FE solid roller?

[Dwight]

I'm not looking for more horsepower. I'll have more than enough with the 430 c.i. motor in my Fairlane.

Maintenance and dependability are my main concerns.

Lot of good information so far.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Dwight

I'm not looking for more horsepower. I'll have more than enough with the 430 c.i. motor in my Fairlane.

Maintenance and dependability are my main concerns.

Lot of good information so far.

I have an old-school SFT grind that first came out in late 1963. It has oh so gentle lobe ramps and 96 degrees of overlap with 114 degree LSA. The lift is only .509 after subtracting off lash. Duration at .050" is 245 degrees. It runs, smells, and sounds beautiful. I'm sure it leaves a good bit of horsepower on the table, but I can't use what it does dish out. My tires break loose if I even sneeze on the throttle. And my Erson's hold their lash pretty well. I could probably go years without touching them and it wouldn't make a difference. I run BradPenn oil for the ZDDP.

[PDUB]

Originally Posted by blykins

No, they are made of M2 tool steel.

I thought I heard that the only decent lifter company went under in the last year, or so, and that cheap offshore junk has replaced much of the old good stock. These are not my words... just repeating what I heard recently.


Is really good quality stuff still available?

[blykins]

I haven't heard any of that.

Crower still makes more economical EDM solid flat tappet lifters at about $130 a set.

Trend makes the higher quality tool steel lifters. They approach $400 a set.

[eschaider]

+1^ No shortage of quality product if you want / need to go the flat tappet path.

[eschaider]

Originally Posted by Dwight

I'm not looking for more horsepower. I'll have more than enough with the 430 c.i. motor in my Fairlane.

Maintenance and dependability are my main concerns.

Lot of good information so far.

Dwight,

Hav you considered hunting down a block with lifter oiling and swapping your stuff into that block after freshening it up? That would open the door for hydraulic rollers. You could then get your block drilled at Blair Patrick's at your convenience w/o any time pressure and either have a good spare block or an excellent hydraulic lifer ready block for resale.

The hydraulic rollers will quickly grow on you with just a little time.



Ed

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by eschaider

The hydraulic rollers will quickly grow on you with just a little time.

No. If you don't put a SFT in there you will always regret it. Hydraulic rollers are for Hyundais.

[eschaider]

Patrick has a soft spot for SFT's and rightfully so, he has had very good experiences.

If you buy a quality name brand hydraulic roller you should have good experiences also. I use factory hydraulic lash adjusters with my roller cam equipped engine that admittedly is different than an FE but with hot rod springs I can easily eclipse 8500 rpm which is waaaaay beyond what you want to spin a steetable FE.

Again your alternatives will literally be limited by whether or not you can find a block that has lifter oil galleys or a block you are willing to spend the time and money to have drilled for lifter oil galleys.

In the end Patrick's SFT encouragement may well be the short way home ...


Ed

[Dwight]

eschaider do you know Blair Patrick?

I live about 150 miles from Blair. I have been to his shop a couple of times with a buddy. I did not know he could bore blocks. I will call him tomorrow.
I have five other shops I am contacting.

Thanks

[eschaider]

Originally Posted by Dwight

eschaider do you know Blair Patrick?

I live about 150 miles from Blair. I have been to his shop a couple of times with a buddy. I do not know he could bore my block. I will call him tomorrow.
I have five other shop I am contacting.

Thanks

I don't Dwight. I was using Blair Patrick as a source because Brent had identified him as a shop with the capability of boring the oil galleys in the block. I believe the machinery needed to do a deep hole drilling job ike that is relatively rare. Additionally if someone with engine building experience has the equipment he should be a better choice that just a shop with the equipment.

Brent is fairly conservative so I place a high value on his commentary. A 150 mile drive to Blair Patrick's is probably worth the effort. There are not many shops capable of that type of work. A visit can be the equivalent of a picture and easily worth more than a thousand words.


Ed

[Dwight]

thanks Ed

I agreed with you 100%.

I'll call Blair.

[Dwight]

Blair can do my block. Thanks, of all the people I checked with or asked he was not on my list. So thanks.

I have been to his shop a couple of times with a buddy of mine.