Pontiac - Race The next Level

          
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  #1  
Old 07-18-2026, 11:03 AM
joes455 joes455 is offline
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Default Bam roller lifters

Anyone using Bam roller lifters?

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76 T/A 455, cnc chamber E heads,OF hyd roller ,yella terra shaft rockers 11.47 119
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Old 07-18-2026, 11:16 AM
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Yes and we sell a lot of them. Never had a failure

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Old 07-18-2026, 04:24 PM
Dragncar Dragncar is offline
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Get the DLC option.
IMO, this is the way to go, even for street guys running hyd roller cams.
Get a custom SR with BAMS and not worry about ticking lifters or a lifter failure destroying your engine.
Solid rollers sound cool and if you get top notch rockers with stud girdle or shafts your lash will not change all the time.

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Old 07-18-2026, 05:38 PM
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Yes. First class lifters!

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Old 07-18-2026, 06:56 PM
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I just got a set of BAM solid rollers from Paul K. When it comes to Pontiac engines he is one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever spoken with and he has very fare prices.

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Old 07-19-2026, 08:09 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ANDYA View Post
I just got a set of BAM solid rollers from Paul K. When it comes to Pontiac engines he is one of the most knowledgeable people I have ever spoken with and he has very fare prices.
Im going to change over from Hydro to Solids soon so Ill give Paul my business!

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Old 07-19-2026, 10:12 AM
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So for street use, what is recommended. Bearings or bushed lifters? This is solids on a hydraulic cam. So this model? https://bamlifters.com/products/bam-...599bf353&_ss=c
Thanks

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Old 07-19-2026, 01:34 PM
Steve C. Steve C. is offline
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Related thread from 2022....

Best bushed solid roller lifter ?

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...=bushed+lifter

I suspect some opinions could have changed over the years.
This posted here for interest only.


.

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'70 TA / 505 cid / same engine but revised ( previous best 10.63 at 127.05 )
Old information here:
http://www.hotrod.com/articles/0712p...tiac-trans-am/

Sponsor of the world's fastest Pontiac powered Ford Fairmont (engine)
Best time 5.13 at 140 mph (1/8 mile) , true 10.5 tire, stock type suspension
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDoJnIP3HgE

Last edited by Steve C.; 07-19-2026 at 01:41 PM.
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Old 07-19-2026, 01:54 PM
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Take the time to read the comments made here....

https://www.facebook.com/EngineLabs/...8127353691393/

( Information provided in this post does not represent any endorsement and is offered for general interest only )


.

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'70 TA / 505 cid / same engine but revised ( previous best 10.63 at 127.05 )
Old information here:
http://www.hotrod.com/articles/0712p...tiac-trans-am/

Sponsor of the world's fastest Pontiac powered Ford Fairmont (engine)
Best time 5.13 at 140 mph (1/8 mile) , true 10.5 tire, stock type suspension
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDoJnIP3HgE
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Old 07-19-2026, 04:12 PM
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What is the consensus of running a SR on the street in terms of SR lifter type and longevity. I will be putting my race motor that uses Crower HIPPO lifters currently into my street FB and I am trying to decide to run my SR or use a RP HR I have. If a BAM SR lifter would work I'd get that.

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1967 Firechicken, 499", Edl heads, 262/[email protected]" duration and 0.627"/0.643 lift SR cam, 3.90 gear, 28" tire, 3550#. [email protected] mph with a 1.45 60'. Still WAY under the rollbar rule.
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Old 07-19-2026, 04:58 PM
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Take the information here from 1999 with a grain of salt.....

https://forums.maxperformanceinc.com...=bushed+lifter

Note that BAM does not recommend needle bearing solid roller lifters on the street.
https://bamlifters.com/pages/faqs

Back in 1999 Crower was tending to favor neddle bearing roller lifter for street duty.
However I suspect it might be combination specific at the time.

Fast forward to today and Crower is singing a differet tune !

