ROCKET valve train tricks Rude Crude and Lewd

[DON_WOW]

No adjustment on early engines - 49-64- is a bump in the road you have to cross when playing with Rockets. Stock hyd lifters will lay down and sleep somewhere around 4500 rpm. There is more than one way to skin a cat and fix this.

The 303-324 blocks will take .842 dia lifter and you can use chevy hyd or solids. Adjustable pushrods or rocker arms will be needed. Rocker arms can be found , but look over carefully for worn out threads and cracks.Aftermarket brands vary in how good and how much abuse they have had in another life. Pushrods can be right to your doorstep brand new in any lenth from SMITH BROTHERS. Adjustable pushrods with stock rockers in good condition is a good way to go in that you have room to make up for milled heads, different head gaskets and decked blocks or regrind base circle on any cam. Solid lifters need 1/8 brass rod to plug side hole in chevy lifter. Another way is to shim stock hyd lifter to make it act as a solid. Solid s can run on hyd cam by setting lash .005 cold or .003 hot to make up for ramp on hyd cam. Got to be accurate with this, but there will be no noise or click to give this away. Too tight and you bent a pushrod.

IF you have cam heads springs and manifolding to support these old farts will spin 7500 to 8000 rpm---no sweat. But RPM means------------ruins peoples motors------keep it under 7000 and live a looong time.

Now for 371 and 394 blocks we have a problem in that the lifter is .921 dia. Anyone who has played with these ----Blownolds--- can attest to not finding new .921 lifters on your front porch cause somebody had extra. So here is the out on this, REED CAMS, STOCKBRIDGE, GEORGIA will regrind and finish old lifters and you will have a finish better than new ones. I recommend sending even new ones of any type to be worked over by REED. Good insurance when changing cams, or sticking in that new regrind.

Rest of rocker arm or pushrod info same as 303-324 ,unless you you get into the grocery money and step up to custom built roller arms based on 440 mopar units, no need for this in steet driven car. Or maybe you like to pull valve cover and say --HEY CHECK THIS OUT"""" There is more on this, but later...........

[yorgatron]

good stuff,but i'm still working on the studebaker rocker arms.i'm using cadillac rocker shafts in bored out olds stands,but it looks like i'm gonna hafta grind the underneath of the arms to clear the valves-george

[DON_WOW]

Hey Yorg Get an old pushrod and cut half inch out of middle. tap both cut ends with number 12 by 24 thread and put in inch or so all thread to make adjustable pushrod checker. Years ago had a set of GOTHAS i had to releive next to retainer, be sure and radis no sharp edges for stress points .Worked fine.

[Rocket88]

Don, I got these rockers off of this old guy ( you know who you are )...lol...
They are steel, not magnesium, and use a really thin pushrod.
They also have the letters ecm cast into the rocker arms.
Any idea who made them??
http://photo.starblvd.net/~rocket88/4-2-2.jpg

[lakes modified]

Hey: i resemble that remark. but you forgot the grey hair?. now i hope you never find that wrecking yard near you. ha ha.
take care you young fart.

[Rocket88]

hehehehe!! I think I already know where that yard is!

Don, I forgot to ask, when running a Chev lifter in the Olds, do you use a solid or hollow push rod?
Seeings how a Chev oils throgh the push rod, will it harm the lifter if the oiling hole is covered by a solid push rod?

[Blownolds]

I can't see how a solid pushrod would do any damage to a lifter that has a hole in the seat. Never tried though.

YEAH, .921's are a problem. There are options however, and DonWow just gave one option. I'll add to that tip that Delta Cams in WA also regrinds lifters. So does Shadbolt in Canada. Delta said $2 per lifter, plus shipping--that's real reasonable. I no longer throw away any .921 diameter lifter, even used hydraulics (including the '65-7 ones).

McGurk used to sell slugs that go inside hydraulics to make them a solid (I still have a set). So that is an option, but you'll probably have to make your own.

