From what I understand, it's not just the hp gain.
Less chance (zero) of flattening the cam over time, ability to maintain high revs (maybe higher revs to begin with), more precise tuning/valve action with bigger cams, etc.
Then again, steel distributor gear vs. bronze, less catastrophic cam damage if a pushrod bends, primary use on the street/long drives and no desire to be screwing with the motor more than I have to.
I'm going to assume 30 hp loss and still see if it makes sense after considering everything. Will I miss 30 hp? He!!, I didn't miss not using the secondaries for the past year (another story).
I keep thinking about Smith's motor being a flat tappet. Joe's in the midst of building a Shelby block based monster for a Mark IIB GT40 for the European historic series (they get serious over there...first race is a 6 hour enduro
), and he's going to use a flat tappet setup for durability's sake per the customer's request.
Sounds like a new topic.
