Poll: What would you rather see R&D on?

[62Falcon390]

i could never afford a roller cam setup. You guys must be making disposable incomes.

[Heo]

I mean, we all love seeing engines that show big on the dyno and never see the insides of an engine bay, right? I mean, nobody actually drives an FE hither and thither, right? Daily? Oh, drat and pshaw.

I don’t own a vehicle without an fe. So yes, daily driven.
Let’s see yours. Otherwise get to the back of the line felony.

I DD my galaxie now. With solid flat tappets and going to continue till the snow come
if it wasnt for the Salt Nazis i would drive it year around

[62Falcon390]

I daily my Falcon too, solid cam, efi tunnel ram 4 speed and pretty decent gas milage for a 3400lb car with 3.70 gears in the rear.

my cam is pretty radical but would like to try a more raunchy solid cam that can handle the efi requirements

[BigBlueIron]

Honestly surprised the vote is that close. Figured it would be heavily one sided for the roller.  Good topic Brent.

[e philpott]

How many RPM's can you turn with a Hydraulic Flat Tappet ?? I'm guessing it's tougher than the Hydro roller ?

[FElony]

How many RPM's can you turn with a Hydraulic Flat Tappet ?? I'm guessing it's tougher than the Hydro roller ?

8200+ for non-pump-ups in a small block. They make them for FE's. No self-respecting old school guy puts a roller in anything. Extra weight, extra cost, extra internal parts floating around the oil circuit. Yecch. Rollers put you to the back of the line. Grassroots rule.

[gdaddy01]

thank you Brent for putting up with us .

[plovett]

How many RPM's can you turn with a Hydraulic Flat Tappet ?? I'm guessing it's tougher than the Hydro roller ?

8200+ for non-pump-ups in a small block. They make them for FE's. No self-respecting old school guy puts a roller in anything. Extra weight, extra cost, extra internal parts floating around the oil circuit. Yecch. Rollers put you to the back of the line. Grassroots rule.

I was just about to kick you in the ovaries and you go and say something sweet like that. 

[FERoadster]

I'm with 62Falcon, Cost is important to me.
I'd rather go into better heads, pistons and intake rather than a roller cam since my engines might never get above 6500 rpm (mostly street driven)

Richard >>> FERoadster

[FElony]

How many RPM's can you turn with a Hydraulic Flat Tappet ?? I'm guessing it's tougher than the Hydro roller ?

8200+ for non-pump-ups in a small block. They make them for FE's. No self-respecting old school guy puts a roller in anything. Extra weight, extra cost, extra internal parts floating around the oil circuit. Yecch. Rollers put you to the back of the line. Grassroots rule.

I was just about to kick you in the ovaries and you go and say something sweet like that.

Good thing you didn't kick me. It's that time of the month and I might have thrown the Mother of all Hissies.

Seriously, though, why has nobody in this or the other forum ever installed zero-preload anti-pumps on an FE and let her rip?

In my Pile 'o Stuff is a box of new old-school Johnson solid lifters manufactured in the 90's that I bought off eBay a few years back. How many in that box? One hundred and thirty-six of them. If that doesn't tell you what my Man Card is made of, nothing will. 'Cuz that's how I roll.   

[FElony]

thank you Brent for putting up with us .

I have a reliable source (Russian spy) that has hidden video of Brent whacking himself upside the head with a cinder block every time I post. Also video of Jay Brown salivating and giggling with his mouse cursor poised over the "Delete Account" selection. 

Look, I get it. If you are in the business, it makes good sense to R&D new parts and combos. In this case, again, one result means little without comparison to another result. Just do them both and write off "both" engines [cough] as business expenses. Asking us to choose one ahead of time is going to divide the camp, OF COURSE. And, it opens a door that is just irresistible to certain types of mentally dislodged persons [another cough].

Soldier on.

[blykins]

My intent wasn't to divide the camp, but to be honest, I was torn myself.  I don't have million dollar R&D budgets, nor do I have time to build and dyno my own junk very often, so I needed some direction. 

The appeal of the high rpm hydraulic roller is just to push the envelope.  Lots of guys have done 7000-7500 solid flat tappet 390's, but I see a lot of LS/Gen 3 Hemi/etc. hydraulic roller camshafts turning some pretty high revs without issue.  That appeals to me and intrigues me. 

The appeal of the solid flat tappet is to use some non-standard parts.  Not necessarily expensive parts, but parts that you normally wouldn't see with a solid flattie.  If I went that direction, it would be to try and minimize necessary valve spring pressures, break-in procedures, etc.  Just kind of a "stick it in and go" and make big power.

If I understand what your "grassroots" definition is, you'll be happy with either direction that I go, because I'm using some parts that have been borrowed from other engine families, along with some thinking outside the box. 

Four more days to go on the poll and the gap seems to be closing.  Like I said, I'm torn, so I will listen to what intrigues the majority of the members.

[Barry_R]

Seriously, though, why has nobody in this or the other forum ever installed zero-preload anti-pumps on an FE and let her rip?

In my Pile 'o Stuff is a box of new old-school Johnson solid lifters manufactured in the 90's that I bought off eBay a few years back. How many in that box? One hundred and thirty-six of them. If that doesn't tell you what my Man Card is made of, nothing will. 'Cuz that's how I roll.   

I did that hydraulic test on my own stuff in 1980 or so.  Before you and Al teamed up to invent the big internet.  Zero preload turn out to be the wrong answer.  Entrained air in the oil makes for squishy fluid that lets lift and control go away.  Now take and set them at maximum preload, stuff the lifter full of something solid to limit travel, and you've a working deal in a rules limits environment.  Or go solid flat which indeed rocks.

That tray of old Johnson solids is worth keeping and using.  Thought they were 128 per tray - might still have a box or two laying around for personal use.  Made back when companies gave a damn about quality.  Before we fired all the engineers and replaced them with purchasing execs and marketing specialists in an effort to convince us that the cheaper parts were the better they were for us.  Before the environmental nutcases took all the good chemicals out of everything.  Don't matter whether its cleaning parts or flushing the pot - they made us use three times as much of stuff that don't work to get a simple job done.

[HvyFt4spd]

FWIW I voted for the solid lifter as everything I have outside of dead stock driver gets a solid flattappet or solid roller. Even an old inliner has to have that sound to it or it isn't cool as far as I'm concerned.

 Thinking about current trends though I feel the hydraulic roller is the more pertinent use of your efforts. Most of us true "old school" fans are thinning out and those who remain will generally look to parts we are familiar with. I just feel you'd have a larger audience vs the solid lifter stuff I'd personally have more interest in seeing.

[gdaddy01]

Barry , you have a way of cutting through the fat to get to the meat , I agree with what you say , thanks . amen .