Anyone use these ? No needle bearings ? Uses bronze axle bushing instead of needle bearings. More expensive. Worth it?
Thanks Mike

I’ve used it on 2 builds so far for street/strip engines. Reason being....more street. One is .650 lift with about 600 lbs open pressure. The other .575 or so lift with low 500 lbs open pressure. Both 505 strokers in stock 440 unbushed blocks. The .575 lift engine has many more miles on it than the newer .650” build. About 3000-4000 miles and a bunch of track passes. No problems at all. Both run very nice. Only thing is the sportsman lifters measure on the small size. Combined with 50 yr old lifterbores, the clearances were on the large side. Up to .003”+. Idle oil pressure on both builds is a little low for my liking. But, touch the gas pedal and it shoots right up.

Do you have a stock block, or afteemarket? Good luck with build.

"Do you have a stock block, or afteemarket? Good luck with build."

Mega block that I'm having lifter bores bushed this winter. They are loose after 12 years and causing premature lifter wear . My Older 96829-16's are worn beyond a rebuild and I like the idea of no needle bearings . I also did not like my idle oil pressure being kinda low.
Mike

How low is your Idle oil pressure? With the needle bearing version of this lifter and harland rockers in a oe 440 block. I had about 20 lbs at a 1300 idle after the oil was up to temp

My oil pressure was between 15-20 on the return road and back in the pits(1250 rpm) but I do not think it is the lifters fault. My lifter bores are worn and loose and I think the pressure is going past the lifters. I also have spray bar rocker oiling which also contributes to loss of some pressure. I don't expect any increase in oil pressure with just the lifter swap. Just wanting a lifter the may be more durable and safer should it come apart. I had a failure a few years back and the needle bearings did a lot of damage.
Mike

Our idle pressures are about 15 lbs as well, at 900rpm for mine and 1200 on my buddies. I believe it is due to the lifter to bore clearance on our engines. The last engine i built was the same rotating assy and besring clearances, but with Gaterman hyd roller lifters that measured amlost .0008” larger than the comps and it had higher idle pressure. So that confirmed it for me.

Timely thread, what exactly is the spec for b engine lfter bores? It looks like I'll have get mine bushed, spec is .0015-0017 clearance at 70f some of mine are measuring 0.0025 to 0.003 clearance at 60f.

I have about 3,000 miles on mine, no runs at the track yet. So far so good, I took the manifold off and they still roll smooth

It’s seems like the majority of the roller lifters tend to be under size. If your really worried about lifter to bore clearance measure the lifters you are using before finishing the bores. 15 psi at idle is plenty. My motor never goes under 25@1300 hot using 25w oil. The lifter bore clearance is plenty big. .0025-.003”. It also pushrod oils with .055” restriction in the pushrods. Think about that. 16 .055” bleeds. When it did suffer from low oil pressure it was with no pushrod restriction. They were .090”. Previously the Comp lifters spread at the fork as well. If lifter bore had been the recommended .0015” they could have stuck in their bores. The current motor has run loose for 500+ passes with no ill effects that I can see.
Doug

At least .0015" to .002" at the most is where you need to be, any more than .002" and you have 16 leaks in the same circuit as the main and rod bearings, not good.

Very important to verify lifter clearance, but seems to get ignored as long as they fall in.

I'd shoot for .0018-.0023 clearance.You almost always overhone a touch when doing lifter bores...it just happens. The lifter bodies from manufacture to manufacture are all over the place, check them well.

II'd shoot for .0018-.0023 clearance"

That is pretty tight. I could rattle most of the lifters in my block and it still was running good but you can see what they look like! I probably should have had the bushings installed a long time ago!!!
Mike

I was looking at the bushing kits and the seem to start at 0.9045 at the small end, measured my lifters at 0.9025, so looks like they will end up .002 even bushed.