Technical Should I run these chinesium roller rockers(1 year update)

It is only a sbc. Millions made and cheap. Run em.

 

The OP could take a few apart and see how the trunion is made. Even on expensive ones sometimes the bearing surface may be hard but not ground, only lathe turned and sometimes pretty rough and start to brinnel the needle contact area after a while.

 

A bad roller rocker will make LESS power than a standard stamped steel one.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=153259671996319

 

Other than the radius in the corners where the roller tip for the valve stem is the Comp Cams rocker sure looks like the CAT rocker. Those castings appear to be the spitting image of one another.
The CAT rockers are from pre-2008, was the machining updated at a later date to eliminate the sharp corners?

 

If they pass the eyeball test and when disassembled the bearings and the pivot shaft look good, I'd run 'em.
They look like CC Stainless knockoffs to me.

My bro in law flies to/from China regularly and brings home knockoff stuff all the time. I have a $15 "North Face" knockoff coat with a zip out fleece lining that I've worn to Canada and Alaska. Best $15 coat (well, the ONLY $15 coat) I've ever had.

 

Tman, That’s a first. I have not heard anyone having problems, but my Doc says salt is bad for you, so that’s probably the issue.

 

My curiosity stems from a part that NO ONE seems to have run on the street having such a bad reputation online. Aside from Roothawg, no one has used them, and the only reviews I have seen were Similar to his, from guys who put them on a race engine and had them fail. I would not run a cheap set of rockers on an engine I Ihad a lot of money in. these were $159 on ebay in November 2008. I will run these in something. Whether on my November 18 1961 327 ( I like early number stuff), or a Dingleball rebuild of one of my wore out 350s, with the mystery .630 lift solid roller cam,and other assorted Freebies.

 

Don’t take this the wrong way, but if you’re “going to run them in…” anyways, we’re you just looking for bad experiences?
Googling would may have been a better option than the HAMB.
Years back I bought a set of “SBC Comp Cams roller hydraulic lifters” off another site. A few years later I was ready to use them. When I opened up a bag and looked the over there were no markings on them. I called Comp , I don’t recall the exact conversation, but talking with the tech line guy, he assured me they were not Comp lifters. I sold them as “no name” lifters.
They may have worked fine, but I didn’t feel comfortable putting an engine together with them, I’m assuming you had the same feeling.
Having no experience with CAT, and if I wanted a piece of mind, I’d sell them and buy a known quality set. You should be able to get your $$ back or most of it.
Just my thoughts.

 

...and magnets near the drain back holes.
Use 'em.

 

Comp Cams lifters are either made in China, India or Mexico, so pick your poison. Only lifter I can think of made in the US are Sealed Power or Johnson, and Johnson quit making solid lifters a few years back.

 

Interesting you mention Sealed Power. I got a set of pistons last year and they were made in India.

 

Well, this was early in 2000, I think Comp was still manufacturing there stuff in Tennessee? Regardless, my point was using a known brand instead.

 

When my Doc said to eat more salt my Wife said WHAT! She said my sodium levels were low so I continue to use it and they are still low.

 

If you are that concerned about using them pm me and I’ll give you my address and you can mail them to me. I’ll use them in my 327.

 

One year update. I dont put a lot of miles on my 59, however she has made a couple of 4 hour freeway runs, and numerous low speed runs to town, Followed by spirited runs up the onramp onto 680, (6000 rpm every time, no cobwebs here) and up and down the Hill I live on(Mt Diablo) and after one year of run time, no a lick of problem. Once again, this is a mild street engine, at least for this application, they work fine.

 

Thank you for posting this update, being a engine builder ( vintage euro) I am concerned about component failures I receive on my E-mail daily, people trying to save money purchasing parts with out a pedigree you might say. I spend way more time today researching suppliers than I could have imagined even 5 years ago. And I mean every damn part, included fasteners. Everything I buy is US , or Euro "manufactured" period. And some of the Euro stuff is cleverly reboxed orient stuff. Be a informed buyer.

 

How many guys running 383 chevys or 347 Fords on here are running US made cranks?

 

One of my engine builder's pet peeves is people bringing crap parts to install on their engines. I selected parts for mine taking his advice and it worked out.

I'm sure I told the tale of another customer with a $200 Chinese-built cheap-ass Scat crank in a similar 350 Chevy at my builder's shop. When torqued, it wouldn't spin. He sent it out to be checked and ground .010 under.. back in the block, no turn. He called me and asked if he could try mine in the engine and it spun as it should.

A side note about rockers, for the stock cars we bought new stamped rockers at the Chevy dealer. Spun those up to 7 grand every race night, never had one fail even after a few seasons.

 

A lot of that s#/t that HF sells looks good in the package too!

 

Glad to hear this update, and the positive results! I didn't comment previously because it seemed the majority here were against these rockers. I personally don't care for full roller rockers regardless of where they're made, and I use steel roller tip rockers because there's less parts to fail, and they clear stock valve covers. But I don't have an issue with the imported rockers. I do stay away from Chinese internal parts on engines as their failure could be catastrophic!

 

So explain to me, if that shaft was bent how did they grind it?

 

This is for all you guys like me, bucks down or curious. These seem right for my application but I saw no real world data in my search, and limited on my responces here. I have others, and I have and would do the research even if they were another brand . My new build went sideways, and as I look for 1.6 rockers, I find similar ones from name brand suppliers. My builds tend to use factory style cam grinds, and don't have the spring loads like modern grinds. I will probably replace these with my scorpions, and put these on my ring and bearing 327, if I ever get to that stage, but, no hurry on my part. I'll update this thread if anything changes over time.

 

It was checked for straightness statically I would guess and ground to clean up some runout. Which may have been in spec. I never got the full story from the builder, someone from Scat was going to show up and look at the crank and possibly take it back with them. Our theory was that the crank had an internal flaw that didn't show up until it was installed.

 

I would be willing to bet that the center line of the Main journals is off and when torqued into place it would bind up. would not have to be bent, but one journal up or down off center of the others would be a problem. just poor-quality control. What do we expect when our high-performance parts are built by under paid, inexperience people who don't know what a cam or crank even is. They are just told to run the parts as fast as possible. The days of skilled machinist and patter makers at places like Indy and Edelbrock are long gone. All a person can do now is research, buy the best you can afford and hope for the best. Even if it is built here the quality still depends on production quotas and production personnel and how they feel about their job.

 

This was a crank from China that was reboxed here by Scat and blown out on eBay. The buyer probably had no idea it may be a piece of crap. I believe in spending my $$ ONCE on something this critical.
Like I may trust this gem..
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1924755090...Flont97OpDtSsiz6J/MlBg3kI=|tkp:Bk9SR9Kck5ipYQ

 

After grinding it .010,,,,,,wouldn’t the journals be in line then ?

Also,,,,,shouldn’t a good builder investigate and remove the caps one at a time until they see which journal is the problem ?

Tommy

 

Not a fan of overseas roller rockers But with cost for a set these days, I can see why some would use them on mild engines. I got lucky recently n found a set of New Scorpion 1.5 for just over $200 and another half set of 1.7 for less than $100

 

Was thinking the same thing. My assumption (never seen it done) is everything it set up to be ground, then they take .010 off that center line.
But maybe the crank distorted some how when bolted in? Odd another would have no issues though.
(Yes. I’ve goofed up caps before. And the the “Hmnn” moment set it