I dont mind adjusting valve clearance every couple of thousand miles. I am building a 396 stroker and noticed that most of the high output engines are running SR cams.

My question is. . . setting aside the maintenance issues. . . . is a solid cam better than a hydraulic cam?

And, which SR cam would you recommend for a street strip/ 383/396 with ported Lt1 heads flowing 260+ cfm (from LE).

Specs: 1996 Lt1 Auto

Static compresion will be around 11:1 with the stock .030 over flat topped pistons,
6 inch rods,
matched ported LT-1 intake,
shorty headers,
3:07 gears,
beefed up automatic 4l60e

Im looking for mid 11 sec quarters.

 

solid rollers are really good for higher rpms. How high are you trying to spin it?

 

Safely to 7k. I just broke a valve spring on a hotcam setup after removing the rev-limiter. The new engine set up will have a freah forged bottom with lunati H beams.

 

I would think a setup like that whould call for a solid roller, of course you'll need solid lifters to go with that, and a few other upgrades. I have a solid roller in mine and spin to 6600 tops. The car still makes power up there, but I can't push it any father because I don't know what the heads can handle. I'll have to get on a dyno to see that.

 

A Solid Roller cam will actually help you everywhere in the rpm band vs a hyd roller cam, not just above typical hyd valve float areas of 6000+ rpm, in part due to the lighter valvetrain, and in part due to the more aggressive lobe ramp profile you can run with a solid lifter...... its a variable, but I think from 2000-5000 rpm, typically a solid roller will make 10-20 ftlbs more..... and from 5000-6000 rpm, 20-40 ftlbs....... above 6000 rpm, naturally its dependant on how far you took it over what the hyd cam was capable of, but gains of 50-100 hp can easily be seen due to the hyd limitations.

With your set-up, and those ported LT-1 cylinder heads, I'd stay in the 240 @ .050" area with a lobe that has much lift as possible..... if you're running right, should have power up to 7000 rpm, yet still maintain some good low rpm driveability/torque. You're definitely going to want to run a loose converter.

Years ago, forum member LT401vette ran a 396 LT-1 (actually bored over to something like a 405 ci), but he ran a similar set-up as described with a solid roller, think he coerced 10.6's @ 128 mph out of it. I do know he did a lot of personal work on those cylinder heads to get that power out of it, but obviously very doable.

Good luck with whatever you decide !

 

Bingo!

More area under the curve, more tq/hp no worries abotu them bleeding down, etc. As said above the lefters are lighter also. Unless your car is track only I bet you wont have to touch them more than once, MAYBE twice per season. Most guys I know check them and inspect rolllers/springs once a year.
Use a good rocker/lock and youre good to go. They have come a long way.....
Back in the day of solid flat tappets and stock stamped arms with ploy nuts sure, if you beat on it a lot that afternoon you may have to check one or two but not so with the latest roller stuff. I am sold on solids.

 

I run a solid in my street car, and I do check it occasionally, but after the first check, there have been no adjustments. Good valvetrain is a must with the higher spring pressures associated with SR cams.

I run 248°/254° @ 0.050" with just shy of 0.700" lift in a FI application. The SR has been good to me, and I would recomend to others.
Aaron

p.s. Initially, I went to the SR because the closed seat psi (ran as high as 132 psi; introduces HR lifter "bleed down") of the HR on 2.10" intake valves would not seal at higher RPMs with high boost. SR has 340 psi closed seat psi.

 

Your mid 11 sec goals can be had by both hyd or solid roller. I agree there is more power to be had with the solid roller along with more maintenance over the hyd roller. With the runner cc of the ported LT1 head and the 3.875 stroke along with the 11 sec goal depends on how much you want to work on it and it wont call for 7,000 rpm to achieve it either.

 

with those heads and 11 second goals, you dont need to go solid roller unless you want to spend more money

my 383 with a cam not much different from a cc306 is mid 11's in the heat and its revving to 6800 no problems, although i expect peak power to be in by 6200-6400 rpms.

all you need is proper springs with good seat pressures and open pressure but not so much you'll collapse the lifter

i'm running 165 lbs seat pressure and something abit over 400 open with LS7 lifters and no problems so far. AFR heads with lightweight LS1 style hollow lightweight valves help but the car feels strong all the way to 6500+. I'll find out thursday when i go to the dyno

 

Quite frankly, mid 11 second ets are doable with your 350, hyd roller cam, ported heads and a loose converter.... but you can reach your mid 11 second et goal a lot easier and more streetable with your stroker motor.... with your 396, even with a fairly mild hyd roller motor in the 232/232 area, well thought out ported cylinder heads and a 3400 rpm converter and you should be good for low 11's at about 120 mph....or thereabouts anyway.

good luck !

