Roller vs Flat Tappet cam in 351C

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Just wondering if anyone is running a roller cam setup in their Cleveland? I talked to the machine shop yesterday about my motor build and he is reconmending to run roller cam set up instead of the old school flat tappet. So that puts a standard cam kit of 400-500 bucks up around the 1000 dollar range for roller kit. I know it would be nice not to have to worry about break in with the cam and the oil these days is pretty rough on flat tappet cams. I always added zinc additive to my oil changes to help protect the cam. I am probably going to go with the roller set up but just wanted some opinions from the rest of you about what your running??

 
That would depend on your end plan. If your putting in a .600+ lift you need to go roller cam.
Not sure what size cam yet??? 406 cubic inches and shooting for around 9.5-10 to 1 compression. I just figured the roller cam would be much more reliable and less worrysome. even if i dont go .600 lift or more

 
I have a roller in mine. Call Comp Cams and tell them what you are looking for and they will guide you. Price was not that bad for what I got. Just be sure to match everything seems like the lifters were the most costly.

 
You can cut the price by using factory Ford roller lifters and dogbones with a spider from a 351w. You then need to have Comp grind the cam with a reduced base circle. If you do not use a reduced base circle cam the oil groove in the Ford lifters can become exposed and there will be a loss of oil pressure.

That's my plan if I stick with the Cleveland.

 
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You can cut the price by using factory Ford roller lifters and dogbones with a spider from a 351w. You then need to have Comp grind the cam with a reduced base circle. If you do not use a reduced base circle cam the oil groove in the Ford lifters can become exposed and there will be a loss of oil pressure.

That's my plan if I stick with the Cleveland.
I was told to stay away from the stock ford roller lifters because they are heavier and not as strong as aftermarket roller lifters. They dont hold up as well in the higher rpm range.

Tnfastbk, I am going with the comp cams stuff. machine shop will order everything i need and make sure its all matched. The guy building the motor is pretty darn talented.

Thanks for the input guys!

 
I have a reduced base circle Crane roller cam. I'm not that impressed with its performance. If you are staying mild then it's not really worth the expense. If you do take the plunge, use the link-bar style lifters as it does not require the reduced base circle cam and is much easier on the valve train components. In this instance, the cheap way is not the best way. I wish I could do it over again.

 
I have a reduced base circle Crane roller cam. I'm not that impressed with its performance. If you are staying mild then it's not really worth the expense. If you do take the plunge, use the link-bar style lifters as it does not require the reduced base circle cam and is much easier on the valve train components. In this instance, the cheap way is not the best way. I wish I could do it over again.
Mine are linked also

 
What about a solid roller?
Good for high rpm but requires occassional adjustment like a regular solid lifter cam.

The big advantage of the roller cam from a performance perspective is it allows for a more agressive ramp. So you can get more valve opening without increasing overlap, or for the same overlap you get the valve to maximum opening in a shorter time allowing for more performance.

You can also swap out roller cams and not have to change lifters. There is less friction too but I don't know how much of a difference that makes in real world applications.

 
Solid rollers make more power, but are not really for the street. The high valve spring pressures tend to kill the bearings in the roller of the lifter during sustained driving. Check out the Hot Rod Power Tour articles, at least one car with a dead solid roller lifter is included each year it seems.

 
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IMO having a roller block, cam, and lifters allows me the option to experiment more with various cams etc. For instance: I know I can get more tire screeching from a B303 and more HP's out of E303 cam, but the best part is I can switch a roller cam in a day and I'm not at all concerned with a break-in period and adding zinc. In fact; I can switch to a full synthetic oil and pickup additional hp without concern.

 
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