For any of you that saw my earlier thread, I rebuilt my engine with an Oregon cams flat tappet. Despite using the quite expensive break in oil and lubricant, firing it right up, I still managed to get 3 flat lobes.

so now I will be tearing down again, hoping the crank isn’t damaged and replacing the bearings. On top of that I decided to bite the bullet and go with a roller cam. Now I need a few things before I get there.

1. adjustable rockers (HS rockers though nice are overkill for this engine)
2. Ken recommend rocker end stands.
3. pushrods: those of you that have a roller cam what lengths are you using. Ken said most of their builds are between 8.5 abd 8.625in (will be ordering many sets abd returning the ones too long or short. Due to time before getting my ship assignment and being home I will only have 9 days to get this done. )
4. Any other useful information regarding roller cams.

I sent Ken an email the other day following up our phone call. To find out which roller lifters we will be using and other things. While on the phone I was taking measurements and he got a cylinder head out and springs snd through that we found a single spring that will work with the pressure required for a roller can without having to machine the heads for double springs.

 

Are you going to be running a solid or hydraulic roller cam? All rollers for the FE are ground on a steel core so that means that you'll need to run a bronze or a steel distributor gear and get it installed correctly on your distributor. As far as I know your pushrods will have to be custom with a cup on one end and a 5/16 ball on the other end. Or if you do a hydraulic and end up using the non adjustable rocker arms a pushrod with a 3/8 ball on one end and a 5/16 on the other one. No roller lifter bodies that I know about can fit a 3/8 ball as used on the FE.

 

Buy an adjustable push rod to measure the length you need then buy from Smith Bros. Good product and reasonably priced.
https://www.pushrods.net/custom-pushrods

 

hydraulic roller. I have reached out to survival motorsports for a steel gear. I do not have the time to wait on a custom set being made, it was stated in the OP.
I just sent Survival motorsports to see about getting a dist gear, rocker supports, and rocker arms, because if I can just replace the arms instead of the whole assembly I will do that.


but if I cannot find the rockers, and I have no reason for the Harland Sharpes, then I will go with stock adjustable. Now in this case has anyone used the adjustable ones from jegs? If that is not heard of does anyone have some non-worn original FOMOCO rocker arms they are willing to let go, or better yet a set of used reputable aluminum arms?

 

Does anybody even have any FE roller cores to grind right now? The best bet for the pushrods might be to order the kind that you put together yourself with the correct ends for the lifter and the rocker arm. They are not difficult to do if you've got a lathe.

The hydraulic roller lifters might be available I just looked at PBM and they show two sets in one warehouse but none anywhere else. They along with just about everybody else besides Comp Cams sell the Morel and they are nice quality.

Here's some video of a 428 Ford that I built a few years ago with a hydraulic roller using the stock hydraulic non adjustable rocker arms. It done very well for the customer. It was put together using what he had for parts except for the cam, lifters, pushrods and springs.

 

Yes he has one available now, and is currently getting it done. I provided him with an original ford hydraulic core to regrind as well since i had it laying around.

i do not have a lathe at the house but a relative does, its about a 3 hour drive away, could you attach a link or picture of the types of pushrods you are speaking about?

and since you have clearly built these engines, what spring pressures does that customer see with that setup, as well as lift and duration numbers? Ken said this one is right around .515 lift on the exhaust, with and expected 335lbs open pressure. I noticed you are not running end supports, thus my asking. I also wont spin past 5000rpm much if ever

 

The cam was from Demos' Cams: 208 213 @ .050 with .517 lift. It was ground on 107 lobe sep in on 105. the springs are a single with a damper that would fit the titanium retainers(using parts that the customer had) and the loads were 150 seat on the intake, 140 seat on the exhaust with 335lbs open load.

I don't know what the stock rocker arms will take but these have worked fine. I've also used them with a cam that had .330 lobe lift for .571 valve lift with similar loads. No problem.

I'd have to look in the Comp Cams catalog on those pushrod kits but that's where I've bought them before for Mopars and stuff.

I just looked in the PDF of the Comp Cams catalog that's on line and the semi finished pushrod kits are on page 268. You're going to need a 5/16 ball end for the lifter and then the tip for the other end will depend on what you end up using for a rocker arm. Then you just order them in a rough length that'll work for the application, figure out the length, cut to length, bore and then press in the ends.

 

I would figure out what went wrong in the first place and fix it before throwing more parts at it. Were all the valve tips heights the same, coil bind, retainer to guide clearance, piston to valve clearance, lifter preload, was proper push rod length determined, etc ?

 

Using the adjustable push rod to measure each one and cutting each push rod to a custom length to compensate for wear in the valve train will be a lot of work.
Wear to the tip, wear of the seat or valve which required them to be ground etc will all contribute to changes you "may" have to compensate for in rod length between valves. Installing a new valves or seats in combination with ground valves and seats will also create variation from one valve tip height to another.

If you cut the rods to short you will hear the valves click. If you cut them to long, the engine will run rough.

You will need to spend more money but it maybe easier to buy a rocker arm kit with adjustable rockers. If you measure the push rod length with the rocker adjuster in the middle of the allowed travel, you should be able to buy one length rod and compensate for any wear when you install them using the adjuster on the rocker.

We are using an adjustable system which cost over $1300. Jegs sells new ones in the $300 to 400 range but I am not sure of their quality. I would not buy the cheaper kit which requires loctite to secure adjusters unless you buy half nuts to secure them. For a street machine they maybe good enough.

I have seen FE lifters which require 5/16" ***** and ones which require 3/8" *****. You will need to determine which you have so you can get the right push rod end for it.

https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/20928/10002/-1

 

yes everything was correct, we went over it as I was assembling it on the phone, coil bind was checked by the machine shop, piston to valve clearance had more than enough room. Lifter preload was fine tuned using shims under the rocker stands. Proper pushrods were used, they were the stock length and using Shims everything checked out correct.

 

i found a set of lightly used Ford OEM rockers that are the adjustable type and will be going with those, pushrods I have reached out to smith Brother about making me a set of adjustable so that when I get home I can measure and cut them