 

11.0 to 1 383/396 will be fine to 6800 RPM with a hyd roller. With a 3.07 gear,w e are gonna need a power band much lower though. Depending on what stall you have, I would go with something in the high 220 duration (stock cvonverter-2400 stall) up to a low 230 duration (2800-3600 stall) and even a mid-high 230 duration cam if you are willing to go with more gear (3.54-4.11). We can still use .560-.610 lift on these cams and have the springs last.

Only reasion to go bigger (240+ duration) would be if you are willing to give up lots of street manors and mainly a track car with ocasional street use and can tolerate a car like this. Most 18-22 year old F body kids CAN tolerate this. Most Vette owners will be happier with something milder.

I would go with the Patriot Gold Extreme Spring kit ($280 for springs, retainers, locks and locators) set up at 1.780 (155 seat/380 lbs open) and use LS7 lifters, Trick flow pushrods and Comp Pro Mag rockers.

Next option on springs will be K motion K-800's springs set up at 1.860 (165 seat - 420 open) with Ti retainers, 10 degree locks and locators (abour $400)

You will be able to rev 6800 RPM and have the valve trane remain stable with either set up.

I would stay away from SR set ups for much street use. To make use of a solid roller and have aggressive lobes that will make more power than a GOOD hyd roller, we will need to run at least 225 seat/550 open and preferable slightly more. Figure $400-600 for springs that will LAST on the street, shaft rockers ($750-1000), GOOD pushrods ($240), GOOD lifters (Comp 888-16- $400) and the other parts needed to do it right.

SR's are HARD on parts and even with GOOD parts that cost $$$, they just beat up parts. If driven on the street much, stick with a hyd roller. If you want a solid roller to live on the street, the lobes are not any more aggressive than a GOOD hyd roller and there fore the HP difference is only due to lash variance (10-20 HP) and you still ahve all the rocker adjusting, extra noise, turned off knock sensor, etc.

All of the bad with very little reward for it. Just not worth it to me.

Lloyd

 

your ecm flirts with disaster by leaning out the fuel mixture, listens for detonation via 'knock sensor(s)' and retards spark (with resultant huge output loss) if heard...extremely difficult to run 'solid' lifters with their inherent metallic noises without 'false alarming' the knock sensors, etc

 

very true

 

You guys running solid lifters, answer me this...

How do you keep the lifter noise from triggering the knock sensor and retarding your timing? I'd love to run a solid roller in the 383 I'm building.

 

Idont know, mines carburedeted. Done all the time though, tons of EFI running good sized SR's on the street.
BTW at 40 I still like em real big and ratty. Not just for kids

 

you can disable the knock sensor and tune by old fashioned ways maybeable to desensitize the knocksensor by limiting what timing it can pull and increase the rate it adds timing back

either way its the same deal, knock sensor will have to go someway or somehow

 

I understand what you are saying Lloyd. I am assuming that you are Lloyd Elliot, the well known LT1 and LSx guru. Therefore, your advice carries a lot of weight. But am not the typical corvette owner. I want my vette to sound, look and act mean.

Even though I am 40(+). . .I don't mind the nastiness of a stout cam. I can add vacuum via other means, remove knock sensor, etc. I only use premium gas, and if my engine is running lean, I will hear the ping anyway.

I like the simplicity and reliability of the solid roller. I'd swear that when I broke a valve spring on my current set up, it was because of the hydraulics floating on me. PLus, I hate adjusting hyd lifters because it seems to shift a little after driving a few hundred miles. If I am going to be checking valves...might as well be a simple system.

The Beehives aren't good for solid rollers?

 

Even a "big" hydraulic Id wanna double check once or twice a yr, may as well be something making more power.

I woudnt.

 

no solid rollers need much more spring pressure to work. i dont think there is a beehive that can handle a solid roller.

You dont really need it either since to handle valve float you just run more spring pressure tilll it goes away with a solid. no worries about too much pressure that you collapse the lifter since they are solid and will not collapse

 

solid lifters are noisy? No wonder i've had those sounds up there, never could figure it out. Wasn't from under the valve covers or injectors, it was starting to drive me mad.