Roller rocker arms
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Aug 2000
Posts: 952
Likes: 0
From: Morgantown,WV USA
Roller rocker arms
Would adding 1.5 roller rocker arms to a
very 78 l48 produce any performance gains? The car has dual exhaust and i want to maintain the stock appearance but want a little more power
very 78 l48 produce any performance gains? The car has dual exhaust and i want to maintain the stock appearance but want a little more power
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 630
From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
Same goes for any 1.6:1 rocker regardless sliding or roller tip or full roller.
L48 has a little cam ... any improvement is a small percentage of base ... and here, the base is also quite small.
scummit & others sell good cam&lifter kits for about $100 ... K1102 or K1103 or similar would do nicely. Even then, seat-of-the-pants difference may only whet your appetite. Your OE intake & carb are more than adequate.
L48 has low compression via both dished pistons & large combustion chambers ... comp increase requires much more: time, labor, parts & $.
Pro
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 577
Likes: 6
As a stand alone upgrade a roller tip rocker will do almost nothing you would notice. If you are really serious about wanting more power you have to devise a plan with a budget and base it on your timeline and your level of skill to accomplish the plan.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 6,134
Likes: 46
From: Raleigh North Carolina
The only benefit to roller tip rockers as a standalone improvement is that they reduce the side loading on the valve stems & guides. I installed a set as a test and when I tore the engine down the new valves & guides I had installed had no perceptible wear. If your valves & guides already have a lot of wear on them, there would be no point in installling them unless you do a valve job. The next test is in progress... I installed a set of Rhoads hydraulic lifters which act a little like solid lifters at idle... a little loose (noisy)... and we'll see if that messes up the rollers.
