[Formulajones]

There is no real need to worry about flat tappet cam failure or even periodic adjustments on a solid flat tappet.

If everything is built properly, good oil, correct springs, geometry, etc... a flat tappet works perfectly fine.

I have 2 of them in daily driver service and one is a solid. I've put just over 30k miles on the solid flat tappet engine in the last 3 years. At first I checked the lash 2-3 times the first year and it never moved, so I Iet it go a full year. Checked it again, It was perfect. Another year went by and I checked it last fall, again perfect. We'll drive it all summer, and throughout next winter and into next year before I'll even consider pulling the valve covers for another check. It's just not a big deal.

It's a tight lash solid flat tappet, and I took extra precautions with nitriding the camshaft as well as using Comps EDM hole on the face of the lifters to squirt oil directly onto the lobes of the camshaft. I run a good set of Crower roller rockers with poly locks as well, and always run Amsoil with the added flat tappet cam protection they offer in their hotrod oil. It's been an excellent setup. I don't know if it's one or two things I've done here to make this behave as nice as it does, or if it's a combination of everything, but the old wives tail is just that. If everything is happy they don't need to be adjusted every few thousand miles.

Engine builders like the solids because they tend to make a bit more power than a hydraulic, in similar comparisons. So you'll see the push towards that scenario if they are into squeezing power. But nothing wrong with hydraulic if you don't care about that.