So you think roller cams are modern?

[shady]

https://bangshift.com/bangshiftxl/collection-of-large-and-small-antique-engines-starting-up/

[Drew Pojedinec]

Who thought rollers are modern?

Anyone that works with industrial machinery has been around 80 year old engines with roller cams, etc.

[Keith M]

I went to the aviation Smithsonian near DC.  They had WWI plane engines that were cut aways so you can see the insides.  There was roller cams, over head cams with bevel drives like the old ducatis.  Very fascinating.   

[gdaddy01]

I think Fred had a roller .

[Falcon67]

I think Fred had a roller .

It was a Dino roller.  from Rockingcam Bedrock Performance

[cjshaker]

I went to the aviation Smithsonian near DC.  They had WWI plane engines that were cut aways so you can see the insides.  There was roller cams, over head cams with bevel drives like the old ducatis.  Very fascinating.

Yep, those roller cams go back 105+ years. Of course they also had single valves, exposed valvetrains, on/off ignitions and total loss oil systems that blew the oil out the exhaust and right into their faces.

[chris401]

https://bangshift.com/bangshiftxl/collection-of-large-and-small-antique-engines-starting-up/

Thanks for posting. Likely the majority of folks out there think rollers are a new idea. Only a few of us gearheads are interested enough to dabble in the antique stuff. I am kinda surprised not much interest and knowledge of the old Ford Flathead six. Like any internal combustion engine it is just nuts and bolts.

[gt350hr]

   The application to "modern V8s" is most often associated to the late Chet Herbert(rip) who copied a Harley Davidson motorcycle. "Why slide when you can glide?" was an early ad gimick he used.
  Randy

[garyv]

Chris I'm with you on the old flathead 6's.  Great running little engines and you can perk them up with a free flowing exhaust, 2 barrel
carb and crank some timing in them.  They did what they were designed for back then.
I love seeing old machinery brought back to life.

garyv

[TomP]

I go to lots of antique car shows and the early stuff, like 1905, used roller rockers because there was no way to lube the valve tips with their exposed valvetrains. the fulcrums would have a little open top box with a felt pad that you squirted oil into every once in a while to wick oil to the bushing.

Not sure if they all are but some modern Top Fuel Harleys are like that too, they don't feed oil to the top end, it is just lubed by hand when it's taken apart frequently.

[shady]

Most Harleys feed oil directly to the floor under them.

[frnkeore]

Most Harleys feed oil directly to the floor under them.

I love that quote

But, there was at least one MC that did it intentionally. It was a Speedway bike, Jawa, I think. Very fun MC racing, to watch! The dry sump supplied oil to the engine and that oil was then allowed to exit, to the dirt track.

  The application to "modern V8s" is most often associated to the late Chet Herbert (rip)

He was also called the "Father of the roller cam". In those days, "modern V8" was omitted but, for sure, he was the first mass supplier of after market roller cams. He was always a innovator and a hands on racer, even though he had to use a wheel chair.

I used one of his roller cams in my LR 427, in '69, more than 50 years ago. Here is a picture of his dual, aluminum 215 engined dragster. Note how he coupled the engines, front to front. Also pictures of his 64.5 Gram, FE lifter.