" Crower recommends and builds bushed roller lifters for street use. Their EnduraMax series lifters utilize a needleless bushing and their High Pressure Pin Oiling (HIPPO) technology, which are designed to withstand the low RPM idle time and heavy load demands typical of street driving.Needle bearings inside traditional solid roller lifters tend to fail under sustained street use because of uneven loading and low RPM oil starvation. Crower's bushed lifters address this by distributing the load evenly over a larger surface area while continually feeding pressurized oil to the axle and bushing. "

.

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'70 TA / 505 cid / same engine but revised ( previous best 10.63 at 127.05 )
Old information here:
http://www.hotrod.com/articles/0712p...tiac-trans-am/

Sponsor of the world's fastest Pontiac powered Ford Fairmont (engine)
Best time 5.13 at 140 mph (1/8 mile) , true 10.5 tire, stock type suspension
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDoJnIP3HgE

Last edited by Steve C.; 07-19-2026 at 05:23 PM.
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Old 07-19-2026, 05:28 PM
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I have read those threads previously (and thank you for always providing real world data instead of conjecture) and was hoping for some feedback from people running SR cams on the street for more than 1000 miles a year.

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1967 Firechicken, 499", Edl heads, 262/[email protected]" duration and 0.627"/0.643 lift SR cam, 3.90 gear, 28" tire, 3550#. [email protected] mph with a 1.45 60'. Still WAY under the rollbar rule.
  #13  
Old 07-19-2026, 07:10 PM
Steve C. Steve C. is offline
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Maybe moving the subject to the street section might conjure up additional information and examples.
That said, this one within that thread I linked was an eye opener.....

"Yup, monitor lash, look closer at lifters if you see a 'decay' of adjustment. Considering the length of time, checking seat psi is a good idea too. I've run a number of SRs on the street without issues. The one engine went 225,000 miles."
HWYSTR455

As noted I worked with Tim at Bullet Racing Cams when I changed to my current solid roller set up. I did so for a less aggressive lobe profile and to reduce spring pressure.


.

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'70 TA / 505 cid / same engine but revised ( previous best 10.63 at 127.05 )
Old information here:
http://www.hotrod.com/articles/0712p...tiac-trans-am/

Sponsor of the world's fastest Pontiac powered Ford Fairmont (engine)
Best time 5.13 at 140 mph (1/8 mile) , true 10.5 tire, stock type suspension
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDoJnIP3HgE
  #14  
Old 07-19-2026, 09:30 PM
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Really combo dependent. Im not a fan of solid rollers for street use but we drive 6-10,000 miles a year. It would have to be such a mild lobe profile that accepted a light spring that I'm not sure it would offer much of a performance advantage over a decent hydraulic roller.

After Dad's bischoff engine ate 2 bushed crower solid rollers with pin oiling after just 3000 miles I got the impression 240 on the seats, while not a ton, was probably not friendly on parts for something driven on the street as much as he does, even with the tight lash that cam used. For what it's worth, Crower didnt have an answer for it at the time.

So I came to the conclusion a solid roller with possibly 180-200 on the seats would have a better chance of living thousands of miles on the street, but it would have to be a pretty mild stick to run those spring pressures. Springs appear to have a lot to do with how long the lifter survives. Too light can be a problem too. My thoughts from the failures I've seen anyway.

To each his own, ya just roll the dice and see what works. Plenty of good builders and cam experts that have a better idea of what works well and survives that might make you feel better about solid rollers.

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Old Yesterday, 12:46 PM
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BAM DLC coated steel bushed lifters have been providing a pretty consistent 4X longer service life than the bronze bushed type in the same applications where service life is a factor.

Service life has not shown itself to be a factor with HR cam profiles using SR needle type lifters unless for some reason SR spring pressures are used. I am not aware of anyone that has used DLC Bam’s on a hybrid cam.


Last edited by Jay S; Yesterday at 01:02 PM.
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Old Yesterday, 08:08 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PAUL K View Post
Yes and we sell a lot of them. Never had a failure
Solid or Hyd?

  #17  
Old Today, 02:37 AM
Dragncar Dragncar is offline
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They don't make Pontiac hyd rollers.

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