Chuck’s engine build thread!

[ChuckN]

If you do, skip the timing control a just run it with a good hei. I also dont use the modules they offer, the system is easy enough to wire, no need to make it more complicated than necessary.

I’m with you on that, and the coil/hyperspark is crazy expensive.

 

[xm20k]

I'd go HEI and an Eddy 1411 electric choke, but I prefer not to add electronic items that complicate things or could fail and not be fixed on the side of the road.

Pardon Our Interruption

I prefer the Eddies for mostly street driven vehicles and Holly for race only applications. Hence why my tunnel ram 388 runs 2 500 AVS carbs because I street drive it as often as I can when it's warm/dry enough.

 

[ChuckN]

Back to the drawing board. Flat tappet stuff boxed up and sent back. More reports of flat tappet failures even with the DLC lifters. I can only afford to do this once and I’m gonna buy once/cry once and do a roller setup. Just need to figure out if I need a small base circle cam now, just have to buy one and check for clearance.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Dang, hate to hear that but don't blame you a bit. I'm gun shy even on the LS roller stuff these days.

 

[xm20k]

Scat rotating assembly should already be clearanced on the rod ends for the cam. The block should be the only thing to deal with there. Defiantly double check but typically its' done for you.

You must be registered for see images attach

 

[legopnuematic]

Personally from what I have seen these days even [retrofit] roller cams aren't safe from failure.

Anyways, I have done 4 cam installs, 2 350s, slant six, and a ford tractor, all flat tappet, the 350s being hydraulic lifters and the others being solid lifters. Have not had any issues/failures from any of them. The 79 has a Summit cam and lifter kit in it, the 76 a Howards cam kit, and the slant six has a custom ground cam and lifters from Oregon Cam Grinders (in Vancouver, WA).

For all of these installs I used lucas assembly lube on the bearing surfaces and moly lube on the lifter faces and cam lobes. None of these engines have crazy profiles or crazy high spring pressures (so I am sure that helps overall). I think break in springs or removing inner springs is a good idea for higher profile cams/higher spring pressures/rocker ratios.

If your old lifters are in good shape, Oregon Cam Grinders can resurface the old lifters to recrown them and be able to run with your new cam. Might be worth a call and see.

 

[TotalyHucked]

If your old lifters are in good shape, Oregon Cam Grinders can resurface the old lifters to recrown them and be able to run with your new cam. Might be worth a call and see.

That's good to know, I didn't know that was a thing

 

[ChuckN]

Personally from what I have seen these days even [retrofit] roller cams aren't safe from failure.

Anyways, I have done 4 cam installs, 2 350s, slant six, and a ford tractor, all flat tappet, the 350s being hydraulic lifters and the others being solid lifters. Have not had any issues/failures from any of them. The 79 has a Summit cam and lifter kit in it, the 76 a Howards cam kit, and the slant six has a custom ground cam and lifters from Oregon Cam Grinders (in Vancouver, WA).

For all of these installs I used lucas assembly lube on the bearing surfaces and moly lube on the lifter faces and cam lobes. None of these engines have crazy profiles or crazy high spring pressures (so I am sure that helps overall). I think break in springs or removing inner springs is a good idea for higher profile cams/higher spring pressures/rocker ratios.

If your old lifters are in good shape, Oregon Cam Grinders can resurface the old lifters to recrown them and be able to run with your new cam. Might be worth a call and see.

Yeah, I hear ya and I appreciate you chiming in. The lifters had been pretty galled on the side (same as the the bearings) from junk that had circulated through the oil, likely on startup from the prior “rebuild”. All the flat tappet stuff I bought is already in the mail for refunds, and some of that is just to get it back before 30 days, or else I’m stuck with restocking fees if I can return it at all.

Part of this is saving me from myself. There’s so many variations and variables out there, how they fail, why they fail, what happens, etc, and like anything else the devil in the details. That is something that I can’t reconcile from my garage, I was trying to do exactly that (calling and talking to people, watching YT, etc) and it was driving me crazy to the point that I even my wife was noticing.

It’s true that roller lifters fail too, but they typically fail in a different manner (lack of pump-up, etc) versus flat tappet either surviving or failing during break in- or even a thousand miles later. And with the lack of cores and dwindling supplies or cam cores/lifters, they might be hard to obtain in the future. Hard to say.

I will say that it will be nice to not have to worry about the cam so much when I fire it up for the first time.

 

[xm20k]

Can't blame you, I'd gotten to the point about 5 years ago I will no longer risk a flat tappet,especially after a buddies failed in the first 5 minutes of break in.

 

[Craig Nedrow]

I used a bullet cam, Johnson roller lifters, https://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/bbc-489-build.45389/page-4
Very good stuff. In hindsight sight, would have gone solid. The whole thread has a ton of info, lots of pics of everything, and block mods.

 

[ChuckN]

I used a bullet cam, Johnson roller lifters, https://www.gmsquarebody.com/threads/bbc-489-build.45389/page-4
Very good stuff. In hindsight sight, would have gone solid. The whole thread has a ton of info, lots of pics of everything, and block mods.

Thanks, I’ll take a look!

 

[TotalyHucked]

I know how that goes, driving yourself literally mad trying to wade through all the details and options. For my LS, Johnson and Morel seem to be the go-to brands that have minimal to no complaints/failures. I'm sure the same is true for small block rollers as well

 

[ChuckN]

I know how that goes, driving yourself literally mad trying to wade through all the details and options. For my LS, Johnson and Morel seem to be the go-to brands that have minimal to no complaints/failures. I'm sure the same is true for small block rollers as well

Yeah, the “Evolution “ line Comp may be improved but their High Energy line apparently are terrible. I’m probably just going to find the best deal on Johnson Hylift that I can and go with them. Seems the most failsafe option, although apparently for a “budget “ lifter the Howards get good mentions. And by budget I mean $700 instead of $800, lol. Morel seem a little less prevalent.

 

[xm20k]

My 2 most recent engine builds are running Howards roller lifters.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Oh yeah, I always forget about Howards. I've never heard anything bad about theirs either