Lifter Choice

[Rannos]

I am building a street/strip SBC with a solid roller cam. I have a set of comp cams solid rolle lifters already but have been getting mixed advice on what I should run. The truck the motor is going in will see less then 1000 miles a year and most likely not more then 50 miles in a weekend. My springs set up with 155# on the seat and about 430# open. I am not running oil restrictors and have been told if not running restrictors and with my lower spring pressure not to worry about it. I have also been told with out something like the HIPPO or Endure-X style lifters the low rpm of street driving will kill the needle bearings. I have never used a solid roller for street use before so I have no exprience myself to guide my decision. What do most of you run in street engines? Will my current lifters suffice or should I get the HIPPO/ENFURE-X style?

Thanks,
Jay

[GuysMonteSS]

I have been using the Isky EZ Roll lifters for going on 4 years,they dont have needle bearings,instead they have a bushing.They are a little more expensive,but,IMO,well worth it.Heres a link;
http://www.iskycams.com/ISKY-RedZoneEZRoll3.pdf
Guy

[Caprimaniac]

Hi, Rannos.

As far as I know, most solid roller lifter fabricators advice you to not restrict oil to the lifters.

I've been using a set of lifters with the oiling like the Endure-X lifters like you suggest for a couple of years now, without any issues. Strret/ track.

Although. Before that I used the comp solid rollers w/o the oiling for 3 years or so, trouble free. Have heard of people running them for a long time...

I guess if your budget alow, you could go the Isky EZ roller route; some say these are the strongest & most endureable rollers out there. No needle rollers, no worries.

If I were to choose rollers again I'd might go with indexed rollers, like Jesel and other provides, for valvetrain weight reasons. Although it's overkill... I haven't looked into the costs yet - that part might had scared me off....


You probably have a SADI core roller since your spring pressures (especially at the seat) are low? This is what I have run for 5 years w/o trouble. Problem was as I spin 7500 rpm+ the low tention spring have problems coping but going to a higher spring rate kill the cam. That is one of the reasons my new cam is a billet steel.

You sholud be fine with the comp's endure-x, as far as I know.

[Rannos]

I should be more clear that the truck will hardly be street driven. It is being built for local index and bracket racing but will make the rare trip to local car shows and maybe once a year drive to work, about 40miles round trip. Other then that it will be at the track. I guess my real question would be at what amount of street use is the HIPPO, Endure-X or EZ roll lifters the way to go? If I need them now I can set aside the funds but if it is not something I need to worry about those funds will be a good portion of getting my new rearend finished. Thanks for any and all input.

Thanks,
Jay

[CNC BLOCKS]

I am building a street/strip SBC with a solid roller cam. I have a set of comp cams solid rolle lifters already but have been getting mixed advice on what I should run. The truck the motor is going in will see less then 1000 miles a year and most likely not more then 50 miles in a weekend. My springs set up with 155# on the seat and about 430# open. I am not running oil restrictors and have been told if not running restrictors and with my lower spring pressure not to worry about it. I have also been told with out something like the HIPPO or Endure-X style lifters the low rpm of street driving will kill the needle bearings. I have never used a solid roller for street use before so I have no exprience myself to guide my decision. What do most of you run in street engines? Will my current lifters suffice or should I get the HIPPO/ENFURE-X style?

Thanks,
Jay

Those are very weak spring pressures for a solid roller, Those spring pressures look more for a HYD roller.

On the ISKY lifter make sure you measure for roundness and check for taper!!

[Caprimaniac]

"low rpm of street driving will kill the needle bearings" Why would you worry about this if the car is "hardly street driven"?

Anyway, EZ's might be the best choice, these days.... If you search for the Iskys in here, I'm sure you'll find some good tech info.

[BigBlocksOnTop]

Off the cuff question. What type of bronze is used in the needleless roller lifters?

[DaveMcLain]

If your camshaft profile will work with that small amount of spring then it's probably mild enough to work well for a long time running with just about any reasonably good quality roller lifter.

[CNC BLOCKS]

If your lifter bore clearance is between .0014 to .0019 roller lifters will last.

