OK so to have a roller cam in my 71 Mex Block I need a retofit cam, lifters and spiders. But why doesnt a solid roller cam need all the spiders and stuff to go with it? What are the drawbacks of useing a solid roller lifter cam in a street car?
you can get what is called a link bar hydrolic roller lifter. it doesnt use the spider and dog bone system. its how the solid roller lifters work. it does require the heads to be removed to put in and remove the lifters.
the draw back to using a solid lifter cam in a street car is that you have to do valve adjustments frequently. you will want to do it every 1000 miles at first. you will learn how long you can go before readjusting the valves is necessary.
A roller retrofit set up will have tie bar lifters, unless you use a small base circle cam so you can use stock ford roller lifters and related components. Solid vs hydraulic... Solid: you will need dedicated and very strong adjustable valvetrain components (Will take more RPM than a hydraulic set up) Important if you plan to wind the wee out of it. Hydraulic: Simpler set up, no adjustments on a regular basis necessary. Softer on the valvetrain components. You can go with cheaper components as well. For a street car...A hyd set up is fine Race car...Definitely go solid...Better for high rpm use.
If you've got good poly locks, rocker adjustments can go way longer than "frequently". Also depends on how much you drive the car. Adjustments can be done up to a year between adjustments. Howards Cams makes linkbar hyd lifters that sell for around $325 that can use the O.E. type roller cams. These are about the best combo for a street driven car.
You're better off getting hydraulic link bar lifters rather than the stockers with spiders and the small base circle cam. The small base circle cams are weaker.
The last solid lifter engine I built was a 392. When I built the engine I set the lash and stuffed it in the car. I started it and broke in the cam (flat tappet). I then pulled the covers off and checked and re adjusted the valve lash. Took the car to the track that weekend and raced it. Got it back to the shop and pulled the covers one more time just to check lash, all was good. I raced the car for the next 3 1/2 years and the covers never came off the engine again. I will say that I had 7/16 studs, roller rockers and a stud girdle. The old myth about having to adjust the lash every 3 months or 1000 miles is just that. And with a roller cam it is even better. That is what I have in the engine I have built for my 72 Grabber is a solid roller. I plan on having a very good experience with it also.
Fordmaster is right about the lash. With the newer solid roller lifters that have the hippo oiling system they live alot longer on the street also. You would specify to your cam grinder that you would like it to be easy on the valvetrain for the street of course. As far as solid lifter flat tappet cams go they're not as much maintenance as people think they are either. I had one in my street/track maverick back in the day and I always checked the lash but rarely did I have to adjust it. And I didn't have all the good stuff fordmaster did either. Just 3/8 studs and cheap cam dynamics roller rockers.
Just a myth is true to my experience. My good friend has a 363,dart block, dart heads(195),jessel rockers,and good stud girdles. He adjusted the values in the spring of2011, beat the Piss outta the engine 2 weekends a month all last year. 7000rpm shifts with a toploader.Never needed to adjust valves at all. This year goin to inspect the valve train and set lash and off he goes again.JMO I have a347.Bullet custom cam,Comp rollers(stainless),endureX roller lifters,manley pushrods. Stud girdles. I plan on only settin the lash once.will shift it about 6800-7000, with a built C4 and 4800 convertor.wish me luck.
WOW!.......I wanted to run AFR 225 Heads...But the tech at AFR sugested 185s I wanted to say "BITE ME". But I asked why, He said my set up would have a Hyd Roller cam and the lifters would get mushy at around 5500 RPMs. So I asked whats the Diff between the 205 heads? Is the cut off for Hyd roller cams a 185 Head and what if I went solid roller? He said oh yes the 205 has solid roller lifter springs but we can put Hyd roller springs in it for you. WOW....You guys have given me so much to think about...I got to digest all the replies to this thread....WOW...I probably typed that Backwards...WOW More ?????s tommorro.
Everyone has hit the nail on the head..............although you still need to check lash every so often............the one issue with solid rollers are the bearings at the roller (depending on what type of roller lifter you buy, not all are alike..........Crower and Comp make an Endura type solid roller that has priority oiling to the roller bearings......other cheaper lifters don't) and by checking the lash you can see if you are developing a problem with that specific lifter/or pair of lifters. Also, solid rollers take a much higher spring rate than a hydraulic and depending on how fast the ramp is (lift) will determine how long before you also need to check the springs........I would say anything over .680................Also, the old myth about solid rollers developing tons more HP............well, it is a myth.........in a street motor anyway. The Crower cam I had in my old motor was .704 lift, and was used for some 10+ years.......from new to when it was taken appart the springs lost about 15%..........which in a street motor is nothing............in a race motor it's a lot. Using a solid roller on the street would be a "no brainer" for me.....IMHO
Hyd rollers don't get mushy at 5500, Mine's got a Z303 (run with 1.7 rockers for .587 lift) with the srpings that came with the Canfields (the specs checked out OK for the cam) and with Comps O.E. type roller lifters, it makes power all the way to 6500, and will go to 7000 before floating the valves. The stock Ford roller lifters will not rev this high, 6 grand is about it.
I would enjoy pulling the valve covers and doing adjustments once in a while. Bye myself in the garage. I think I will go with AFR 205s and solid roller cam and lifters. Man you Guys are the best of the best. Thank you.
I've seen several 5.0l with a new set of fms roller lifters and a good set of roller rockers properly set up valve train rev to 6500 and upwards to 6800rpm.......I agree that just slapping a cam in that has a workable rpm in that range in a stock 5.0 l would be mushy.........and pointless.......but it can been done without gettin crazy......
I'd look into some nice tfs twisted wedge heads. More bangnfor your buck and a better performing head
