94Pontiac

iTrader: (4)

Are they any good?

RamAir95TA

iTrader: (2)

Not real sure. The LS7s are better though.

SS RRR

iTrader: (2)

You don't know about the Mellings, but you know the LS7's are better?

RamAir95TA

iTrader: (2)

If the Mellings were better, everyone would be using them.

*02WS6TURK*

iTrader: (13)

+1...I ran the LS7 out of my AI set up with success. Good lifters for the money.

SS RRR

iTrader: (2)

Got to wonder how much of that is chosen out of popularity. I'm sure the Mellings would work just fine. JMO...

94Pontiac

iTrader: (4)

Yes the ls7's were my first choice. The reason why I was asking about the mellings is they have them in stock at the parts store. I wanted to get my car back together today...

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

Why do you want to buy lifters at all??

I would bet the Melling are the same as one of the GM versions. There are very few manufacturers and a lot of brands.

People fall all over themselves to buy the LS7 lifters because they are very reasonably priced replacements, NOT because they need new lifters, NOT for any proven benefit, not because stockers are inadequate.

94Pontiac

iTrader: (4)

So I took my car for a rip the other day, and on the way back it started making a rattling noise it almost sounded like the rockers were loose, but it was a faster noise. Oil pressure is good, and it defiantly sounds like the top end.

So I pulled the valve cover and reset all the rockers at 1/2 turn past, with it running...Its still making the noise. It doesn't sound like a loose rocker. With the valve cover off I can hear it coming from the valve train around #1 cylinder. I noticed that 2 rockers aren't getting much oil. So I pulled all the rockers and inspected them. They're aluminum rockers and the trunnions felt smooth as well as the rollers. So I pulled all the push rods (comps.) I checked them for straightness and they're fine.

Now I'm thinking its the lifters or the lifter retainer spyder. So I pulled the intake. The lifters are stockers and they all seemed fine.

I checked out the springs (crane) they have 1500miles on them and seem ok. But its hard to tell if one of the inner's is broken without removing them...


I was just thinking of replacing them while im in there, stock motor 130k with a 503 cam.

96capricemgr

iTrader: (1)

Lifter failure is suspected VASTLY more often than it is actually found and on the rare occurrences it is found it is usually the result of bad valvetrain setup.

How do you find zero lash?

94Pontiac

iTrader: (4)

When I first put the cam in I set lash by putting #1 at tdc then setting half then #6 tdc and set the other half. But Yesterday I just ran it with a valve cover off, backed off a rocker till it clacked then tightened till it stopped plus 1/2 turn. Its been fine for tons of hard miles and lots of passes.

This noise sounds a bit different from loose valves it kind of sounds like a rattling.

94Pontiac

iTrader: (4)

valve train is: cc503, comp push rods, crane 10308 springs, comp guides, arp rocker studs, crane alum NSA 1.6 rockers, cloys double roller timing chain.