I have a 400 block bored 30, 3.800 stroke crank, 6 inch rods, je pistons and rhs 220 heads. I would like to run a solid roller but I am not sure if it would hold up. This is not my daily driver but I do drive it a lot, and the cfi is gone, intake and carb. I have a 3000 stall lockup converter so if anyone has a good idea what to run please do tell.


Thanks Tom

 

I've been running a solid roller for years. My motor is a 400, .020 over, 6" rods, SRP flat tops and Brodix heads. 2 Years ago I swapped out a solid roller for another and changed to the Comp endure-x roller lifters. I believe Isky has a set of roller lifters that use a oil fed bushing rather than the needle bearings. They claim much better lifter life.

My cam is a Comp custom that has a 4/7 swap. The motor absolutely responded to the cam change. You won't find better performance than a good set of heads with a solid roller. (Not including power adders).

 

I build a bunch of mech rollers for street cars.

Keeping oil at the lifter is critical. Keeping the lifter tracking accurately on the lobe is critical.

Back in the day we all ran oil restrictors to keep oil at the rods and mains.... maybe 4-5yrs ago many other people began having lifter failures. I do NOT run them anymore in SBC's. If we get a SBC in the shop that we orginally built with them in, I'll remove them.

Morel (sold by Lunati), Comp, Crower (HIPPO) and ISKY, all have a lifter with forced oil to the roller brgs. I've used the Morel lifter and ISKY "Red Zone" lifter the past few years with good success. Pricy but worth it in the end IMO.

Now some folks are just cheap - so I have also used the standard old Crane "pop up" roller lifter in budget engines and never had a failure. Probally have 6-7 sets of them out there in street cars. I always run a rev kit on them and thats probally why I don't have any problems.

If you do a little pre planning by either running forced oil lifters (or a rev kit), then keep track of the valve lash and generally maintain it - a mech roller will live fine in a street car.
Will

 

another happy 84 owner with a carb

 

Looks like I am in the market for a solid roller, now just need to pick one. I have all comp cam valvetrain now and have no problem spending a little extra on a good set of lifters. I need to check into the Morel lifters if they are the best. I had a roller lifter fail in a drag motor a few years back and don't want that mess again. Thanks for everyone's input

 

Don't mean to hijack, but this question seems related.

Out of curiousty do manufacturers make solid roller cams with the stepped down nose and smaller bolt pattern for OE roller blocks so that you can use the factory style cam retaining plate as opposed to running a cam button?

 

when you run a solid roller don't you have to constantly set the valve lash?? or are you useing self aligning rockers?????

 

I've learned that "constantly" is a term that should be used loosely. I've heard that 5,000 miles of spirited use is fine between adjustments. Considering your usage of the vehicle that isn't that bad.... heck even if you drive it 10,000 a year that's only twice a year.

 

This is very close to the specs of my cam. Mine is a Comp custom grind with a 4/7 swap. It may seem mild to some but it pulls hard to 7200.

http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=1992&gid=290

 

I have run a Comp Cam SR cam since late '01 without any issues. I run a cam button against a 3-piece cast aluminum timing cover. This is run in a L98 factory block at 408 CID. Good heads (AFR 215CPs), SR cam, and a bunch of boost is an excellent recipe for FUN.

 

Does the 4/7 swap change the sound/note of the exhaust?

 

I went from a 242/242, 112lsa to the 238/244, 110lsa. The idle is about the same but the throttle response is completely different. I don't know if the 4/7 made the difference or the 110lsa. The motor revs so freely and the throttle response is so instant.

The exhaust note is slightly different.

 

You have to adjust lash sometime on a solid cam regardless of whether you have SA or non SA rockers. Rocker type is unrelated to lifter type

 

I'd like to know the answer to this questiongalso! I'm in the process of rebuilding my '93 LT1 396 and hadn't thought about a solid roller until I was reminded by this thread.

So what is involved in the conversion from a hydraulic roller to solid roller camshaft?

 

What are the benefits and what is involved in the 4/7 swap? I assume it means swapping the firing order of the 4 and 7 cylinder. Is it just a matter of tellin the custom cam grinder to swap or is anything else required to compliment the cam change?

 

The 4/7 swap will change the sound of the exhaust, may add more power, but the real benifit is that it is suppossed to reduce the stress on the main bearings by evening out the loading. How much of a benift if any is this, I do not know because the SBC has been around for 55 years and is known for good durability.

When I was picking a cam for my bracket race 555 BBC that makes 800 plus HP a few cam grinders suggested a 4/7 swap to even out the bearing loads and increase power. In my application 14:1 compression 7500 RPM application the 4/7 swap was worth around 20 HP in their opinion and it is free HP since all you need to change is the wires on the cap. During the conversation the cam grinder mentioned that he did a lot of 4/7 SBC cams in 500 HP street applications and that they were worth no more power then a conventional cam design. The only reason he did them was because the market was asking for them even though they did not work in that application. (He stated that the more expensive cam was being purchased incorrectly because people had to have the new latest racing trick on the street even though it did not work in that application.) I do not have any proof that 4/7 swaps in street cars are not worth the money, but his comments made me wonder about the wisdom of a 4/7 swap on a street car.

 

As many details as possible, please.

 

Yes cam grinders offer a mech roller for the SBC on the later style small nose core.

All thats really involved is asking your cam grinder of choice for one.

With an LTX there are few extra things you need to do. You'll need the long dowel pin (which you can just swap from the factory cam) and sometimes you have to machine the pilot hole in the nose of the cam core bigger for certain opti sparks.

For the conversion. You'll need mech roller lifters, correct length pushrods, and the correct valve springs. If you've got the typical late model centerbolt valve covers, I'd recommend shaft mount rockers, because you can't fit a stud girdle under them.... At the least I'd suggest a good 7/16 stud mount rocker.
Will