Roller rockers install

[chefabg123321]

351c 4v CJ.

Question is I am rebuilding my engine and was wondering if I really need these? It's a straight up stock rebuild. Do I understand correctly that there is extra labor involved in this? Alterations on the block?

Was just trying to understand costs in this as opposed to stamped rockers. My mechanic has the cost at 350 for comp cam roller rocker kit can someone help estimate labor cost? Tks, Adam

 

[Carolina_Mountain_Mustangs]

If you are bone stock and not going to wind big rpm I personally don't see the need. Sometimes people machine the pedestals in the head and use the screw in studs instead of pressed for heavy valve spring pressure. If I were building a stock engine I would not install them.

I am sure you will get lots of suggestions, lol.

David

 

[turtle5353]

I like roller rockers on any build. For bone stock rebuild, you can still buy the roller conversion kit and no extra machine work is required. Or you can buy the bigger studs and have the pedestals machined down, and the holes drilled larger and tapped for the larger studs. But that is probably not necessary for a stock build.

This kit would let you run roller rockers without any machine work..... http://www.summitracing.com/parts/crn-52655-2/overview/make/ford

Definitely a good upgrade even for a stock engine.

 

[chefabg123321]

I like roller rockers on any build. For bone stock rebuild, you can still buy the roller conversion kit and no extra machine work is required. Or you can buy the bigger studs and have the pedestals machined down, and the holes drilled larger and tapped for the larger studs. But that is probably not necessary for a stock build.

This kit would let you run roller rockers without any machine work..... http://www.summitracing.com/parts/crn-52655-2/overview/make/ford

Definitely a good upgrade even for a stock engine.

That looks interesting! Heard some good and bad about Crane.

 

[basstrix]

If you are bone stock and not going to wind big rpm I personally don't see the need. Sometimes people machine the pedestals in the head and use the screw in studs instead of pressed for heavy valve spring pressure. If I were building a stock engine I would not install them.

I am sure you will get lots of suggestions, lol.

David

I agree with David. I believe it is more important to get the push rod length correct than to install roller rockers on a stock engine.

 

[turtle5353]

Once you have the correct pushrods length, you can always do some adjusting to fine tune with the adjustable roller rockers.

 

[L.C.Gray]

Couple of possibilities here as I have been looking at the same thing. Here's what I'm seeing. (Assuming you are using pedestal style rocker arm heads)

Option 1:

Go with a standard style roller rocker. These need pushrods guide plates to keep the rocker arm aligned with the valve stem. To use the guide plates you need screw in studs. To use screw in studs you have to have the pads milled down, drilled and tapped. These have to be done on a precise compound angle and I wouldn't trust just any machinist to do it. $150 machine work, $45 guide plates and $65 studs then $300ish for the actual rockers. Not sure what will happen with the pushrods by the time the machining is done.

Option 2:

Crane Cams has a screw in stud conversion kit that includes guide plates. About $150 and then your $300ish rockers. Again unsure where it will leave you on pushrods length as you have effectively raised the base of the pad with the conversion.

Option 3:

$300 for Scorpion pedestal mount roller rockers. Should work with standard push rods and be shimable just like factory rocker arms to compensate for any milling or decking on the heads or block.

 

[4Vforever]

Nothing to worry about running standard rockers on your engine, even engines with mild hyd f/t camshafts with up to .530in valve lift are quite fine running the standard rockers, as I've done several budget built Clevelands running the standard rockers without any problems, including championship winning burnout engines spinning 6500-7000 RPM that did the entire 90 second time limit, run after run, meeting after meeting. If you read the factory design literature about the 351 4V engine (2V engines was never mentioned in very early literature, let alone Cleveland) you'd see that the Ford engineers designed these rockers to withstand racing conditions back then. After all these rockers were on the Boss 351/HO and GT-HO (Australia) engines in mechanical camshaft guise and were used on racing engines of the day, including Trans/Am with rollerised fulcrums and the Australian GT-HO's had to run the standard mechanical fulcrums in series production class (70-72) including Bathurst for 500 miles. While a set of rollers are nice, but in a standard or mild engine are nothing more than a luxury imo.