[Formulajones]

Originally Posted by Cliff R

LOTS of the "high performance" parts being sold for these engines aren't going to make it in the long run, but these days there are very few "long runs" with these engines.

You simply aren't going to find out how bad many of these parts are because a high percentage of the folks using them are lucky to put 1000 miles on one of these cars in the next ten years.

I have yet to pull a used engine down that was built with a set of Comp Cams roller tip rockers that didn' have the bodies in the fulcrum area turned blue or even black from the heat they produced wearing themselves in. None had failed, but all were heavily gauled and had put some metal into the assembly.

Same with the PRW stainless steel rockers, none failed, all heavily worn at the roller ends where the pins go thru them.

Makes one wonder how many engines are out there having to filter all that ground up material from failing parts but the engine is still running OK?

There are a LOT more parts out there that don't make the grade that frequently get used in these builds. Cheap double roller timing sets with cast iron sprockets and low quality chains top the list. To this day I can't understand how anyone choosing parts for their engine believes that some low-end double row bicycle quality chain set is any kind of upgrade over a 3/4" wide factory style Morse chain from Cloyes or Melling. IF you are going to cowboy-up in that area at least buy the very best that Cloyes has to offer instead of saving $50-60 and buying bottom of the barrel crap......FWIW.....

I agree, I saw those issues with those Comp roller tip rockers turning blue way back in the 1980's on an engine my friend was running on the dyno that day. Another hydraulic flat tappet using Rhoads lifters, not crazy spring pressure. Literally 4-5 pulls and when we checked things over, all the rockers were blue from heat. Comp was made aware of that issue way back then, and as far as I know it was never corrected. The grooved ball they used in those things didn't fit very well and rode up on the sides. Poor quality, and that was long before all the "made in China" complaints you hear now, long before the internet.

I'm probably one of the few on this forum that actually daily drives these old cars so when it comes to durability and longevity, I feel I have a pretty good handle on what's working and what isn't. However nothing is immune to failure and I think we can all agree on that.
Very few here drive their cars enough to even see a problem, or it may take years to show itself. This isn't always the case but generally, ya just gotta stay away from the really cheap stuff. If the price is the cheapest there is probably a reason for that. lol

Unfortunately I run into people in this hobby every single day that are always trying to save a buck or they don't want to pay the higher price for something. While I can't fault a guy for having a budget, that's just life, however it seems to come back and bite them later. This car hobby really isn't for the faint of heart, it never has been, but that's especially true these days.