When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have finished my rebuild, including paint, etc. We assembled the valves and pulled the original adjustable lifters out of the box we sent everything to the machine shop in and they were not machined, so we called the shop and they said, "Oh, we can't machine those lifters, they are convex and require a special machine." Nice to know after they take the job!
I have since called all over the US for someone to machine them and have a guy from Arnold Motor Supply that knows a guy that claims he can get new ones.
Does anyone have a machine shop source (preferred) or source for new ones?
Also, here is the engine, painted on the stand, waiting for lifters so I can do valve lash / clearance and reinstall in my truck.
Where did these "original" adjustable lifters come from? I would think original Johnsons would be drop in, out of the box. Beware, there were several fly-by-night outfits selling "adjustable lifters" that won't stay adjusted.
Can you post a picture of what part needs machined? The interface with the cam I imagine.
Apologies - by original lifters, I meant the lifters that we pulled out of the engine - they look to have been replaced during a valve job completed in 1962. We sent those original lifters, along with the block, crank and heads, to the machine shop to be machined. The original Johnson lifters were convex / mushroom (higher in the middle) and mine have worn flat and actually a bit concave.
Got it. I can't offer an immediate solution and I'm too far away to know what services might be available in Iowa. We don't have anyone in Montana I'd trust to do them.
Ron Holleran in his book, Nostalgia recommends taking lifters to cam manufacturers for grinding and polishing.
You'll probably end up sending them away. I would recommend two companies that specialize in flathead engines.
H&H Flatheads - I believe they have shops scattered around the US
Tim McMaster at Hanford Auto Supply, Hanford, California specializing in Y blocks and flatheads
An online search will bring both of these up. If you're on facebook, they used to have accounts there. You can also find more info on flathead forums like the H.A.M.B.
I'm running Johnson hollow lifters and I don't recall them having a convex surface on the adjusting bolt. I think careful work with a belt sander would restore them well enough. Are you running stock vales and valve springs? Flatheads have really low pressure on the lifters compared to OHV engines.
Edit: are you talking about the cam end of the lifters, or the adjusting bolt end?
The cam end of the lifter is supposed to be convex (higher in the middle then the outer edge) so that contact with the cam is small to reduce wear.
Thanks,
Wes
OK, so my brother-in-law found a guy through Arnold Motors in Spenser, IA and he has the lifters now for machining, hopefully.
Wes
Hi Wes!
I think you made a good move.
I live a 100 miles east of Spencer, and am very familiar with that area. There is a large hot rod community in that there, and many of those folks work for Arnold's. So it wouldn't surprise me if they knew of someone who could do that kind of work for you. Let us know how it turns out!
From a thread on the subject on Ford Barn, these guys do the regrinding: https://deltacam.com/services/repairs/
From that thread, it was stated that the proper surface is 96" radius spherical. The adjusting bolt is also supposed to have a radius.
If you end up buying new lifters, check out Third Gen Automotive, the owner is a great guy and is heavily invested in early Fords. According to a post he made in the Ford Barn thread, some of the better lifters are coming out of Turkey. https://thirdgenauto.com/
I'm going from memory 25 years ago, but I think it was the Speedy Bill "Johnson" adjustables that guys could not keep in adjustment. It's possible they fixed the source problem, but who knows. You could probably find out from those forums Ross linked.
I'm going from memory 25 years ago, but I think it was the Speedy Bill "Johnson" adjustables that guys could not keep in adjustment. It's possible they fixed the source problem, but who knows. You could probably find out from those forums Ross linked.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
