Lifter bore?

[fatride]

Stripped the engine down to block ,crank and pistons today. put the roller cam in and hit my first snag :grumble: Put the lifters in # 1 bores and I see that the link bar is tight across the lifters. My guess is that the lifter bore on the W engine is a bigger spread than a small block, am I correct ?

[Ronnie Russell]

Sorry Ray, 409 requires big block lifter bars. Even then, some people say they are not perfect. We have experienced no problems with them. Good luck, hope that is the last problem you run into.

[DIV1RACER-2]

Ray, What brand rollers are you using ? I use Comp Cams rollers w/ a F#^d link . It hits nothing & works great , also there was no gringing required. If you need #'s mail me or post back / I'll have to look up the numbers.

Seems like it must be the day for obstacles!!! :bang :bang

[fatride]

Ahh, instant answers to all our problems, seems like a brain trust here! So which is a better fitting link, big block Chevy or links from the engine with the distributor on the wrong end :scratch Denny, Comp Cams 888-16 here. Part # will be appreciated :D

http://store.summitracing.com/default.asp?Ntt=888-16&searchinresults=false&Ntk=KeywordSearch&DDS=1&N=115&target=egnsearch.asp&x=28&y=8

[DIV1RACER-2]

Ray

The roller i'm using is a # 818-1 & the link is a 838L , I looked @ the CC catalog @ the difference in links. The big block link is offset & aprox. .125 longer on some of the deminsions . The 838L links are flat & shorter. I was looking @ the roller you have & CC catalog says it's .300 longer, not sure if just the shell is longer or what the difference is ?? :dunno

I'll look a little more into the lifter difference.

[fatride]

Denny, I think the .300 is to make up the difference because of the small base circle of the solid roller cam. Maybe the .300 brings the lifter to a flat tappet stock height ! I Emailed Comp Cams on this link problem.

[bluescreamer]

Ray
I just put a set of Crane Cams 11519-16 Rollers in the new motor. No problem. Plus the motor in Bluescreamer and the engine before that.
Allen

[fatride]

Wow Allen, that's strange! Then again the Crane lifters are listed for small block AND 348/409. I see that the Comp Cams lifters are listed for small block and does not say 348/409. All I know is that the link bar is tight and will not allow the lifter to get ahead of the one linked to it, as soon as the exhaust or intake lifter starts to rise it binds the one next to it.

[Ronnie Russell]

Ray, Just went over some notes I made before assemblying our new motor. All of the cam gear , including cam, springs, lifters, etc were from Walden. The lifters are Comp Cams 818-1, the link bars were in an unmarked envelope. The lifters just insert in the bars and there was a lot of side to side movement available due to the width of the slots in the bars. In other words, they would have been fine in small block or big block. Probably the same thing Denny is using. I copied the link bar part no. from Dennys post, so next time I wont have to look for it. Thanks, Denny. Maybe Cranes lifters are also made with this design, so they would fit small block and 409. It will be interesting to see the information you come up with. Good luck,,,

[DIV1RACER-2]

I got my cam , rollers & complete valve train in the late 80's from Lamar Walden ,
never got the motor running untill 2002 , by that time my book w/ all my part #'s had disappeared.

Last summer when i broke the timing gear and hit a bunch of valves :cuss i decided to replace the lifters . I didn't want to take a chance on a broken roller at a later date. I called Comp Cams because i remembered that was the brand of parts they were, That was the link & lifter that they sold me , again no installation problems :clap

Anybody have a better idea ? i will be in the market for another setup soon :dunno

The valve springs are no big deal / everybodys needs & specs are different .

I have to use 2 different numbers to get my needs .

[fatride]

Denny, I looked for the link # 838L, Comp Cams online catalog does not have that # link! I also have wondered why the tech suggested the .300 over lifters. When you installed your lifters did you use the stock legnth pushrods ?

[DIV1RACER-2]

Ray,

I have a catalog of Comp Cams / that is a small block F**D / 289-351 family of engines .

[bluescreamer]

Ray
Just checked Crane cat. and web site they list 11519-16 for use in small block and 348-409, plus they also list a 15542-16 to use with seat pressures in excess of 300# and 600# open.
As I said before I have used that part number in 3 different motors and the lift on the cam is in excess of .660 lift intake and exhaust with no binding.
They are vertical bars and the bars face the middle of the motor. Because the way the block is cast.
Allen:)

[fatride]

I called Comp cams today and they are going to send out the 838L that Denny is using. The tech said that there is nothing listed for the 348/409 engine as far as a correct link # you need to know the bore spacing. Tech says just find one that works. Since I did not know the bore spacing so I used Dennys experiance and ordered the 838L. The tech also told me that the reason they recomended the + .300 body length was because the 348/409 has .300 more lifter bore length compaired to the small block not because of a small base circle cam as I thought.