Technical 311 caddy heads and bent push rods. need help!!

hello everyone i am new here and hope im in the right spot.* got my heads back from the shop and installed them on my 331 caddy motor. Put my rocker shafts on and start tightening them down, they seemed tight but I was dumb and kept going.* then realized my pushrods started bending.* *the adjustable rods are all the way in.* *I did the Studebaker rocker arm swap( put the adjustable rockers on my shafts). also I have a higher lift cam shaft with a .484 lift.* *I didn't use the Studebaker rocker arm brackets just rockers.* is this my problem?* it seems that my pushrods are too long.* is there any shorter pushrods I can use?* do I need to use the Studebaker mount blocks which would give me more clearance?* any help?

 

Now the valve covers won't fit on because of rhe rockers. I'm a little uoset because I was told the studebaker rockers would work....

 

Not sure about the Stude. rocker arm brackets my engine was already modified when I got it. The valve covers though will have to be dimpled or you can double up on the gaskets. Unless you can find some dimpled aftermarket aluminum valve covers. Not sure if they are still in production.

 

My engine with dimpled valve covers.

 

There are some Hildebrandt repops out there. I would just dimple the stock covers. It looks cool. Sounds like you have the wrong pushrods or the stude rockers are adjusted out too much..or wrong lifters. Are they hydraulic or solid?

 

I put 390 heads on my 365 and had to shorten my pushrods .040" to get the correct spec for the lifters.There was another thread on here where someone used stude rockers and they wouldn't even clear the dimpled ali covers they were using.There was mention of grinding away a small area of the rockers and die grinding out the dimples in the covers to get clearance.The stude rockers are apparently all you use,putting them on the cad shafts.A safe bet would be to do your measurements first before trying to bolt it all together.You may need to use shorter valves also.

 

I put my stock rockers back on. With the shaft drawn down all the way all my pushrods are tight. Is this right? I'm used to having a gap on the valves. Should each pushrod have no movement?

 

still need to know if the lifters are solid or hydraulic.

 

Hydraulic. Found out I had 1/4" preload. I have to order shorter pushrods

 

get two adjustable push rods from Comp Cams. Mock up the valve train with rocker arms for only one cylinder using the push rods. Adjust the mock up push rods until you get correct rocker arm geometry. Make sure your rocker arm adjusters are in the middle of their adjusting range. I use Prussian blue on the valve tips before assembling my valve train and turn the motor over by hand until the valves go through a complete opening and closing cycle. Then take it back apart and check the pattern on the valve tip. You want the pattern to be in the middle of the valve tip. If the pattern is off center to the inside or outside the valve will push against the valve guide and cause wear. If the contact pattern is off center then change the length on your mock up push rods and try it again. When you get a perfectly centered pattern take the push rods out, measure them and call Smith Brothers and order push rods, its that easy.
It may take a few tries to get it perfect but it is worth it to know it is right.
Michael

 

Got push rods ordered. But don't know why my rods are a 1/4" too lomg.....

 

Did the shop check the valve stem height?

 

The heads and valve were rebuilt to stock specs

 

Why do you feel you need adjustable rocker arms with hydralic lifters?

 

pushrods were 1/4' too long they were bottoming out the lifter spring even at their lowest point.

 

not trying to be a smart ass, but so they can be adjusted. i'm a oldsmoble and amc fan, and every time i ever changed a cam on either of these motors i had to change to adjustable rockers in order to set the valves right. cams can be ground on a different base circle and be to tight or to loose.

 

Ok. Well the machine shop claimed my stock rods should work and I had somethin seriously wrong

 

found out the company I got them from sent me the wrong lifters, they are Cadillac lifters but for a later model. he did research and found out the oil ring is in the same exact location as the ones he sent me. the original lifters were for olds/Cadillac early series, which have the tapered V cup rod seat in the top of the lifter. this being said, the V cup has a deeper seat and the ones I installed have a shallower seat. Conclusion: ordered custom adjustable pushrods from smith bros to shorten the distance to the rocker arm. The man from Craft cams thinks this set up should work out just fine as long as the length is correct and the correct preload. thanks for your help everyone ill let you know how the motor break in goes!!

 

Why not tell them to send you the right lifters?

 

because I just purchased 150$ adjustable pushrods for these lifters

 

another thing to check when doing your pre assembly when your push rods come in. your original rocker arm ratio was 1.5 to 1, the Studebaker rocker arm ratio is 1.7 to 1. that means more lift at the valve. you already noted that you increased lift at the cam lobe. so you really need to check for coil bind of the valve spring and (possibly even more important) check your valve retainer to valve stem seal clearance. the stock valve lift was .450 inch, you will have significantly more with your combination. I would also check piston to valve clearance with as many changes as you are making.
the stock Cadillac valve spring was not a performance spring per se. seat pressure at installed height was only about 70 lbs of pressure. also, camshaft ramp profiles are a lot more aggressive on the performance cam grinds. so really be careful to make sure all your valve train parts work together. shitty stuff can happen real fast if there is not enough room.
moroso and other companies make super light weight ' checking' springs that can make checking piston to valve clearance much easier with the heads on.
michael