Another option is to have Sherman Racing do their magic on your hydraulics like they do for many of the NHRA stock class racers. This way you don't need an adjustable valve train, but it tends to act like a solid. Also suitable for high RPM. They do something to limit the travel. Conversions cost $225 on your cores. For more commonly used lifters, they will sell outright--- I got a set of .842 late Olds lifters for $250, shipping included. Wound up selling them back off when I sold my 442 project, but they are being used in a street-strip car right now and he is completely happy with them. For more info on the lifters, see:
http://hometown.aol.com/jallensherman/indexhtmlwwwShermanRacingProduc.html

For my blown engine, I decided to go with a set of the OH-so-expensive Schubeck ultralight flat solid's instead of trying to use an old roller lifter. These are made of a special ceramic and are very expensive. But after listening to the superstock racers comments as well as two Olds racers who are using the Schubeck flat solids, I sprung the big money for a set. Don't ask how much.

A note on the old Thomas magnesium rocker arms: I was told by an old-timer that they break. So I sold mine to a guy. He then broke two, just to prove it true.

Used adjustable rockers can be sent to Rocker Arm Specialists in Redding, CA-- they refurbish all types of shaft rocker setups, no matter if the tips are worn or the shaft is grooved etc. They take care of all that. They also have available the more reasonably priced roller rocker setups for early Olds. I think the '49-58 ones are around $350 and the offset '59-64 ones are around $800. Other options for roller rocker setups would be Sharp's, DRE, T&D, and Jesel. They all have one-off custom programs. Be aware this is not cheap. But the profile-milled DRE, T&D, and Jesel arms are WAY nicer than an old blocky converted Mopar arm.

Ah, it's nice to have options. Now, I gotta go outside and water my money tree. It still hasn't put on any fruit http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/mad.gif

[DON_WOW]

Rocket 88------I bought new Iskys back in late 50s that are same as you got. So i dont know what the markings stand for, mine were same, beats me. What you have are 1949 because of small pushrod size, and i bet there 1.5 instead of 1.8 ratio. 49 had little solid pushrod and rifle drilled rods-----not good---go to 5/16 with solid ball ends and use with chevy lifter, change adjustment screw to match pushrod end

[Rocket88]

Isky's eh? Cool!!
I am going to be changing the adjusters, buick nailhead is a perfect match, just a larger diameter push rod.

Rocketeers http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Blownolds]

Nailhead adjusters work? Are adjusters tough to get for those?

I've had many sets of adjustable Olds rockers and by far most were ball-end screws. That means that an aftermarket cupped pushrod must be utilized, period. About three sets had the cupped screw so that stock-type ball-end pushrods could be used. But most likely whatever you do, you'll probably still have to order custom pushrods anyway since there are so many variables in a hot-rodded engine that will change the needed length.

[Rocket88]

Nate, I couldn't believe it myself.
I was at a buddies speed shop and showed him one of my rockers. I expalined that I wanted to change the adjusters and wondered what company might have something. He looks at it, takes the adjuster out of the rocker and says " it looks like a buick"
He pulls a nailhead rocker from beneath the counter and takes out the adjuster. They are identical, except for the larger diameter cup to fit the push rod, even the oiling hole is in the same place. We made a few test fits and it seems fine.
Go figure eh? I think those parts will be fairly easy to find compared to some of our rocket parts!

[yorgatron]

i think maybe i could modify my valve spring retainers by cutting a 45% bevel on the outside edge,i just gotta make a mandrel to hold them in my lathe chuck.having the retainers lighter would help reduce reciprocating weight also i think.

[DON_WOW]

Way to go Yorg-------now your cooking,here is a shot of one
i did------- hope it shows up good .

[56olds-ERDY]

damn,
is there anything you havent done jerry.ha ha
ok im late to the party as usual,but great info once again.anyother info to share.i just got my first set of early olds adjustables not to long ago.i have to clean them up a bit to take a look,and see the shape yet,and see the brand.they are steel though,and and have the ball adjusters with the cup pushrods.keep the info comming
eric