What brand Pushrod should I buy?
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What brand Pushrod should I buy?
I need some 7.3 pushrods for my 2001 ls1 and Im having trouble finding any kind of reviews. Anyone have any reccomendations? I want a strong hardened set that will fit through the factory 317 head holes. Thanks in advance.
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You should call Smith Brothers they can make you a 5/16 .120 wall push rod and you can gain up to 12 hp just from having a stiffer push rod. The stiffer push rod has less deflection and keeps the cam profile much better. Smith Brothers is @ www.pushrods.net
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I'm curious about the .120 wall push rods. With the thicker wall how much more does each push rod weigh when compared to the .080" wall pushrod? My first thought was the increased valve train weight might hurt the power output and valve train stability. I'll have to do a little more research on this now!
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No you want more weight (strength) over the lifters and least amount weight over the valves (factory rockers are light).
If the pushrod deflects then it can lead to lifter lofting off the camshaft lobe maybe causing damage to the lifters/cam lobes.
Nascar engines use extremely strong pushrods for stability.
Do a search for Spintron testing and larger diameter/thicker walled (3/8" dia. , .110"+ wall) pushrods on the net.
I found some good testing results on this posted a while back in various testing on the Ford NMRA engine combinations.
If the pushrod deflects then it can lead to lifter lofting off the camshaft lobe maybe causing damage to the lifters/cam lobes.
Nascar engines use extremely strong pushrods for stability.
Do a search for Spintron testing and larger diameter/thicker walled (3/8" dia. , .110"+ wall) pushrods on the net.
I found some good testing results on this posted a while back in various testing on the Ford NMRA engine combinations.
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I know that the .120 wall push rods do add more weight to your valve train and too much valve train weight will hurt your output in an engine that turns very high rpm. I haven't seen one of these engines run to 9600 rpm they seam to run out of power under 7000. So the gain in cam profile over comes the added weight.
#7
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I know that the .120 wall push rods do add more weight to your valve train and too much valve train weight will hurt your output in an engine that turns very high rpm. I haven't seen one of these engines run to 9600 rpm they seam to run out of power under 7000. So the gain in cam profile over comes the added weight.
The stability of the valvetrain would be more beneficial.
Go to (U-Tube) and look at some spintron vids they have on the effects of pushrod flex, you'll be interested in what actualy happens.
Good p-rods, my first choice would be Manton.
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The gain in cam profile comes from the added stability from the thicker push rod. Manton does make a good pushrod. If i was to build an 800 cuib motor i wouldn't use a .500 triple taper steel pushrod i would use an alum. pushrod for less weight. I have seen a spintron first hand parts look like rubber at rpm
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As Vettenuts is well aware you gain more strength increasing pushrod Diameter than you do with wall thickness. a 3/8 pushrod with a wall thickness of .055 will be stronger than a 5/16 .120 wall thickness. Load spreading is the benefit of the larger diameter. I personally went with a set of 11/32 .118 pushrods from Manton and they clear my GM 5.3 heads without issue. I was told that a 3/8 pushrod was used in a C6 LS3 by a local shop as well tho I can not confirm that personally.
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Thanks for all the info guys, I didn't realize how much pushrods actually affect hp and valvetrain stability, my hp goal is between 500-550 at the wheels, I think the most cost effective would be a set of hardened trickflows. I'm not shooting for a 1000whp or anything, although my next build I probably will
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Does Trickflow sell them in thicker wall? Or just .080" wall?
I have Comp Cams 5/16" (.105" wall) myself. If I could fit 3/8" Id be all over it.
Ive seen it pick up 15hp before on a 500hp LS1 by ONLY swapping .080 wall 5/16" to .080 wall 3/8" pushrods. The engine had aftermarket casting heads with room for the 3/8" pushrods.
I have Comp Cams 5/16" (.105" wall) myself. If I could fit 3/8" Id be all over it.
Ive seen it pick up 15hp before on a 500hp LS1 by ONLY swapping .080 wall 5/16" to .080 wall 3/8" pushrods. The engine had aftermarket casting heads with room for the 3/8" pushrods.
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You should call Smith Brothers they can make you a 5/16 .120 wall push rod and you can gain up to 12 hp just from having a stiffer push rod. The stiffer push rod has less deflection and keeps the cam profile much better. Smith Brothers is @ www.pushrods.net
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Well I posted this and was already online looking for a set of 7.3 pushrods and no one responded for a long while, so when I finally found a set of 7.3 pushrods I got them, then after the fact people started replying saying get the thicker wall and such. So I may just return them and talk to the smith brothers, no biggie.
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