That being said most after market lifters are right at .841 and the middle of the GM spec is .844 and .003 is way to much for any roller and people wonder why they have lifter issues!!!

OEM lifters run .842 to .8425

[Rannos]

Those are very weak spring pressures for a solid roller, Those spring pressures look more for a HYD roller.

On the ISKY lifter make sure you measure for roundness and check for taper!!

The camshaft is a street solid roller and is not a billet core. Seeing as it will be street driven, even if just rarely, I wanted to make sure I picked a cam that didn't have crazy spring pressure. A local engine builder told me the lifters I have now are sold by Comp cams but are actually Morels. They do not have provisions for oiling the bearings tho. Which is what has me concerned. Here locally I have had just as many people tell me with my limited mileage and soft spring pressure not to worry, as I have had tell me don't street drive any solid roller that doesn't have some sort of oiling provision. All of these people are trusted sources so I am a bit confused. I don't mean to second guess and I appreciate everyone's input but I would think the oiling would mater more then the spring pressure. Am I wrong in thinking that?

Thanks,
Jay

[af2]

I would not spin it more than 6000 with that seat#

[rustbucket79]

The Comp lifters can last as well as the spendier ones. They will last a nice long time with a mild camshaft. (such as the one you're describing)

I have several customers running Comp roller lifters on the street, the one that comes to mind probably has 6 years on the engine now. Base design drag race profile 264/270 duration .630 lift, .900 base circle, Comp double springs 200/500 #, Comp 891-16 small base circle roller lifters. Talked to him last year, had been a couple of years since the valves had been adjusted. Apparently there were a couple that had moved .002" or so, but otherwise all is well, may as well have been a hydraulic cam.

Run good quality oil, don't idle the engine excessively, and stay on top of your valve ajustment intervals. (doesn't mean they will change after the first or second time)

When it came time to step up my program (drag race only) I looked at several different options, one feature that Carl pointed out was the lifter sizing. The Morel brand seems to be one of the few brands that sizes the lifter body close to GM specification, and that's the brand I went with. I bought them through Lunati, Ultra Pro is the model. Beautiful lifters, a little cheaper than most premium lifters, and properly sized.

FWIW, the lifters being replaced are Comp 891-16, installed them back in 2006, have been used on 2 different cams and 2 different sets of springs, and they feel as good as new.

[mmmitch588]

Had a set of comp endurex wear out tooo quick on a street car. Have had good use out of the latest Isky Ezeroll max series with the orange shaft. Ron is a top guy and will tell you all you need to know. If they dont give you the mileage, then nothing will be any better.

[Caprimaniac]

Jay: I ran 7000 rpm + in 2-3 seasons (short track only + street) with 140 seat springs and a cam like that, albeit in a Ford. I was told I was crazy running that RPM with that spring pressure.

When rebuildin the top end; changing to stiffer springs,shaft rockers & lighter lifters w/oiling to the rollers to keep valvetrain in pace I checked all parts.

The only mishap I discovered was that the roller rockcers had chewed quite alot at the studs. Cam, lifters, valves, valve seats & guides all seemed to be good. Lobes had small "spots", but no real damage.

Changed to 185 seat pressure and ran the engine for one season. After dissasembly last fall I found some minor pits in the falling edge of some cam lobes. I have to inspect it closer. (So; with a "soft" cam, you cannot add stiffer springs to avoid valve flutter etc. Follow cam makers advice, and you'll be fine.)

if I were you I'd spin the engine to whatever RPM it will take before valvefloat and then back off a couple of 100's. Even with the no-roller-oiling lifters.

After usin shafft rockers for one season; I'll never use anything else on a high performance V8....

[PWMAX]

Don't sweat the lifters with that cam and spring. Its nothing more than a glorified hydraulic roller set up to run lash. For every horror story, keep in mind, there are 1000 success stories that you never hear about. I have seen and or heard of every brand of lifter going away. Just recently, a local guy had a mega dollar like $2000, key way lifter shit the bed on the 8th pull on the dyno. I have actualy had good luck with the comp lifters in moderate street stuff. The newer ones are oiled too. My advice, run it and don't sweat it.

Frank