Lifters - rebuild or replace

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Jul 25, 2014 | 03:19 AM

yabadaba

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From: London,UK

Lifters - rebuild or replace

Hi, I've recently become the owner of a 69 F100 with a 390 that had been rebuilt a couple of years ago but has been sitting since. All in very nice condition apart from there was a bad tapping from the top of the engine after a few minutes of running. Decided to remove rockers and intake manifold to check the lifters. Each one of them was stuck but otherwise looked very good, suggesting the cam should be ok. After pulling them apart to release the muck and give them a good clean the pistons are moving nice and freely again.

So I've got the original 'rebuilt' lifters but also a full set of new lifters. Would you advise putting the originals back or fitting the new ones? If the advice is to use the originals I'm guessing no assembly lube would be required?

Thanks for any advice on this one. David.

Jul 25, 2014 | 08:49 AM

TigerDan

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From: The hills of No. Calif.

Did you keep the old lifters in order so they can go back in exactly the same hole they came out of? If so, you could reuse them (I'd still put assembly lube on them 'cause I'm just sort of picky about lifters that way...) but on the other hand, if you already have a set of new lifters, why not use them? It would suck to get it all back together with the old lifters and find a lifter or two still sticking.

Jul 25, 2014 | 09:09 AM

trozei

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From: Langley, BC

I too would simply install fresh lifters if I had them on hand. The only way you can reuse the lifters is if they go back in exactly how they came out, and like Dan I would lube them up anyway. It is so easy to burn up some lifters or some cam lobes.

Jul 25, 2014 | 10:10 AM

HIO Silver

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From: NorCal

Unlike roller lifters, previously installed flat tappet lifters are wear-matched to the cam lobe on which they were installed. You're looking at a cam & lifter replacement if any are bad.

Jul 25, 2014 | 12:01 PM

yabadaba

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From: London,UK

Thanks for the responses guys. I have the lifters stored in the correct order and none look bad to my amateur eye, but given what you all have said I guess I should fit the new lifters anyway, though I thought I'd heard that this could cause cam damage. I'm assuming I'd need to go through a cam break-in type procedure,given the lobes/lifters will be new to each other?

Here's some pictures I took of the original lifters from the left side (those on right look just the same)...the darker marks are just reflections...

Jul 26, 2014 | 03:20 AM

TigerDan

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From: The hills of No. Calif.

For flat-tappets, you can generally put new lifters on a used cam, but you can't put used lifters on a new cam. I've had used lifters re-ground years ago which then allowed them to installed on a new cam, but I don't know if anyone even does that any more, and there's not a lot of point to it unless you happen to have some super-special or rare lifters, and that would be a bit unusual.