Technical Hydraulic lifter failure.............I know....I know...

I read it on here but naturally....now I can't find it.
WHO was the company that sold hydraulic flat-tappet lifters that were American made/worth-a-flying-**** upon break-in ?!!
Buddy of mine just had a Comp Cam and Lifters ground flat upon break-in. (This guy is no novice. He just hasn't built a flat tappet engine in the last 20+ years). He took ALL the precautions and it still failed....Now he's gotta pull the engine and go through it AGAIN.
I know this subject has been cussed and discussed on here a BUNCH. ****py/inferior Chink made lifters that go flat..... quicker than a 10 cent bicycle tube!
WHO makes and sells quality flat-tappet lifters any more ?
Was it Isky sold lifters ?
Thanx in advance
6sally6

 

TopLine Johnson.

 

Is there a market for used recrowned lifters? I ask because I have two sets of old very low mile Comp Cams lifters from the 90s, one hydraulic, one solid. Wondering if it's worth it to try to sell them off or just trash them

 

I had a set of faulty Johnson and Eaton lifters that cost me a cam on a BB Buick build. The Johnson didn't have the ball check seat pressed in squarely and couldn't build pressure. The Eatons had two of them with missing springs. Check every lifter before you install. I ended up with Eatons that worked but it was a very frustrating mess in a finished car. Johnson has a great reputation but no one is 100% these days.

 

Comp and Isky both sell solids with holes in the bottom that have never failed on us…. Maybe they sell them for hydraulics. Personally today I would either put back in the notched rod caps or additional rod side clearance to feed the cam with additional oil.

 

There is 'Johnson' and then there is 'TopLine-Johnson'. NOT the same.

 

Refacing lifters run about $5-7 each. Call around for the best price.

 

Do refaced lifters go through some kind of face hardening after being refaced? I've got two sets of old Crane hydraulics that I might get refaced.

 

The only hydraulic lifters worth refacing are the old Delco with the hard ****on on the bottom. We reface them, but you have to dis***emble, clean and re***emble them afterward.

jack vines

 

Typically, only a small amount is removed to restore the convex face. No deep cuts so there should not be any issues as the lifter is through hardened.
As Jack says, you get to dis***emble, clean and re***emble after a thorough cleaning. Do not interchange any of the internals.

 

Howards cams has a no fault cam & lifters setup for sale , costs some money but a lot cheaper than a failed cam & trashed engine .
IMHO , Comp , in general is junk . Search compe***ion products.

 

I have installed Crower Camsavers in four engines with no problems. I use plenty of break-in grease on the cam and Penn Grade break-in oil. The cams have been slightly modified stock replacements with Crower springs.

 

Contact Jonescams.com, If you want HFT lifters/camshaft . USA parts, outstanding rep. Use correct break-in oil, no Rotella , or witches brew with a bottle of additive. Do some research on pro engine building sites. Terrills Speed-Talk is one, quality and customer support from the old reliables is disappearing as they are bought out by venture capital outfits.

 

Thanks for reminding me of them. Before I moved to Tennessee, I lived in Muskegon, MI just two miles from their manufacturing plant. Never had a need for them then. Just placed an order for a set for the 283 I'm building.

 

Something to consider..........With roller lifters there seldom is a problem, but additionally you can change cams, or install a used cam, or move components from engine to engine without worrying. They last longer, so as someone goes from project to project they can set on a shelf for 10 years and still work in some future project. Yes you can do that with a flat tappet, but its a lot more iffy with lifter wear and keeping components organized.

 

I currently run three SBC engines two with hydraulic flat lifters and one with solids. The engine in my coupe has been running since '86 and the engine in my '32 Roadster since 2006 both with hydraulic lifters. The engine in my '55 Chevy has a GM 098 camshaft with flat solids. I've been lucky having no failures. The only engine component I've had fail were two sets of roller tip rockers. In both engines the pushrod tips were eaten by the sockets in the rockers. No quality control or they would have failed inspection. I run full roller rockers in all my engine. A good friend and engine builder's opinion is that although there is a benefit to roller tip rockers there is still the friction on the pivot ball. Full roller rockers eliminate that issue.