Reply to "Lifter Bore Clearance"

Tobey, be aware that not all lifters are the exact same OD (0.875" for pushrod Fords). If you're inquiring due to your bores (or lifters) being worn a bit, some aftermarket lifters (both roller and flat-tappet, hydraulic and solid) are as much as 0.003 undersized out-of-the-box while a few are exactly 0.875". This may come from foreign mfgrs converting to inches from metric. Hylift-Johnson makes good lifters the correct size, in the U.S.A.

If you're simply hot-rodding an engine, there are advantages to a larger OD lifter of any design for a given cam, which is why some racers use Chrysler lifters (stock is 0.904") in Chevys (0.842") & Fords (0.875"). Overboring lifters is routinely done in big race shops and can also correct stock lifter bore mistakes done during mfgr of a block. But it takes good ($$$) fixtures and cannot be done in a typical garage with hand tools. Big lifters also need a cam ground to accommodate them; NOT a drop-in fix for worn bores in a stock block.