 drag strip passes before checking my lash and it was only off by 1 thousands or so when I checked it..

 

How much more power could I get out of a different hydraulic cam if I decided to go that route?

 

I'm putting substantially more lift in a "moderate" pump gas 496.

IMHO, if this 540 is going to be in a street/strip fighter, I'd suggest seriously considering a Comp Cams solid roller 274XSR / 280XSR / 112* LSA custom grind. It will give .639" intake and .646 exhaust w/1.7 rockers, at 109* ILCA would put your DCR in the sweet spot for pump gas, and should make a good bit more power without sacrificing manners very much. Just my .02.

 

Adjusting valves is no big deal..only takes a few minutes once you get used to it and you have car set up to be easy to work on.

But solid roller life expectancy isn't what hyd rollers are. Solids make more power because they move the valve a lot quicker..that is hard on parts. Hyd cams last a long time because the lobes are a lot softer. They also don't like to idle even with the lifters using hi pressure pin oiling etc. They don't get enough oil to keep them alive. You just have to resign yourself to inspecting and changing them regularly.

There are some solid street rollers that will live a long time. They make similar power at regular rpm as a hyd roller...but they will rev a lot higher which with right heads will help a lot. They will also have better manners than the equivalent power HR.

How many miles a year?

Here's my take on it. I like things to rev some..and I hate not being able to if I want to. Before I'd use a HR, I'd go through the trouble to install a good strong solid flat tappet with EDM oiling. You could make similar power to a HR, yet rev to the moon and if it was a good designed cam you could run a long time and never touch a valve. I ran one in my 540 a whole summer and when I checked it they were still dead on where i left them. That sucker would rev to 7500 rpm all day and never hurt anything. Yes it made less power than my big solid roller..but it ran well.

JIM

 

Jim, just a reminder that CompCams' latest Endure-X solid roller lifter w/EDM is supposed to have solved the oiling problem. ...at least I hope so, since that's what I'm going with...

 

Any better hydraulic rollers that would give significantly more power?

 

I went 6.395 in the 1/8 mile on engine with a little 406 small block and a 100 shot and that was already with a spun bearing..

 

Are you going to be there for the birth of your baby? I mean you built it...you need to be there to hear it go through all the pain you're about to inflict on it!!

JIM

 

I don't know if they are for real or just a gimmick, but you might check to see if anyone on here has experience with Rhoads V-Max lifters. Personally, I'm skeptical, as the variable timing evidently isn't predictable enough for the manufacturer to publish any hard data (at least I haven't found any) to plug in, and I've never been very confident with the results from any modeling I've attempted with them.

However, regardless of what hydraulic lifters you try, none can compare to solids when all-out performance is sought. They've gotten a bum rap over the years, but when set up correctly with the right studs and locks, they really don't have to be lashed all that often, if that's your biggest concern. I'm putting a solid roller in my street re-build...

 

Oliver,

I don't get your point?? the Chevelle weighed 4000 lbs and has a total of maybe 10 passes. It ran a 10.80 it's only time to a 1/4 mile track and made 3-4 passes on nitrous before he stopped using it. The car launched so had on the juice it twisted the hood slightly and cracked the paint so he took it off.

My tube frame race car went 5.85 in the 1/8th with a pump gas oval port 454 with about 620 hp.....big deal, the car weighs about 2300 lbs with me in it.

 

I got a set of the Endurex's with the EDM hole about a year before they hit the market. Comp let me try a set for real cheap. I still have them in my car. The newest versions have a better axle in them than mine do.

The Isky Red Zones have a larger axle and the Crowers with the HIPPO option are probably still the best two on the market in a sorta reasonable price range.

But I wouldn't kid myself into thinking you can forget about them. They will still be a wear item.

As far as a better hyd roller...I think everyone has replied. I'd call Harold Brookshire (he designed your Bullet..so I know it's already better than the numbers might appear) and see what he can cook up. Comp also has some pretty serious ones...but with any of these you have to think light vavletrain and the correct springs. They are picky!

Still could use some info...you keep asking same question...people are here trying to help...but you're not helping them. How much vacuum do you need to have? How many real miles per year? Stop and go traffic.....50 mile commute....cross country trips....3 miles to work and then to the track? Lots of variables to determine the right cam.

You don't seem to wild about working on it...so I'd stay with a nice conservative cam like you have and just drive it. Running a serious valvetrain in a big block takes commitment and you have to be slightly nuts!


JIM

 

It's up to your priorities. If opening the hood is something you'd rather avoid, stay with a milder hydraulic roller, but mind that your DCR isn't too high. If you don't mind tinkering with it now and then, and want to be rewarded for the "trouble", step up to a solid roller somehwere along the lines of the one I suggested previously.

JIm, glad to hear you're getting good service out of your Endure-X lifters. Mine will evidently have the improved axle. One of the other things I like about the E-X is Comp's rebuild program, especially since I only live about 30 min from their shop.
Charlie

 

I'm not sure, but it sounds like those Endurex lifters might be the ones that my engine builder told me he ordered today for my sbc 427. I am assuming they make them for a sb? Anyway, I know they are Comp cams solid roller lifters and he apparently talked to them about my concern about oil starving the needle bearings if I put around town every once in awhile and comp cams indicated that these are a lot more durable than the old design.

 

The lifters for the big and small blocks are the same..only the little link bars are different.

You can tell the *good* axles from the others by looking on the end of the axle. The good ones have a little dimple in them.

I've used Comps rebuild service and it's works well. We were just there and toured the place again the other day on the way to the Cruise In. Always fun.


With a solid roller, you have to think about stuff a little differently. Avoid long idling. Even with pressurized oiling you want to get as much oil thrown on them as possible. If you get caught in a big traffic jam..pull off somewhere and kill engine..or at least rev it up occasionally to throw some oil around. Be careful with getting engine RPM too low for long periods of time. Some of the folks with big O/D ratios can have issues if RPM is too low to move a lot of oil. I like a lot of oil pressure even at low speeds to keep a lot of oil flowing to lifters. HV pumps help outrun the internal oil leaks of direct pressure fed lifters. Make sure there are no restrictors put in oil galleries.



JIM

 

I want to stay with a hydraulic roller but I've seen some with more lift and different lsa and duration. How much more power could I get by swapping to a more aggressive hydraulic?

 

The thing you're up against is that you don't need a whole lot of duration because of 1) your CR, and 2) the rpm limitations of hydraulics. If you can find one with more lift without getting too far past 280* advertised intake, that would be good, but hyd. rollers with much more than about .600" just don't seem to be out there. Before I put 1.8 rockers with one, I'd be sure to chat with the manufacturer.

If you must stay hyd. roller, one of the latest HR cam lobe lines out is CompCams' XFI series (seperate intake and exhaust profiles). Haven't put one to actual use, but in several Engine Analyzer Pro models, they appear to be about the best HR designs currently out there, up to about 5000 rpm in 496-540 BB's with good heads. Lift ranges are still around the low .600"s, but there's a lot of area under the curve. (Comp will likely recommend 110* LSA, but I generally prefer 112* in the range you'll be looking at.)

Hope that helps.

PS: Are you sure we can't get you into the solid roller club??

 

Good info Jim!


Man the more I hear about solid rollers, the less I want one....

I just think you can do fine with a hyd roller if its the right combo. I mean EVERYONE runs hyd rollers in LS1/6/7 motors, they all rev to 7k no problem and you get 100k miles out of a set of lifters, EASY.

The only problem is the ramps are so aggressive on the new style cams that its hard on valve springs....springs only good for 20k miles or so but..thats no biggie.. At least I can idle and not worry about em...LOL