Opinions on a Solid Roller cam in a daily driver

[Carb Doc]

I would think carefully on Rear Axle ratio. I have 3.36 with a Richmond 5 Speed so is 1:1 in 5th, turns 3000 rpm at 70 mph, this would be about 3500 with 3.70 gears. Roller or not this gets to be a bit of a pain, also really restricts crusing at more mph. The little roller that you are looking at will likely have the ability to pull up from fairly low rpms, had something like this in mine years ago and was good for about 20 / 21.5 miles per gallon , imperial gallons.

 

[Imo Apita]

It's a cam from Howard's Max Torque series.
Surprised that you would call it a "little" roller :lol:
I'm trying to avoid the Stroker Mc Gurk, if big is good then bigger must be better trap.
Would you recommend more lift or more duration?
Regards,

 

[Carb Doc]

My use of the term Little was in no way a slight on that camsharf. 0.555" lift rollers ar more or less the base line for solid rollers, and about as far as you can go safely with 1.440 diameter valve springs, as you go up in lift you are more or less forced to use 1.550" or larger valve springs to allow for the max lift and the required pressure to keep the roller in contact with the camshaft as it goes over the nose. I would say it is likely a good choice , BUT you need to base your decision on how you will use the car, highway????, cruises???? My only concern with solid rollers is oil to the roller wheel at idle, most older Roller lifters only oil this area by splash, so extended idle or low RPM operation can be a problem. Have run solid rollers in my Vette since 1976, this has been the only issue, Howards are OK, or most people dont think about Lunati, they have new stuff designed by Harold Brookshire , who used to be Ultradyne, this stuff is state of the art and much easier on the valve train than other brands. If you want info on Lunati stuff, call their tech line and ask for Steve Slavik, he is an x ultradyne guy and knows his stuff. email [email protected]

 

[496BBC]

Have spoken with Steve in last couple weeks on a failure I recently had with my SR Lunati valve train. He definitely knows his stuff and is very helpful.

Its not Lunati's parts that caused the failure, I pushed the parts beyond there life. I was keeping and eye on things to see just how long they would go. 5 years on a decent size roller is to long on the street. Back when I had this motor put together it was recommended that I replace springs and do a in-depth check of the lifters every 2 years and keep an ear out for lash issues.

A few weeks ago I herd a small tapping noise on decel so I took the covers off and took a look, sure enough I had some broken springs. I then removed the intake and checked the lifters. Looks like a have 4 with some roughness at the rollers.

Steve indicated that fatigue is more than likely the cause of the spring failure due to the age of the springs.

The lifters can be rebuilt if I want for a little over half of the cost of new ones but to save some down time I'll get new ones this time and keep these for a rebuild at the next change out.

Give Lunati a call and talk with the techs, they can recommend a good cam for your needs.

I'm running a large cam for the street and was told at the time I ordered everything that I should expect 2 to 3 years out of my valve train. This was fine with me so that's the way I went. Some may not want to do the required maintenance that a solid roller cam with .700" plus lift requires.

Speak with Lunati or whoever's cam you'll run and discuss your intended use, they'll help with your decision.

A solid roller cam with less lift and little different ramp design will live quite well on the street. I don't mind the maintenance and wanted an aggressive cam for my motor.

Neal

 

[Imo Apita]

Slightly offf topic maybe but is Lunati really that much better?
As far as better for your valvetrain, the slower closing ramp?
No other cam manufacturers do this?
I know the Comp cams extreme energy series is a smack open and smack closed affair.

 

[Carb Doc]

Based on my experience with Ultradyne, the NEW Lunati profile Street Rollers will be substantially different from All the others, This stuff all designed by Harold Brookshire, easy on the valve train is one of his trademarks, this and better lowRPM torque and more vacuum which you want in a streetable cam. Check with Steve, if you are looking into a really streetable and fun to drive small block cam check out their 501B1 or 501B2. You have nothing to loose by contacting them, I believe you will be pleased at the personel service. These guys are grass roots guys, like us..............

 

[Belgian1979vette]

Not sure, but when I looked at the lunati's they seemed all pretty agressive (small difference between advertised and .05 figure)

 

[Imo Apita]

Thanks so far gents, keep the thoughts coming.
Got the rev kit and now waiting to pull the trigger on the rotating assembly.
Need to go shop around for a machine shop now, two options around here.

 

[macx]

For one thing not yet mentioned, solid rollers are lighter than hydraulics.

And I agree that if you have the right springs and valve train, you shouldn't have to be adjusting frequently.

I've run 2 solid lifter daily drivers altho not rollers, a 426 Hemi and a 396/375 hp Camaro, both of which were "warmed up some" Yeah, back in the 60's. Even back then, the 396 didn't need frequent adjustment at all, I tweaked them like every 6 months or so, and i put on lots of miles and drove the wee out of it, just like that motor was built for.

The Hemi was more picky on a razor sharp tune to really run perfect, so did run them more often. But that was a really heavy valve train, too, with long heavy rockers and big valves, and I drove that even harder than the 396. Ahhh, the good old days! :wink:

 

[Imo Apita]

Hate to drag an older thread back up.
Here's the deal; I keep getting laughed at if I mention SR on the street.
I've ordered a soda in a biker bar one time, same reaction.
Third speed shop I've been to; shake their head and basically ridicule me for wanting to run a Solid roller cam.
What's up with these guys, do I have to admit they're right?
Is running a SR on the street a complete waste of money and asking for parts breaking all the time?
Is it really?
I'm getting a little tired, this **** is getting old.
Did you guys (the ones running a SR) have to deal with the same ridicule?
I'm getting to the point where I just want to buy the stuff, slap it together and run the piss out of it without ever telling anybody that I run a SR.
Then sanity kicks in again and I realize I don't really have the money to waste and If I end up with a parts breaking pig I'll have to live with it.
Which makes me doubt again and the whole circle starts again.

 

[MYBAD79]

The SR is good for higher rpm use than a HR. HR are good for 6000rpm easy, probably more like 6500
If you're not spending much time above 6000 rpm then this is (for me) reason enough to use a HR.
With the longer duration of the SR you'll more than likely loose low end power and shift the power band to a higher rpm range as compared to a HR with less duration.
If it's the rough idle sound that you like then look into the Thumper cams, might be a good choice....
I'm not saying that SR is a waste of money but I'm convinced it's not the best choice if it's for a street engine that rarely sees 6000rpm. For an engine that can hold up to 7500rpm and is run on the track the solid lifters are a better choice....IMO....
If you simply WANT a SR cam then why not ....

 

[Imo Apita]

False alarm...I think.
I'm getting stressed out by the engine not being ready yet and the cost with nothing to show for it but a stack of parts.
Spend some time on the internet again, NastyZ28 Forum, Chevelle forum, Camaros.net. yellowbullet.com and so on.
Half of them run solid rollers on the street. I am convinced again that I can make it live. What's up with these speeds shops...... either I'm not part of the in crowd or I just look like a moron.
So SR it is, found this one:
http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=1992&gid=290
Slightly more on the exhaust then the Howards mentioned earlier in this thread.
If I can only gets the heads I can be on my way.