i was just looking at all the different hydraulic and solid lifters available for my 302 Ford. The price range varies greatly, and all claim to be top quality. Wouldn't a Brinnell test tell the tale? Or is that not the problem? i myself had one of a set of solid lifters from Oregon cam grinders(who I recomend to any one ) grind the lobe of the camshaft off in a few hundred miles. tHEY(oREGON CAM GRINDERS) SAID i NEEDED TO USE AN OIL WITH ZINC TO CURE THAT. i HAD THEM GRIND ANOTHER(430 lINCOLN) CAM FOR ME, USED HIS OIL HE RECOMENDED, AND IT WORKED FINE. (sorry for the caps lock). I have a set of used lifters I bought from a NASCAR team, that are some kind of metal I can't remember( pacaloy or so kind of alloy) . they are used but look to have no wear on them. and light. I used to have an engine rebuilding shop in the 80's, and it was a common thing to see the chevy v-8 with many flat lobes and cupped lifters. Nobody blamed the oil then.The Fords and dodges never had a lifter wearing problem then. i want to buy a cam and lifters for my 302 and liven it up a little, but am afraid of another flat cam!
When used lifters are used on any cam I get a piece of gl*** place 600 wet sand paper with light weight oil and burnish face of lifter . They will hold oil better when mating to cam lobes. Always worked for me.
For any type of flat tappet lifter, make sure the face of the lifter is at least slightly convex. Use the side of another lifter as a straight edge and place the face of another lifter against it. Hold them up against a light source and make sure that only the center of the lifter face contacts the straight side of the other lifter. If only the outer edges make contact the lifter is wearing itself out.
Number 1 don't use a set of used lifters unless you lap them on gl*** first. But you already know that. Number 2 anything used from NASCAR is already thrashed really well. There is a chance that you can get new flat tappet lifters from NASCAR because they changed the rules this year and allowed them to go to roller lifters. Number 3 GM had a cam problem in the later '70s or earlier 80s. No one took the zinc out of the oil until the EPA said that they had to. Now yes on a new cam always use a zinc additive, my personal experience is that once the cam is broken in it is not as important as while you are breaking the cam in but at the very least if you are not going to use a zinc additive use it when you are breaking the cam in. After break in you are on your own as to whether you want to use additive or not. All parts for sale will say that they are the best that money can buy. That is written by a guy that is selling you something. I have had good luck with Erson lifters the last few sets that I have purchased, have had Comp hydraulics come apart and have seen some bad Crane lifters in the last few years. Lunati lifters seem to work well too at least on Lunati cams. Now number 4 and I do hope that everyone is still reading. This is the only thing of value that I am going to say in this post: Always without a doubt follow your cam grinders advice.
Good clean oil. I used Royal Purple racing 60 70 weight in my hotrods. Never a lubrication related failure. I use Rotella 20W / 50W in my Flatties. Like above follow cam manufacturer's instructions. Unless he / she is telling you to use light weight oil!
Brinell will tell you how hard it is, but not if the size, shape, etc. are in spec. Also, the Brinell test leaves a large dent/deformation in the part tested, so it is considered a destructive test on small parts. On something larger, like a crankshaft, it can be performed on a non-critical location such as a counterweight where the deformation doesn't matter. A Rockwell test leaves a much smaller indent, but you still wouldn't do it on a critical surface.
Interesting article on the subject: http://www.enginebuildermag.com/2009/04/flat-or-tapered-cams-and-flat-or-crowned-lifters/
The Jalopy Journal
