I used the HAMB search engine and didnt find any luck... My question is i have a 327sbc with 194 fuelie heads... i was wondering what brand or type of roller rocker would be not insanely expensive but durable and efficiant, and help out add some horses to it. I appreciate it
I have some summit roller rockers in my 383 and they have over 15K miles on them. They have worked good for me. Did you get the stock studs pulled out for screw ins? I'd go with the 7/16" if you can.
The heads were rebuilt a while back but they are stock i have them on the bench deciding if i should go with the rollers or not. im building the engine so itll have about 400 hp but almost a daily driver... thanks for the reply
I also used Summit brand (blue)on a 327 I once used. Worked fine for several years, still have them on the shelf. One thing to remember though, (noting your avitar) most will NOT be made in the USA.
How much lift do you have on your cam? Do you know your spring specifications? I also just have comp roller tip rockers on my other engine and they work fine too. They aren't as expensive as full rollers.
dbradley sadly ive come to realize theres not to many things made in the great ol USA any more i try to buy only US made parts and tools(clothes too) but you can only do so much
I think stock ratio is 1.5, get some crane blue at 1.6 ratio, they had a smidgen more duration and are very reliable and durable
If you provide cam specs, spring pressures and intended usage, along with if you have press in studs or screw in studs, the correct application could be figured. I want to mention that many will not clear stock covers, so you need taller covers and have to check baffle clearance. There are also good stamped rockers that work just as well for mild builds. An unported head with 1.94s is probably mild enough that all you are doing is adding more complexity and stuff to check. If you have local circle track guys that have to live within strict rules, pick their brains on good combos. EDIT I just reread your posts.... 327 with stock 1.94 heads putting out 400 HP in a daily driver? Care to share the rest of that build?
i dont have any new springs and do not know the current spring pressure the heads are equipped with, im thinking of also getting some new springs to match the roller rockers... the camshaft is a Edelbrock preformer RPM Hydraulic, the lift at the cam is .325" and the lift at the valve is .488". When i got the cam the papers said use Sure Seat valve springs and use stock ratio rocker arms only.....my guess is its not there first time and they know what there talking about, but at the same time i question them. advice is appreciated thanks alot guys... and the engines going in a 32 plymouth 3 window coupe.. bringing her back to life im going to KY to pick up a frame to use next weekend once im back the project is gonna be full steam ahead im itchin to get the drivetain done!! Oh and i dont know if they are press in or screw in my guess would be press
I run the Crane Gold's in my race engines and have had no problems but I have tried the Summit Aluminum rockers and found the bodies were cracked where the pin is pressed in to hold the roller tip. I had a friend who also ended up with the same problem on these. Apparently they were defective and Summit exchanged them but I stay away from them now. I have also used the Summit stamped steel rockers with the roller tip on my '55 chevy wagon that's relatively mild and driven weekly and have had no problems with those.
The main thing you will gain with full roller rockers is reduced friction. Which does mean a few extra hp. With your cam, they are suggesting 1.5 ratio (stock) because they are worried about valve to piston clearance. Stock SBC are 3/8 studs. You will probably need taller valve covers to clear roller rockers. The reduced friction is good. I run roller rockers in my BBC, used to be race engine, now hot street engine. Never any problems. They are the cheap cast body versions and live fine with .575 lift and 6200 rpms. I think any of the roller rockers will be fine for what you want to do. Even roller tip ball rockers help with the friction sliding over the valve tip vs stock rockers. Full roller is even better as it reduces the friction at the pivot point (the ball vs roller trunnion). The rockers have nothing to do with your cam and springs, they just connect the motion between them. If your springs are not spec'd right for your cam, the rocker does not have an effect.
If you are planning on using stock hiegth valve covers, then go with the steel roller tip rockers and screw in studs. If you don't care how tall your covers are and can afford it, then go with the fuller roller ones. r
_______________________________________________________________ In your application I think a set of Comp Cams roller tip rockers would be fine. Nice strong piece. Being your heads are off, rather than the conversion to screw in studs, just have the studs pinned. Years ago they sold a kit with kind of a jig, drill bit and pins you would press in after drilling the boss and stud. Good reliable street set up. Remember, these ideas were used in race only motors long ago......
