#1  
Old 01-02-2020, 08:43 AM
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Default Are Summit Lifters any good?

How are the Summit Lifters holding up?
I have a set that I going run on a Summit cam, but I stepped up to a Voodoo 703 for a 10.75:1 400.
They've been cleaned and all looked good...

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  #2  
Old 01-02-2020, 09:06 AM
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glhs#116 glhs#116 is offline
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Too many soft lifters around these days. I wouldn't unless it is a super gentle low lift "stock" grind cam. 703 is a fast-ramp cam. You might get lucky. But if you don't you will spend more than if you just bought some Howards or HiLift Johnsons

Sam

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Old 01-02-2020, 10:46 AM
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"... Howards or HiLift Johnsons..."


So, who makes Howards lifters ? There has been LOTS of talk here about what lifters are sold by the different cam companies. Some claimed that certain big name cam companies sold H-J lifters. Then somebody else said they were told by somebody at H-J that they didn't sell lifters to any cam company.

I asked at Summit, & the guy said he didn't know. I ask him if he could take one out of the box & give me the details. That just made him mad, so he said you get whatever is in the box, and I don't know who made 'em or where they were made.

So, I called Jegs. At least that guy assured me that their Jegs lifters were made in the USA. According to what I've read, there are only 2 companies that make Pontiac HFT lifters in the USA. HJ is one, Delphi is the other.

Delphi supposedly supplies the lifters GM sells as ACDelco lifters. They are easy to ID, because of the groove near the bottom. They have a foot, which is made of harder material.

"...GM's lifter foot and body are made from dissimilar materials joined by proprietary processes. Identify them by a distinct parting line or discoloration near the bottom of the lifter body..."

For a long time, Paul Spotts advertised the Delphi lifters he sold thru his Ebay store to be the best. Said he'd used 'em for years without any problems. But, not too long ago, those lifters were no longer on his Ebay store.

Here's what the Delphi lifters in the Jegs box I got look like. I swapped in real snap rings in place of the wire paperclip retainers, which most lifters have.

But, most here always recommend H-J "R" lifters, which you can buy from member Paul Knippen.

https://www.facebook.com/PaulKnippensMuscleMotors/
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Last edited by ponyakr; 01-02-2020 at 10:59 AM.
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Old 01-02-2020, 11:01 AM
455rebel 455rebel is offline
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Do not reuse flat hyd lifters period.
I am going to use hi lift J lifters on my 703 or 704.
But, on a 2802 I bought the kit with lifters, they have held up 3 years and bout 3-4K miles, with no problems on rotella!

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Old 01-02-2020, 11:06 AM
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I still have about 10 sets of the (now NOS) but new H-J Lifters on the shelf.

Willing to part with some of them for a fair price. INFO ONLY.
If there is a few requests I will list them in the Parts for Sale section.

Tom V.

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Old 01-02-2020, 11:40 AM
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Here's the short version of the long story concerning Hylift Johnson:

https://www.mlive.com/business/west-..._muskegon.html

Folks often confuse them with Johnson:

https://johnsonlifters.com/

Two completely different companies......Cliff

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  #7  
Old 01-02-2020, 12:03 PM
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My bad... I have the Voodoo 702 cam. NOT the 703.
The Summit brand doesn't have a groove at the bottom, so not Delphi.

Summit site says they are made in the USA.

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Last edited by Speargun; 01-02-2020 at 12:13 PM.
  #8  
Old 01-02-2020, 12:29 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cliff R View Post
Here's the short version of the long story concerning Hylift Johnson:

https://www.mlive.com/business/west-..._muskegon.html

Folks often confuse them with Johnson:

https://johnsonlifters.com/

Two completely different companies......Cliff
Hylift-Johnson located in Muskegon, Michigan had a very large production facility at one point in time, and has been there for many years. Great quality, but thieves destroyed their company over the years.

The other Johnson, that does Roller lifters is located in the rear of Cut-All Waterjet,inc on Northline road
in the downriver area of Detroit. Same address 25940 Northline Road, Taylor Michigan.
Maybe renting space from the Cut-All Waterjet Company. Obviously a very small production facility.
May actually have about the same number of people working on lifters as Hylift Johnson today.


https://www.google.com/maps/uv?hl=en...oiowCnoECAsQBg

Tom V.

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Last edited by Tom Vaught; 01-02-2020 at 12:45 PM.
  #9  
Old 01-02-2020, 01:22 PM
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I have used Summit lifters quite a bit on my stuff. I really haven't had any bad luck with them. They break in easy, are quiet and so far have seemed to last. I'm sure Johnson's are the highest quality though.

  #10  
Old 01-02-2020, 11:17 PM
Schurkey Schurkey is offline
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1. Summit doesn't make lifters. There's no guarantee that they're buying from the same company that they did last month, or three years ago, or twenty-five years ago, which is when I bought my (Chevy) lifters from them. What can I say? Those ancient lifters have worked just fine for me. But that doesn't really mean anything.

2. For whatever difference it makes, this is what Lunati was selling ten years ago. I don't know who supplied them.


Compared to the lifters pictured in the first post, these have a stamped, "ribbed" metering valve instead of a flat disc, and the ball-style check valve. The other photo doesn't show the check valve, (some lifters use a ball, some use a "disc") but you can see the "hardened" foot of the Delphi lifter (barely).

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Old 01-02-2020, 11:51 PM
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It’s not a Pontiac but I will say that I went through 2 sets of Lunati lifters on a 440 mopar last year. It was very frustrating and expensive. I got a set of Johnson lifters on the 3rd try and it worked out good finally.

  #12  
Old 01-02-2020, 11:59 PM
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Here's a pic of Delphi Chevy lifters, in which you can see a close-up of the "foot".

I assume they don't come apart, since they've been makin 'em that way for a long time.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SBC-CHEVY-D...-/372413114207

Looks like Delphi & Eaton have merged maybe. I've read that Delphi lifters were made in USA, & Eaton lifters were made in Mexico.

But, as mentioned, things change quickly in the HFT lifters business.


Last edited by ponyakr; 01-03-2020 at 12:09 AM.
  #13  
Old 01-03-2020, 09:35 AM
455rebel 455rebel is offline
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I also had a lunati lifter go bad.

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1970 amc rebel 4-door, faded blue paint,290 emblems on car, 455 under the hood.Turbo 400,3.15 gear.
Best so far 1/8 et,8.90 on street tires,
Since that I have added 400 heads.
I call it a rat sleeper.
  #14  
Old 01-03-2020, 09:46 AM
antique69lemans antique69lemans is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 455rebel View Post
I also had a lunati lifter go bad.
I lost an engine with Lunati hft cam in the 90's. It had 130# seat pressure. 330# ? Over the nose ?. It went 25k miles.

  #15  
Old 01-03-2020, 10:04 AM
PDC PDC is offline
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Default Paul K!

I bought a set of lifters from Paul K and could not be happier. I had a ticker from Comp that no amount of adjustment would quiet. Swapped in / broke in the lifters from Paul and the valvetrain is now rock solid and dead silent. I only wish I would have gone that route in the first place.

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