For me, a $750 permanent upgrade that provides all those benefits is not even a worry. It will just take me longer to do it...It sounds like I am convinced at this point that solid roller is the way to go...
i feel that if running a solid roller, you should use stud girdles. yes, there are guys out there not using them, usually with very mild springs. occasionally they break a stud. my feeling is that you are already spending $800 for the roller. a girdle is what? 150-200 for sbf? cheap insurance against broken studs and it helps maintain lash settings. jmho. by the way, whether getting by with the lighter springs ($130) or using heavy ones ($250+), you will be changeing them more often. they take a beating. not a bad idea to get a tool to check seat pressure on the car. check pressure on initial install, & check periodically thereafter on a regular basis. when installing, you must check p/v clearance.
I run these: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SOLID-BAR-7-16-FORD-289-302-HO-351W-ROCKER-STUD-GIRDLE_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33623QQhashZitem200053799861QQihZ010QQitemZ200053799861QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW cheap yet effective. Also available in 3/8.
funny you should mention hydraulics and noise.. I find the sound of a lumpy cammed 302 with a solid much more intresting then a hydraulic cam with a dead lifter > as for longevity solids will last as long as a hydraulic if not longer just keep them adjusted once between races or once every 6 months I have no complaints whatsoever the correct way to break in and run a solid is as follows adjust cam to the reccomended lash and fire off and run the endine over 2500 rpm for 20-30 minutes. shut the engine off and drain the oil and change the filter (removes the breakin lube and anything metallic in the oil that rubbed off the cam and lifters) some flake is normal as edges wear off the cam but lots of flake means lots of wear.. (aka flat cam) if you get past this point while the engine is still warm/hot pull the valve covers off and run the lash again (fire the engine off to warm it between heads) then let the engine sit over night and cool off soon as you check the car the next morning check the cold lash write it down and average it out. drive or race the car a few times (maybe 5-10 passes or 500 street miles) drain out the oil and change the filter again (cutting the filter and checking oil for metal) run the lash hot again then cool it off and check the cold lash if it hasn't changed much you now know how much lash to use cold and the cam should last a long time with regular oil changes and adjustments
The last 392 I built I ran a solid flat tappit cam in. I had the cam coustom cut by Babe Erson (who has sence passed away) I got the cam, lifters, springs, retainers and lock in a kit designed to work together on a set of dart heads, cut for my car setup. I installed a stud girtle made the lash adjustments recomended for the cam and broke in the cam and lifters. I did all the oil change and re- adjustments on the lash. Took it to the drag strip and raced all night (about 10-12 runs at 7.37 in the 1/8th) Re-adjusted the lash and slowed the car down to 7.60 in the next test and tune night. Ran the car for another 3 1/2 years without pulling a valve cover on the car. So the ones here that say that solid cams are noisy and need adjusting all the time have never had a properly set up solid cam in thier car. I will never go back to a hydraulic cam, even on the street. My next engine (408 or 427) will have a solid roller in it. It will be a 50% street 50% track car. You just cant get the range of performence out of a hydraulic cam. OK even if you have to adjust the lash every year, so what. The trade off for performence is well worth it. My
besides, those who say that solids are noisy and need constant adjustment have not been around OLD stuff...before hydraulic valvetrain was widely used. Remember the Boss 302? Those were solid. Same with some 427s and 428s, as well as some boss 351's and the famous boss '9. Remember the sweet sound of the valvetrain clatter? That is music to ANY hotrodder's ears! Many times you can't even hear it. Dad's old 331...silent. Couldn't tell it wasn't a hydraulic cam. Same for my Mustang. Is the swap worth it? Dang right! Especially considering the solid roller stuff. It opens up a whole new world of possibilities. The flat tappet cams are limited by design to the amount of lift and duration, as well as the rate of lift. Most folks don't know, but a flat tappet cam has a faster rate of lift up to about .050" lift...then the roller blows it out of the water. Ever seen some inverted lobe profiles? Try that with a flat-tappet cam! Hydraulic roller cams have limits too...their weight and design limit the amount of RPM. You cannot run a valve spring thats stiff enough to control the valve at lots of RPM (usually around 6000 is the max for them, +/-.....) without collapsing the plunger in the lifters. A rev kit will take care of that, but adds cost and complexity to the system....once you get to the cost of the rev kit, lifters, spider, dogbones, springs...you could have had a solid roller installed and make a bunch more power especially up in the higher RPM. Ya know...if I had known all this years ago, I would not be as poor as I am today! We've tried everything...solids, hydraulics, hyd rollers, and solid rollers. Think about it. I've had probably 10 different cams. Each one around $100 a piece excluding the roller cams. That's what...$1000 give or take? I could have bought a GOOD solid roller, lifters, springs, pushrods, and rockers for that...and would have made more power and more reliably...and spent less money. No need in doing things 3-4-5....10 times when it only has to be done once.
I once had a 1969 Z-28 that I set the valves once after a rebuild and ran it for 30,000+ miles without removing the covers. I agree, properly set-up solids are a non event. For my new motor, it was also a lot less expensive than converting my non-roller and buying the parts. Again, the only negative I hate is the break-in although, I have never has an issue with that. FWIW, Scott
It's hard to explain to guys why solids are better and why they can last a long time. I'm not saying hydraulics are bad and I'm not saying there isn't a place for them but adjusting valves takes 30 minutes after you warm the engine up and once a year is not that big of a deal.. And with a 302 firing order cam vrs a 351/5L firing order you just don't understand how good a solid sounds. Sure it's "noisy" but complete valve train control and no possibilities of lifter collapse (which I had with a 220 @ 050 cam at about 5700 rpm). And that 302 rumpity rumpity firing order it's a beautifull thing.(ask anyone with a 306hp 289 in like a shelby or a gt) soon as I get the video camera and mic working you hydraulic guys can hear a solid lifter engine running > maybe we can convert a few more
