Are these the new 5/16" pushrods? They still look awful close to the bottom of the hole in the first pic?

They almost look like a higher ratio than 1.5, but I don't know how to tell them apart.

5/16 proform chrome moly pushrods

stock 273 1.5s as far as i know

will take a new pic today, that pic was before shafts were torqued down and valves were adjusted.

What madscientist said, "You need to correct your rocker geometry."
You pictured a lot of messed up push rods and yes I suppose it could have been from neglected adjustment but you'd have to neglect them a lot for that kind of damage. Across the counter push rods might work just fine in most cases but viewing your pictures raises a big red flag. From what I see, I would suggest you get yourself a couple of push rod length checkers and read all you can about valve train geometry.
At the very least I would suggest you get some marking compound such as Prussian Blue and coat your new push rods in critical areas. Turn the engine over and then check for witness marks on the push rods and the head.
There's just more in those pictures than a simple defective push rod or poorly adjusted valve.

YES what you say makes sense, but this is a undecked block,unmilled heads,the intake fits fine unmodified, the intake bolts screw in by hand, its a stock 72 block ,the lifter angle has not been changed,i dont have a roller cam,nor roller rockers, the rockers are in the stock location, what does a TA intake rocker look like? the TA uses stock rockers on the exhaust,only the intake rocker is different. would a shorter pushrod change the angle from the rocker to the lifter of the pushrod? something does not make sense here.

i remember mancini selling a rocker arm shim kit....anybody remember those? did they go under the rocker shaft ,with a hole in them,to be used under where the supports and bolt goes?

i followed the post on the racing section where guys are raising and offsetting there shafts to correct rocker arm geometry ....is that what i need to do? by using the mancini shims to raise the rocker arm shafts will that help correct my rocker arm geometry and move the pushrod main body off the bottom of the hole in the head?

yes am reading this now, thanks

http://www.b3racingengines.com/techpages/MoparRockerArmGeometry1.asp

Sorry Joe but I don't know enough address the differences between different rockers. I know that real TA's have offset rocker so there's little chance mistaking them and assuming that might be a solution is not valid at this stage of troubleshooting.
Has the cam been changed? Was it converted to solid lifters from hydraulic? You said you previously used 3/8's push rods which can be problematic in a small block without additional work to clearance the larger diameter. That may very well be what really happened. Do you know what length they were? What length Proform push rods did you buy? Between the Proforms website and Summit they have 7.19, 7.35 & 7.5 inch lengths available in 5/16 cup/ball configurations. How did you determine which length to buy?
Slow down and don't jump to fixes until you now what you have now. Seriously, get some push rod length checkers and find out. Only then can you determine the next step. Start at the beginning, one step at a time.

have had same cam once engine was new and built in 2010
it aint a TA intake offset rocker, i looked and found a pic of those
solid cam and lifters, rockers,pushrods and started out in this 360
yes pushrods were 3/8s tube size, i did not check clearance when i picked up complete engine from the builder, he should have checked during assembly.
7.500 was the length of the 3/8s pushrods
proform 5/16s are 7.500
I determined pushrod length by solid cam,adjustable rockers,and listing for sm mopar. i did look at several brands which all seemed to have different lengths even for the solid cam set up. thanks for all your help.i figured with almost stock block,heads,rockers, etc that off the shelf parts would suffice. I have contacted Mike at B3R and explained the situation. hopefully he can assist me.

Good move. It will be helpful to know what the solution is. Keep us informed.

Hi William,

It's not so much a geometry problem that I can see, as it is a pushrod clearance issue. I run into this often, especially with small blocks, because there isn't enough room in the tunnel for oversize pushrods, or aftermarket parts with varied dimensions.

I'm not fond of the factory iron rockers, and their designed geometry, but if you want to use them, I suggest running a thick wall 5/16" pushrod with a 5/16" ball and cup dimension. A pushrod with the larger 3/8" ball and cup will not fit the lifter or the adjuster properly, and could cause problems with durability and fitment. I'm not sure what the wall thickness is on the ProComp pushrods, but it is likely the standard performance .080" wall, which may not be enough for your spring pressures. A call to Smith Brothers, Manton, or Trend would be a good idea.

Also, picking pushrod length by a catalog listing of factory pushrods is not a good idea in a performance motor. If everything is purely stock dimensions, that will work, but machining and aftermarket parts take away that option. They need to be measured for the proper length. That usually results in a custom length pushrod being needed, which one of the previously mentioned companies can provide.

You will want to thoroughly inspect the cam lobes and lifters for damage. With the pushrods rubbing that hard, there is a possibility the lifter was not able to spin properly and started wiping lobes on the cam. You mentioned the lash being loose, and that could be a sign of lobe wear on the cam.

If you still have clearance issues with the smaller pushrods, you will have to remove the heads and grind the tunnels larger, or you will have failures again in the future.

If you decide to upgrade to a roller rocker in the future, contact me first so I can help you avoid many of the pitfalls that Mopar guys experience when doing so. It is a worthwhile upgrade, but the right parts need to be used, and they have to be set up correctly. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask. Good Luck!

Regards,



Michael Beachel
B3 Racing Engines, LLC
717-497-6572