Why do you want roller rockers?....bragging rights, status symbol? Exactly how many HP do you think that they will free up? Don't confuse me with an engine builder. I'm not. I do believe that if you asked, most engine builders would recommend different ways to spend your money to get better results for the same investment. I'm a hypocrite because I drove coast to coast in a 421 Super Duty Pontiac with roller rockers and a roller cam 40 years ago. Believe it or not back then the roller rockers were only 20 bucks more than the factory SD stamped rockers. I needed SD rockers so I upgraded to the rollers.
With that cam i would use the stock gm rockers. Roller rockers do not give any horsepower, they can't, they have nothing to do with making horsepower. They are necessary when you get to bigger cams, it is the bigger cam that makes horsepower. The stamped steel (some are made in usa) with roller tip would be ok, but they will be a maintenance item. You don't need it. Get a set of the 1.25 Z28 drop-in springs (10 deg locks and retainors) and use them with the stock rocker and you'll be maintenance free good to go. Let a buddy of yours do the overly complicated thing, keep it simple. That is what hotroddin is all about, uncomplicated simple.
Wow, there is bad information here. Rockers are very important since they not only magnify the cam lift, and and the duration the valve see's, they are a source of quite a bit of friction! Reduced friction on the rocker ball, and an accurate rocker ratio makes more crank HP! Stock rockers actually only come out between 1.4 and 1.45 ratio, and deflect a measurable about even on stock cams. Going to a proper 1.5 ratio rocker, with a roller trunion and tip is a good 10-20hp on a SBC over stock rockers. Its a combination of friction reduction and your cam actually giving you its full rated lift and duration. With the cam and valve spring pressures the original poster is talking about pretty much any set of quality aluminum roller rockers will last at least 50,000 miles. Not exactly a maintainance item. Stainless steel ones will pretty much last forever. Also, why would you reccomend going to 10 degree locks with stock replacement Z28 springs! You do realize why there are 10 degree locks right? Is so the locks shoulders do not pull through the retainer under high spring pressures! They require specific retainers, and should be only used with aftermarket single groove valves. Stock style 7 degree locks are fine in all hydralic flat tappet cam applications. A set of machined (not stamped) stock replacement locks are more than enough for a set of Z28 springs with stock retainers, even upwards of 7000rpm. We get 7200rpm out of them on our circle track engines without a problem.
Ahh...beat me to it, Rick. I've actually dyno'ed rockers in back-to-back comparisons, and I can say that even when the factory SBC rockers are a true 1.5:1 ratio, a roller rocker will add 5-8 hp min even on a totally stock engine...though under those cir***stances the gain is almost entirely towards the upper part of the rpm range. Quite often the gain is much greater, for the reasons Rick gave in his third paragraph. One other factor which should be considered, sometimes more than at other times, is that oil temperature is generally reduced 10 deg. F or more. That's mostly a good thing, though not always. That cam, and those heads, will not make 400hp, or even very close to it. That's OK as long as your expectations are not unrealistic. Scorpion rockers seem to be a good buy for the money & are made here. Another possibility for you would be Harland Sharp rockers.
ok, I'm sure this has been covered a million times, but I'm still not entirely sure of the answer! I've got a 283 with 461 heads on it that have roller rockers installed. I don't know the make or specs on them (they are gold). the motor has stock stamped gm valve covers on it. what CAN'T I run for valve covers?? I want to run the old standard height edelbrock finned covers, corvettes, or low height cal custom finned covers. will any of these work??
Simple like stated above they sit up higher on the stud and are made of thicker material. One other benefit of roller rockers not meationed is less valve guide wear. It's a give or take world out there.
GUN...you buy springs to match cam and lifters.but if you don't have screw in rocker studs, well that could be a real problem. but to answere your question. JEG'S has steel rockers that look stock, but are not. they have the roller tip. and i prefer them over aluminum. why? hell their stronger and cheaper...POP.
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