Does anyone have a suggestion for good 289/302 flat tappet hydraulic lifters? I rebuilt a 302 with new Sealed Power lifters, and they do work, they didn't eat the cam, but they are noisy. I'm not hearing encouraging things about good lifters like you used to be able to buy anywhere, but I wonder if something has become available in the last year since I looked.
I'm running into the same problem. I'm going to be running a fairly aggressive cam in my BBF and had to settle for Comp Cams 833 solid lifters. I had Johnson lifters on my old cam and they were made in the US, but have stopped making them. I think they only make rollers now. I don't know if there are any flat tappets made in the US anymore. Getting to be more of a crap shoot on breaking stuff in for sure.
Hylift Johnson is still making Ford Y-block mushroom lifters in the U.S. The same lifters are also being sold/w other manufacturers' names on the boxes. I would contact Dave at Hylift and inquire.
There's an old Chinese Proverb that I think fits your issue.... Sum Ting Wong.... One thing I have learned about a SBF... If it's making a clicking, ticking, clanging noise, there's something wrong with it. Major... like a piston skirt bouncing around or Minor...something needs adjustment.
It's a Crane Econopower 272 that I bought new in the '80s. One of my favorite cams, nice idle and good power and economy. And it still looks and works fine, no problems on the break-in. I will ask him, that name has come up. It's a simple scratch&ring rebuild, standard bore with a little bit of taper in the front 4 cylinders, but it didn't make any noise when it last ran with the stock cam. It's fairly quiet when cold, get louder as it warms up, the opposite of a skirt slap. Also, some of the lifters bleed down fast when the engine is shut off, fast enough that you can watch the rockers go neutral, while a few others hold tight for hours. That ain't right! I've thought about that, but trust comes into play there. The new Wuhan wang-dangs look exactly like the originals, so what's to stop a seller from reboxing a set of the real deals and sending me another shanghai surprise?
Check with Ted Eaton (eatonbalancing.com). He builds Y-blocks and FEs. He pretty much buys lifters from 3 different sources, including Hylift. He will either have what you need or tell you where to get it. If not, it doesn't exist. Of course, your problem might not be lifters. How's your oil pressure?
Yes. Galley plugs removed, galleys cleaned with galley brushes, sprayed out with a hot water pressure washer. Oil coming out of all rockers, so does not appear to be an oiling problem.
Hylift and Johnson were both trade names used by Sealed Power. Sealed power was morphed into a division of SPX, but I think the company was eventually picked up by Mahle as the supplier industry hit troubled times. Sealed Power was an OEM supplier, and they provided lifters and cam cores, as well as finished cams to most of the aftermarket cam companies, who sold them under their own label. The only other OEM lifter suppliers that I recall were GM’s Rochester Products Division and Eaton. I doubt that there is much US production of flat tappets anymore, since I can’t think of any flat tappet engines still being produced. Without production engines, there really isn’t much reason to keep the old lines running, so everything is likely offshore.
Runnin Elgin in mine. Never paid any attention to noise. Last set I bought came from these guys https://www.johnsonlifters.com/ Does what they’re supposed to. They replaced a set from Lunatti that were too short.
Hylift Johnson and Johnson Lifters are two different manufacturers. Hylift Johnson might sell lifters to Sealed Power, but they are not the same company.
Didn't know that. Interesting. I wonder if they work together. I adjusted them several different ways, they are currently zero lash plus 1/2 turn. I have also tried zero lash plus 1/4 turn, 3/4 turn, and just zero lash. All sounded the same. Valve guides are OK, not perfect but functional. I just asked them for a suggestion on their site, interesting to see what they recommend. This has to be a common problem in the vintage car world, there must be a solution. I could always go with a roller 5.0, but I like the idea of a vintage engine in a vintage car - and it runs nice and strong too.
Are you sure the noise is lifters? My buddy's 350 chevy had a lifter type noise it ended up being wrist pins?
The wrist pins were very good, no sloppy movement at all. Stock pistons, rods, and pins never disassembled. Pretty sure it's the lifters as a few don't hold the oil prime and that is reportedly a problem with the new parts.
Johnson's. My engine guy is having a tough time getting anything because of the supply issues. I was lucky he had a few Comp Cam masters he could work off to get the grind I needed. As far as lifters all he had was Comp Cams brand, everything else is not available or back ordered.
Dang. I bought lifters for my 500 caddy from CadCo a few months ago. Flat tappet. CadCo guy says Johnson’s makes em. I’m saving all my old lifters now, just in case it gets down to cleaning and resurfacing them
Crower and Isky are Johnson Lifter (not Topline Hylift Johnson) distributors. You can find both Isky and Crower hydraulic flat tappet lifters for 302 Ford on Summit's website.
Mellings are made in the USA. I called and asked. But they do rattle in my 430 Lincoln powered 37 coupe
Johnson doesn't make flat tappet lifters anymore and haven't for a few years. Looking at the Summit website their out of stock on both Isky and Crower hydraulics for sbf.
Hylift was a division of Sealed Power, and trademarked their lifters as Johnson Products. I interviewed for the Chief Engineer position at Sealed Power when they were under the control of SPX Corporation, back in the 90s. (As I recall it, Sealed Power Corp was on a diversification kick and renamed the corporate entity SPX. That eventually fell apart and Sealed Power essentially disappeared as a corporation, but the name lives on under different ownership, as an aftermarket trade name.) Looks like the lifter division in Muskegon Mi was spun off and is now owned by Topline. Any search for Johnson Lifters eventually links back to Hylift Johnson. Remember: Hylift division of Sealed Power originally marketed their lifters under the Johnson lifter or Johnson Products moniker.
Something that has been said about lifters in general lately is that some have the oiling band in the wrong spot causing the lifter to not get full pressure making them noisy.The band that is smaller in diameter than the surface that rides in the lifter bore is either too high or too low and isn't properly exposed to the lifter oil galley in the block.
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