L98 Roller Cam ready blocks
Thread Starter
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,596
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From: Portland Oregon
L98 Roller Cam ready blocks
Does all right handed dipstick blocks come equipped for roller cams from GM? I am pretty sure that 86 blocks had dipsticks on the passenger side but I thought that the blocks were not roller cam ready until 87 
I need a confirmation from some one in the know 
I need a confirmation from some one in the know
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 91
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From: Anchorage Alaska
Tj, I just re-ringed my 86 block and it has the left dip stick, 1 piece rear seal and flat lifters. I also looked into using the small roller lifters on my block, But the core shift is so bad that clearincing for the "dog-bone" retainers would hit water on the left side of the block. Good luck.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 1,088
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From: Lakeland fl
BlackIce- Its not just the dogbone problem. A factory L98 roller lifter will expose its oil groove if used in a non-roller block. The lifter bosses on roller blocks are taller. You would have zero oil pressure as it would all bleed out the lifter bores. The only OEM roller lifter to use comes from an EFI 60 degree V6 application. The lifter body is shorter on those and it drops right in. You would still need the dogbone and retainer though.
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Race Director
Joined: Sep 2000
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From: The Top of Utah
Originally Posted by BlackIce86
Tj, I just re-ringed my 86 block and it has the left dip stick, 1 piece rear seal and flat lifters. I also looked into using the small roller lifters on my block, But the core shift is so bad that clearancing for the "dog-bone" retainers would hit water on the left side of the block. Good luck.
I have not, personally, got down and dirty with an OEM roller lifter installation into a pre-roller cam block, but what would prevent the majority of the clearancing for the dog bones to be done on the dog bones themselves, rather than on the block?
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Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2000
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I spoke with the owner of a '86 Pace Car who said his car was tapped and threaded to accept the lifter retainer (spiderweb) and cam retainer ring from the factory. I will soon be changing out the intake on my '86 Pace Car and will check to see if my block is roller ready. Don't know if other Pace car owners experienced this or not. It makes since because the Pace Cars were really '86 1/2 year models.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 426
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From: Detroit MI
My 86 Pace car was not a roller block. It is a one piece rear seal. Here is a link to some pictures I posted of my original 350 short block and new roller.
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...m_id=48&arch=1
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/show...m_id=48&arch=1
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 91
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From: Anchorage Alaska
SB, Yea, I have some tall V8 rollers and a couple of the short V6 rollers for sizing in the block. The V8 rollers are unported just sitting in the lifter bore. The V6 roller looks like it would unport with anything bigger than the Hot Cam. My next round of intended measurements is to check if using a small base circle cam or the lifter bore repair sleve will alow you to use the V6 roller with more lift. Then the next question to answer will be "would it be cheeper just to use retro rollers?"
CFI, Quick call, as I was typing I was thinking what the block looks like (my left), the dip stick is on the passenger side. I don't think there will be a problem clearing the block or triming the Dog-bones on a good block. It is just that my 86 block has such bad core shift one side does not need any clearing and the other would requre cutting deeply into the water jacket. Thanks guys.
CFI, Quick call, as I was typing I was thinking what the block looks like (my left), the dip stick is on the passenger side. I don't think there will be a problem clearing the block or triming the Dog-bones on a good block. It is just that my 86 block has such bad core shift one side does not need any clearing and the other would requre cutting deeply into the water jacket. Thanks guys.
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Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 91
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From: Anchorage Alaska
CFI, yep even with trimming. If you look at -js- picture of the regular block the lower left (in the picture) lifter bore has some machining of the water jacket wall. On my block it is machined 1/16" (guess) closer to the cylinder. I heard about badly shifted blocks but this one supprised me, even the cylinder heads sit on the block funny off to one side. Already have the solution though, a 4-bolt from a 1-ton truck. Later.
