Guidance Needed
10-31-2016, 12:24 PM
#1
On The Tree
Thread Starter
Guidance Needed Hello everyone, this is my first post, as I've never needed to make a post since pretty much everything is covered on here lol.
Just to get caught up; my trans am has 130k miles, I bought it when I was 17 and it's been basically a project car with me and my dad, it was bone stock when I bought it. About a year and a half ago I decided I wanted to go the H/C route. I have a slp lid, and ls6 intake. I got my heads (241) ported polished and milled .02 at BES racing, they also put in new valves as well. The cam i was recommended and chose was comp cams 231/239 .617 intake/.624 exhaust 113 lsa. As for lifters I ran the comp r lifters, I don't know the part number on the top of my head but they were the ones that run for about $230. For pushrods i was running stock length chromoly pushrods, trunnion upgrade on the stock rockers, and btr double valve springs. All this was breathing through ARH 1/7/8 headers and ARH y pipe with gmmg exhaust. Made 411 whp/ 379 ft lbs on a dynojet.
All ran fine for this whole time until a few weeks ago I heard a horrible noise as I was just driving. A knock started right after and my oil pressure dropped tremendously. I figured I spun a rod bearing and so did my dad. Well me and my him pull out my motor, I drop the oil pan and there is some metal so I knew I would find something. So I pull the back passenger piston and the bearings are fine. So I go to my lifters and go to pull them and sure enough the far back passenger lifter is shot i cant even pull it out, so we pull the cam out, the lobe is shot. I push the lifter out and it turns out the roller cracked in half... How would that happen?
So my question is, what should I do? I have about a $3,000 budget, I wish I could say more but college makes it difficult. I know I obviously need a new cam and lifters, as well as all the gaskets and such. But what do y'all recommend for this setup? Ill eventually put a fast intake and tb on there as well. Also should I just reuse the pistons and replace the bearings and rings? Or should I just go ahead and buy new ones since I'm in here? Stroker is probably out of the question because I don't think I can afford that at the moment. I can try to give more information as needed but any help would be greatly appreciated.
Just to get caught up; my trans am has 130k miles, I bought it when I was 17 and it's been basically a project car with me and my dad, it was bone stock when I bought it. About a year and a half ago I decided I wanted to go the H/C route. I have a slp lid, and ls6 intake. I got my heads (241) ported polished and milled .02 at BES racing, they also put in new valves as well. The cam i was recommended and chose was comp cams 231/239 .617 intake/.624 exhaust 113 lsa. As for lifters I ran the comp r lifters, I don't know the part number on the top of my head but they were the ones that run for about $230. For pushrods i was running stock length chromoly pushrods, trunnion upgrade on the stock rockers, and btr double valve springs. All this was breathing through ARH 1/7/8 headers and ARH y pipe with gmmg exhaust. Made 411 whp/ 379 ft lbs on a dynojet.
All ran fine for this whole time until a few weeks ago I heard a horrible noise as I was just driving. A knock started right after and my oil pressure dropped tremendously. I figured I spun a rod bearing and so did my dad. Well me and my him pull out my motor, I drop the oil pan and there is some metal so I knew I would find something. So I pull the back passenger piston and the bearings are fine. So I go to my lifters and go to pull them and sure enough the far back passenger lifter is shot i cant even pull it out, so we pull the cam out, the lobe is shot. I push the lifter out and it turns out the roller cracked in half... How would that happen?
So my question is, what should I do? I have about a $3,000 budget, I wish I could say more but college makes it difficult. I know I obviously need a new cam and lifters, as well as all the gaskets and such. But what do y'all recommend for this setup? Ill eventually put a fast intake and tb on there as well. Also should I just reuse the pistons and replace the bearings and rings? Or should I just go ahead and buy new ones since I'm in here? Stroker is probably out of the question because I don't think I can afford that at the moment. I can try to give more information as needed but any help would be greatly appreciated.
10-31-2016, 07:02 PM
#3
On The Tree
Thread Starter
11-01-2016, 01:23 AM
#4
Lifter may have turned in the tray and wiped out the lobe and lifter. The R lifters like very little preload, but typically are ok. I'd probably step up to 11/32 pushrods next time to take any loft out of the lifter from the cam pole-vaulting the lifter off when the valve snaps shut. I'd also ditch the lifter trays and get link bar lifters... but not the cheap Morels. Johnson or higher dollar Morels or the short-travel Comps.
11-01-2016, 12:50 PM
#5
On The Tree
Thread Starter
Lifter may have turned in the tray and wiped out the lobe and lifter. The R lifters like very little preload, but typically are ok. I'd probably step up to 11/32 pushrods next time to take any loft out of the lifter from the cam pole-vaulting the lifter off when the valve snaps shut. I'd also ditch the lifter trays and get link bar lifters... but not the cheap Morels. Johnson or higher dollar Morels or the short-travel Comps.
