Roller Rockers for a 1960 389?
 

Just wondering if any of you guys are running roller rockers in the early V8’s?

I’ve got a ‘60 389 in an old Ford hot rod coupe, and my machine shop is having trouble finding rockers that work. It’s got an early Isky roller cam from the 60’s, and I’ve had trouble with the stock stamped steel rockers wearing from the valve.

I know there’s plenty that make them for later motors, but they don’t seem to have the right geometry.

I believe Gotha used to make some roller rockers? But I doubt I’d find a set of those!

Any help is greatly appreciated!

You (and your machine shop) do know that the rockers on a '60 Pontiac are oiled through hollow rocker studs and depend on holes in the camshaft and #2 and #4 cam bearings to meter the oil, don't you?

Yes, we understand that on a stock 1960 Pontiac they’re oiled through the rocker stud. This one has hollow push rods and is oiled through the lifter. The stock rockers were drilled where the push rods meet as well.

I ran a set of Comp 1.50 roller tip rockers,never tried full rollers.Tom

On the '58 in my GMC I used Chevy small-block 1.5 ratio full-roller rocker arms. However, it wasn't easy. I had to machine the stud stands to change the position and angle of the studs. This was only possible by using studs with 1/2-13 bottom threads. Pushrods are custom lengths. Not easy, but it's run great for ten years now.

I was wondering if that was an option. Unfortunately these heads already have screw in rocker studs. I do have another set of heads with the press in rocker studs, if it has to come that. Thanks for your input, it is an option!

Thanks for your input! Were they Chevy rockers or Pontiac?

Pontiac

How long ago was that Tom?

Jack,it was the aluminum engine.I can look back at the magazine article.

Jack is there any chance that my machine shop could talk to you via phone? Or do you do any of this type of work still?


I see you said aluminum engine, were they 1960 heads on there?

59-60

Your shop could phone me- I could PM you a phone number. However, my hearing is so bad that I prefer communicating by email- which is in my public profile here.
I don't remember documenting my valvetrain work- I'll have to look. If nothing is found, I may not be much help. I'm not anxious to take the truck apart at all while it's serving me so well- ten years without even pulling a valve cover!

I’m setting up a 400 today that I got with a set of modified ‘59 531895 heads and Weiand 671 blower. The studs were replaced with I believe the ones that Paul Spotts sells. It came with a set of stainless? roller rockers that are only marked 7/16” 1.5. I checked the contact of these with the 9.150 length pushrods that came with the engine. The contact was off center closer to the intake flange. I then checked with a 9.200 pushrod and it was very close to the center but doesn’t have much clearance to the retainer at closed/partial open position.
Then I tried a set of old aluminum Erson rockers that came to me on a set of 670 heads. With the 9.150 pushrods they just slightly off center towards the exhaust ports. I tried going to a 9.100 pushrod length and the centering did not change but sweep got wider. These had no apparent clearance issues. The tip rollers on the Ersons are .625 dia vs. .537 on the brand X.
These were checked on a solid flat tappet cam at .with .504/.516 valve lift.
I’m leaning towards using the Ersons with the 9.150 push rods.

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/art...tempest-safari

There is spec of the build in this article.tom

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/art...tempest-safari

There is spec of the build in this article.tom

I searched my files for rocker info of my GMC engine. Roller rockers were merely noted as "SBC". Studs are Manley 42103-16. Pushrods are Manley 25738-16, 8.75" OAL. Cam is Crane HR grind no. 955-1981, lift .539"/.525". I don't know height of the roller lifters. I apparently didn't make any notes about modifying the stud locations and angles. I do remember that I carefully obtained correct geometry- line through roller centers perpendicular to valve stem centerline at half-lift- then drilled/tapped all 16 bosses identically, along with milling tops of bosses square. I don't recall that the studs were moved enough to require use of Heli-Coils. I might have needed to tweak the pushrod holes slightly.