quote:
Originally posted by PanteraDoug:
... If you stay under 7,000 the lifters bushings are pretty much optional ...
I felt the same way most of my life, because in my younger days installing bushings was an expensive proposition. It was a universal "rule" that hydraulic cammed engines didn't warrant the expense. The expense was the actual issue. Believe me, the bearings of hydraulic cammed engines weren't problem free. But since hydraulic cammed engines generally weren't "pushed" as hard as solid tappet cammed engines complete bearing failure wasn't a problem, just excessive wear. But that eventually leads to low "hot oil" pressure. I banged my head against this issue throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Then one day about a decade ago it struck me that Denny's kit is only $400. People spend more money than that on valve covers. So I changed my opinion. First you have to realize the lubrication system's problem don't turn off and on like a light switch at 7000 rpm. They are present at lower rpm, they simply worsen as engine speed increases. Grocery getter 2 barrel carb Clevelands experience bearing damage too. Second you have to experience just how much better the lubrication system performs with bushings installed. I wish people would try the bushings out before they chose to steer people away from them. The bushings do more than fix the lubrication system, they "hot rod" it, and at $400 I don't consider their benefits optional. Their benefits are easily worth $400! Consider this, with the bushings in place, the choice of tappet wouldn't matter.
The tappets mentioned by Doug are the Speed Pro AT2000 solid flat tappet, manufactured by Johnson Lifters. They have the Boss 351 metering plate oil metering system. Also sold by Crower Cams under part number 66915X980-16P. When you shake them they rattle, like a hydraulic tappet, but they aren't hydraulic.
