[hrmwrm]

only if it ends up being lighter than the hydraulic it replaces.

it will probably create more, as some lash is necessary to allow for expansion of parts. but probably less lash/tick than a pushrod engine.
but a neat project. like to see how it ends up.

[dodgebob68]

And yes, there is the inevitable mechanical valve train tick, I'm trying to decipher what cold and hot lash should be for this motor.

[Scooter-Man]

Nice mechanical work. I'm surprised you put a 0.005" press fit into a 0.500" hole. Seems the wall thickness of the lifter will hold it.

What machine-device did you use to hone out the lifter? Naturally you re-tapped the 3/8-24 holes afterwards. Custom made bushing or aftermarket valve train stuff?

My Machinist mind would like to know. Plus awesome project!

[dodgebob68]

Yeah I was concerned about splitting the end of the rocker by doing a tight press fit, but the bushing has to fit tight enough so it wont ever move with the constant pounding its gonna take. Plus the bushing will compress a miniscule amount and make thread cutting even better. I used off the shelf pre-fabbed aluminum bushings, .375" i.d., .500" o.d. and .750" long. I used a cut off wheel to cut off the top of the rocker (the curved part facing up). After that I used a 7/16 drill to open the rocker to expose the check valves inside. I then used a press to push the check valve assembly out the bottom of the rocker. I drilled the rocker out to 7/16 then finish honed it with a 80 grit cylindrical roll hone, make a couple passes and mike it, make a couple passes and mike it, till I had it opened up to about .495"-.497". The bushing is a really tight squeeze, but like I said, it can't move. The results would be devastating at 6500 rpm.

The reason for the sloppy hone, is a handheld die grinder. I'm going to opt for a drill press for the rest of them to get an even and square bore.

[dodgebob68]

Well that's a new one on me, but I'm an old dog and not into tuners so I miss a lot of new wave stuff. My initial thought on those it that you would set up for some odd cylinder bore wear patterns or undesirable vibrations from offset weight, but I'm guessing they have this solved if they are selling them and people are running them. I get the idea of why they work, but....hmmm, sure does look funny.

[DjGreggieP]

Its something I have looked at, but depending on sizing required, may become to cost ineffective to be actually worth it. Still researching first hand reviews (re: NOT paid for by J.E.) and any kind of performance / dyno info on them on different applications.

If it nets 1hp at the wheels, but will cost say $2500 for a custom set, not really worth it lol.

I just think that if all the possible parts are combined together (stroker, some ITB's, your adjustable rocker arms, asymmetrical pistons and whatever else we all collectively come up with...) It may cause a sudden surge in aftermarket support (pipe dream for sure) for our LH's, and cause a lot of double takes when people see our *ahem* 'grampa cars' lol

[dodgebob68]

And in measuring the weight of the finished product, the OEM hydraulic single rocker for an intake valve is about 44 grams, and one of the modified adjustable rockers tops 60 grams. So less weight is not in the cards. You will never hear the valve tick over the cam rumble and glasspacks on mine anyway, so thats a moot point. Anyone who can hear the tick will know what they're hearing and appreciate the awesome coolness of solid mechanical rockers on a modern mopar slick six.

[SRT6INTREPID]

Freakin'eh.... Mopar poetry right there buddy!

[peva]

I would have never guessed that a lash adjuster would be *lighter* than the adjustable deals, but facts is facts.

[dodgebob68]

It surprised me too, but the bushing adds metal (weight) and the screw and nut are steel which are heavier than the aluminum they replace. I doubt the difference will make enough difference to matter in this case, if we were talking big blocks and say stamped steel versus titanium or aluminum, then it might. The hydraulic lash adjusters are hollow with a small check ball and spring, where the adjustable components are all solid metal. I'm curious to see if there is any performance gain to be had once they are installed.

[Adpros]

^^^ This!

[peva]

The only significant effect from the mass difference that I could imagine is at what rpm you get valve float. I would expect a slightly higher effective lift with the solid vs. hydraulic lift.

[hrmwrm]

don't know if it carries over to this, but in our pushrod circle track engines, we went back to hydraulics years ago. you could use about 10deg. less duration and get the same effective timing and lift when lash was accounted for. weight differences were minimal.
it became a stealth measure, as you get a smoother engine with more cam than solid. stops the trailers from squawking.
but, still, thats 30% more weight. i don't think it will make for a higher rev before float.
but, 6500 was redline from the factory, so, who knows where they'll float.