Roller Cams......pros and cons to flat tappets

[patmckinneyracing]

Hello all again and here comes another cam discussion. Here is the story:

Last night I held off ordering my Lunati 268 cam and other parts until I could figure out more on the "light casting" oil pumps and what is a good brand. Well today I stopped by my buddies house who has a 93' Camaro Z28 with an LT1. He took out his LT1 and stroked it out to 383 ci and has all new internal components. As I was looking around at the slew of parts, he had his original roller lifters in a box that he was going to throw away.

I've heard of people re-using these lifters, so I gladly took them off his hands. All I have is the lifters and nothing else. The same goes with the flat tappet setup I was planning, all I have is a set of Crane Energizer lifters.

So now the great dilemma: stick with flat tappet or go roller? What are the benefits to the roller setup over the flat tappets and vice versa? Is there a significant performance difference between these two types of cams? What all do I need to do to convert to a roller setup besides the cam and lifters? Last but not least, overall is it worth it?

 

[username]

I didnt know you could use a lt1 roller lifter in a older block I have seen retro hyd.rollers for sbc like comps or howards though. The roller setup is definitely the way to go if funds are there.you can retain vacuum with a more lumpy cam opposed to running a flat tappet because the lobes rise to peak a lot quicker.You also dont have to add anti-wear additives when running a roller setup like flat tappet .

 

[1986elcamino383]

I belive that the rollers have to be used on lt1 blocks but could be wrong . The advantage of a roller is that you can slam the valve open faster so you can get more air in the chamber whitch in turn will make a crisper responce . You will also need a cam button because roller cams tend to walk out in to the timming cover . Good luck

 

[patmckinneyracing]

Yeah I found out from other forums and looking on google that these lifters won't work. My block is from either 83-84 and doesn't have the mounting points for the retainers or anything like that. So I'll be going with the voodoo 268 as planned.

 

[jrm81bu]

I replied over on MR, but I see you got it figured out. I might be interested in those lifters though. Shoot me a PM.

 

[86Cutlass383SR]

Selthe factory lifters and use what you get for the retro-fit rollers. I realize the big cost differance and that oem rollers aren't that high price wise.

But, you asked about the performance differance. litterally night and day. I'm not sure if you realize this but will state it just in case. Say you have a flat tappet with 218* @ .050" lift. A hyd roller with the same 218* @ .050" lift will actually have more duration due to the fact the roller can open much sooner and quicker than the flat tappet. Basically, the roller tappet can move sooner to get to the .050" lift.

The result is more airflow thru the head sooner and longer. And, since an engine is just an air pump, the more air you move, the more power you make.

I totally understand being on a budget, but if you want to take the performance to the next level, then go roller. A decent roller and a good set of heads will make an amazing transformation in power. Freeking unbelieavable ...

 

[patmckinneyracing]

Maybe I'll go with a roller setup later on down the road, maybe even a big block. But for now I'll go with the voodoo cam. By the time I'm done with project roadrunner, there should be plenty of vortecs and new trucks and cars in the yards. But I've been eyeballing a Gen V big block in a dually truck in the yard for some time now and can get it complete for 130$. I think I'll keep the small block in the malibu and save my big block tastes for the roadrunner

 

[Gman85]

Maybe I'll go with a roller setup later on down the road, maybe even a big block. But for now I'll go with the voodoo cam. By the time I'm done with project roadrunner, there should be plenty of vortecs and new trucks and cars in the yards. But I've been eyeballing a Gen V big block in a dually truck in the yard for some time now and can get it complete for 130$. I think I'll keep the small block in the malibu and save my big block tastes for the roadrunner

Honestly...you can get a good roller cam setup out of a Doug Herbert catalog. I bought one for my last small block and it worked great. Priced very well. I think you will enjoy the reponse from a roller cam n lifters...i know i did. Im gonna use one in my 383 build.