Trick Flow and Ersons?

[Joe66GT]

Does anyone know if Erson rockers will work with Trick Flow heads? Wondering about the geometry?    Thanks, Joe S.

[blykins]

Any rocker will bolt on, but none of them will have the correct geometry. 

The stand pads are net .250" higher than most all other heads.  That means that you'll have to cut about .200-.250" off of any rocker stand that you use. 

I've built two FE's with these heads so far.  One of them used POP stands and one used T&D streets.  They both had to get chopped dramatically.

I like the heads but this was a real bone-head move for TFS.

[CaptCobrajet]

Yes, about .250..............

[Joe66GT]

  But by their design, would it be possible or even advisable to mill that much from the Erson "stands" and still have them maintain their rigidity?

[blykins]

Joe, I haven't used or seen a set of Ersons since T&D released theirs, so I'm foggy on the design.

[Joe66GT]

  Not sure how to post a pic but I believe the Erson shafts have a smaller OD than stock Ford shafts since the rockers run on needle bearings so I'm concerned that milling the stands might lead to an increased chance of the shafts breaking.
  Might be better off selling the Ersons and going with different set of rockers.

[66FAIRLANE]

I have my Ersons off at the moment so went to measure them for you. Unfortunately they are packed away on the mezzanine & my current back injury precludes me getting at them. From memory I don't think they would be much over .250 at the base if at all. But that is only the bit that joins the stands. As long as the rockers still clear and the stands don't walk around it might work. I suppose it also depends on how aggressive the cam is. If you decide to cut them please post pics of them set up.

[Joe66GT]

  Sorry to hear about your back but I do feel your pain. Just weighing my options right now, hopefully if things go according to plan I'll be in the market for a new set of heads in the Spring. Survival and BBM's are appealing since I could reuse my rockers as they are.

[Nightmist66]

If a person is not planning on raising the roof of the ports at all, why not just mill the pad down on the heads? Then any rocker setup can be mounted on without hassle, minus the race T&D. The cost of milling is there either way.....

[blykins]

You'd have to drill the stand stud holes deeper, tap, etc.  Plus it would uncover more of the oil feed passage.  Easier to just whack the stands off.

[Nightmist66]

I see your point about the oil feed. Depending on the angle, it could uncover more than you want.

[KeiserMustang]

I installed my TFS heads and Comp Ultra Gold rockers without modification.  I checked the contact of the roller to the valve stem through the entire range of motion and all looked well.  I did end up running a valve cover spacer to get rocker arm clearance, but I'm also running stock chrome Powered By Ford valve covers as well.

Granted, I'm not running a ton of lift, but should I be looking at something else?

[Posi67]

I wouldn't cut the Erson stands as they are weak already. .250 is the amount of the "notch" in the bottom to clear the head bolts. I've opened this area up when using head studs because they stand prouder. Not sure having the stand cut flat would hurt on a mild cam but any serious spring pressure could be a problem. The TFS head seems to solve some problems and create others.

Also one poster was correct in that the shafts are thinner to allow for the needle bearing rockers. I've yet to hurt a rocker in spite of a lot of abuse but found another broken shaft a few months back. They always break where the stud/bolt goes through which is the thinnest area. Car ran fine in spite of that since the shaft has no where to go.

[fekbmax]

Dennis at DSC has some super tough shafts for the erson rocker setup. Much better than the shafts that came with them.

[Posi67]

Dennis at DSC has some super tough shafts for the erson rocker setup. Much better than the shafts that came with them.

I have a set of his shafts but haven't needed them yet.  I've only had 2 Erson shafts break over the years and know one problem was self inflicted. Curious to know how the DSC are "much better"

[blykins]

I installed my TFS heads and Comp Ultra Gold rockers without modification.  I checked the contact of the roller to the valve stem through the entire range of motion and all looked well.  I did end up running a valve cover spacer to get rocker arm clearance, but I'm also running stock chrome Powered By Ford valve covers as well.

Granted, I'm not running a ton of lift, but should I be looking at something else?

What did the pattern look like? 

[KeiserMustang]

What's a good method to check the pattern?

The engine is back out of the car, I'll check it before I tear it apart.