11-01-2016, 12:54 PM
#6
I'd just do the Johnson lifters. Had them on two cams and still look perfect.
I have the axle-oiling short-travel lifters. They are overkill unless you are doing boost.
These would work well and are a little cheaper than the 5206s...
http://www.briantooleyracing.com/joh...s-2116lsr.html
I have the axle-oiling short-travel lifters. They are overkill unless you are doing boost.
These would work well and are a little cheaper than the 5206s...
http://www.briantooleyracing.com/joh...s-2116lsr.html
11-01-2016, 03:28 PM
#7
On The Tree
Thread Starter
Yeah I'll definitely go with the Johnsons then, so any idea on what cam to go with? I would maybe like to go a tad bigger or even just one that would be better suited for my engine.
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11-01-2016, 04:46 PM
#8
The BTR Stage 3 is a little bigger and the Stage 4 is bigger still. Either one of those would work.
I had an EPS ground 234/242 111 and it drove pretty well and made explosive power. My new cam (the BTR Supercharger cam) is even more explosive on the street... so anything in that 228-234 intake range would work well.
I had an EPS ground 234/242 111 and it drove pretty well and made explosive power. My new cam (the BTR Supercharger cam) is even more explosive on the street... so anything in that 228-234 intake range would work well.
11-01-2016, 04:55 PM
#9
Will that cam work with his milled 241's? They seem a bit large amd overkill. Id actually do a smaller cam like a 228/232 etc... Bigger is not always better especially if your gonna be dealing with ptv issues
Last edited by pozesd99'; 11-03-2016 at 07:54 PM.
11-01-2016, 06:05 PM
#11
On The Tree
Thread Starter
I was curious about pvt if I were to go bigger and I know bigger is not always better especially in cam selection, but the car is not a daily driver so I don't mind slight overkill. All is great information though, and yes me and my dad did check preload, and if I recall it did come out correct, maybe we didn't measure correctly it's hard to say. But even Tony Bischoff (BES) who did the head work said that stock length pushrods should be fine due to the milling. Could that statement be wrong? Sure, that's why I'm asking y'all with much more experience to help and critique. All has been helpful so far so please keep it coming
11-01-2016, 06:53 PM
#12
I was curious about pvt if I were to go bigger and I know bigger is not always better especially in cam selection, but the car is not a daily driver so I don't mind slight overkill. All is great information though, and yes me and my dad did check preload, and if I recall it did come out correct, maybe we didn't measure correctly it's hard to say. But even Tony Bischoff (BES) who did the head work said that stock length pushrods should be fine due to the milling. Could that statement be wrong? Sure, that's why I'm asking y'all with much more experience to help and critique. All has been helpful so far so please keep it coming
If you measured preload and it was "correct", you got very very lucky or you actually don't have short travel lifters.
11-02-2016, 07:57 AM
#13
On The Tree
Thread Starter
Actually if I recall it was not the short travel it was the 850-156 lifters. Unfortunately I don't have the receipt to see which ones since I'm at school. But would that make more sense that it's stock length pushrods?
11-02-2016, 10:23 AM
#14
The 875s are not short travel. Comp just recommends almost no preload on them (I think they recommend setting ~.010" on them). So you end up with shorter pushrods. The 850s are like LS7s... so stock length would be fine in most cases unless you do something crazy.
But I'd just go with the BTR Stage 3 cam. It'd drive well and make power.
You will need to measure with the Johnson lifters. They will be longer too.
But I'd just go with the BTR Stage 3 cam. It'd drive well and make power.
You will need to measure with the Johnson lifters. They will be longer too.
11-02-2016, 08:55 PM
#16
That's marketing crap. 875s have been out since like 2001. They didn't market them as short travel back them. Just essentially no preload. Maybe that's what "reduced travel" means nowadays?
Either way, you run very little preload with them. LG used them back in the day all the time.
Either way, you run very little preload with them. LG used them back in the day all the time.
11-03-2016, 12:17 PM
#17
On The Tree
Thread Starter
So what kind of preload do you the johnson 2116LSR lifters like? I will check pushrod length before I buy them but what would be an estimate with them, I'm assuming shorter than stock length.
11-03-2016, 06:00 PM
#18
Teching In
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Definitely measure, you will want to be within .010" of that.
11-04-2016, 10:21 AM
#20
Lifter may have turned in the tray and wiped out the lobe and lifter. The R lifters like very little preload, but typically are ok. I'd probably step up to 11/32 pushrods next time to take any loft out of the lifter from the cam pole-vaulting the lifter off when the valve snaps shut. I'd also ditch the lifter trays and get link bar lifters... but not the cheap Morels. Johnson or higher dollar Morels or the short-travel Comps.