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hydraulic lifters

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1st49Chevy

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i am need of some advise i have a 49 chevy pick up that has a later model 235 possibly 1960 or so. my question is it currently has hydraulic lifters and i would like to change them out and put in mechanical lifters. the hydraulic lifters have started binding up and has bent 3 of the push rods. can i use the same cam or does that also need to be changed out. Or can i even change from hydraulic to mechanical? thank you in advance
 
Routine 235 Service

Just slap in set of new solid lifters and adjust the valves , be happy , enjoy the increased power .

Be aware it's almost impossible for hydraulic lifters to cause bent pushrods , more likely is : the valve guides are going away and causing sticky valves....

You can re use the same old cam , it'll be fine but , it's far better to fit a new 261 C.I. L6 camshaft from a 1962 C50 Chevy truck , it'll arrive by the time your local Machine Shop is finished replacing all those crapola cast iron valve guides with good bronze ones , new stellite valve seats and one piece stainless steel valves intake and exhaust....
 
thank you for the advise i will changing out the lifters and pushrods tomorrow. 1 question on the hyraulic lifters the moving part that is inside the lifters where seized up. any ideas why this happens.
 
The piston inside the lifter will not move any detectible amount if the lifter is still full of oil. Pop the retainer clip out, disassemble the lifter (don't lose the ball), drain, and reassemble. It should now be springy. I really doubt a stuck lifter would bend a push rod unless it was set so tight as to coil bind the valve spring. Roll the engine over while holding a .001 or .002 feeler gauge between the valve spring coils on the affected cylinder and see if the feeler gauge gets locked in by the spring coils. If it does it probably is the lifter and if it doesn't it's something else. Varnish can lock a stem into a guide (and bend the heck out of a push rod) but dripping some laquer thinner on the stem while tapping with a brass hammer will usually cure this.
 
ok replaced all hydraulic lifters with mechanical lifter put it all back together and is running like a charm. thank you guys for the advise. i have a set of hydraulic lifters if anybody needs them, if not going to the scrap pile.
 
Juice Lifters

F'crissakes , DON'T let anyone have 'em , they're trash and were when new ~ use 'em with the slingshot or whatever but DO NOT allow to be put back into any engine :mad: .

Don't forget to go back in and hot check and re adjust those tappets a couple times in the next 500 ~ 1,000 miles .
 
You sure are passionate with your disregard for hydraulic lifters, Nate. Sure makes me wonder why my machinist recommended that I go with them versus the solids.

Damon
 
Juice Tappets

Here's the deal :

You put 'em in and a year later they're clattering away and take it back to the Mechanic who can't make them be quiet .

Then who's the bum ? .

Not I , I toldja to not use 'em .

By all means , give them a try , once the engine is broken in , run the thinnest sythetic oils you can find and they'll prolly be O.K. .

They'll stil rob power tho' ~ that's basic physics .

The small number of people who follow my highly suspect advice , all tell me it stands them in good stead .
 
Yeah Well ;

I was just ranting again anyways :D .

Only fools take my free advice :rolleyes: .

When the HELL is Kaiser going to STOP SCREWING AROUND AND CUT MY SPINE ?!? :mad: imagine how screwed up my life is if I'm BEGGING FOR BACK SURGERY :eek: .
 
i have driven the truck about 60 miles since putting in the mechanical lifters, right from the start the engine felt stronger.
 
Well & Good !

I'm pleased to hear you like it .

So few ever even try .

Remember to check and adjust them in 100 ~ 500 miles......
 
why ?

OK I have to ask, why would mechanical lifters improve the performance of the engine verses Hyd lifters ? I thought the mechanical lifters were old school which is why they don't use them any more. Got my curiosity up now. Dave
 
Juice Lifters

As they effectively take up working clearance , they are sloppy in the valve timing arena . a degree +/- is a lot when it comes to tractable power .

The only reason they're used is to reduce noise .

Notice how many Imported engines used them up into the 1990's that I know of .
 
As always, thanks Nate, I didn't realize there would that much slop in the Hyd lifters compared to the mechanical. I understand that plus or minus a degree in timing will effect the perfomance. Dave
 
Solid Lifters

The proof as they say , is in the pudding .

Once you try them , you'll never go back .

If valve clatter bothers you , you're driving the wrong brand :p .

CHEVROLET :

Can

Hear

Every

Valve

Rap

On

Long

Extended

Trips

:D
 
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