[P@blo]

Thanks Geoff for the tip on the use of 18mm snap rings for Sealed power (Johnson) lifters. Bret (thanks too) had linked me to a post where Hard Timess stated to use a .694" truarc retaining ring. This clip will fit too loose in the lifter and bet it would come back to bite you in the butt down the road.

The 18mm clip is perfect for the .680" housing and .740-.748 "internal groove and is tight when fitted without the lifters internals. The smaller snap ring must be for the lifters with the dual grooves under the oil band (not Johnson ?). The 18M size has a free diameter of just over 19mm to fit tight in the groove without plunger spring pressure to hold it in place


Here is where to find them but have to be ordered in boxes of 100 so let me know if anyone needs
some as I have 68 extras...lol

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products.ex?N=999602510

http://www.fastenal.com/web/products...l.ex?sku=35210

I thought I should post this for people searching the forums looking to replace the cheap paper style clips with a circlip / snap ring.

[GRX]

Good info - thanks

[DPlum]

Yes Truman use to use the gm lifter with chilled iron bottom which you use to be able to get from ames I beleive

[P@blo]

Thanks Plum, I had read a few things on the iron chilled lifters but wasn't sure about them. Are those the Ram Air lifters for the higher spring rates or did all the factory lifters have the same treatment ?

[DPlum]

Yes those are the ones

[Pitch 400]

Pablo, I bought some Rhoads lifters that look like they have the wire snap rings in them. I also have a set of the old Rhoades lifters that look to have the full circlip snap rings in them. Have you come across this? Thanks. Pitch

[P@blo]

Pitch, I was under the impression all the Rhoads came with the good internal snap ring and have never heard of them coming with the wire clips. To check you could pop off a clip and look on the inner plunger for the Rhoads groove/flat to be sure.

If they are the Rhoads then I would measure the grove and the housing diameters to get an idea of what snap ring size you need. Mine were the single groove below the oil band sealed Power lifters bought before 2002 but had the cheap retainers as well.

I had a PY member help with all of this and a bunch of other top end issues so this is sort of Geoff's info but wanted to post it for others wanting to replace the wire retainers.

Thanks again Geoff

[P@blo]

About the iron chilled bottom lifters, Do these have to be matched with a cam that is hardened/hard faced as well ? Here is a blurb from Isky's web site.

"Isky Chilled Iron Solid lifters are compatible with our hard face overlay series cams only (not for cast billet type cams). Hardened by the chill-plate method which produces ideal surface grain structure, they are the only flat tappets that will survive in the grueling environment of today's funny car, fuel-dragster and competition engines."

Is that why everyone is running a standard Johnson hydraulic lifter and can find nothing regarding this on the forums other than what was posted by Hard Timess. Any ideas ?

Thanks

[Region Warrior]

The ones mentioned by Truman were originally Pontiac factory lifters.