The ws6 store style with the roller bearings that have their own races are a great design and I imagine they will hold up like the OEM ones did.

 

I would even venture to say, due to the design, they may do better than OEM.
But that's just me....

 

It says that they are good for 100,000 + miles, but I can't find anyone that installed/running them.

 

We have a few that have bought them but they are in long term builds etc. So not "ran" yet.

I am running a personal set though. The downside? You literally have to destroy the trunion in order to get any useable wear info.

The upside of the design. Every single rocker arm trunion is oiled by "splash" oiling. In the needle bearing style, the spot to oil them with is very small and there are no oil grooves etc to help that. The CHE kits take this to the next level with the oil grooves cut into the trunion and the Smith Bros use a groove with type of reservoir space to help. None of the needle bearing kits do.
Our kit has an interlocking design but the outer race floats and so does the inner so to speak so it keeps the oil in fresh supply both from around the trunion on the inside and outside due to the exposed open end. Oil lubricates of course and also cools. Plus you dont have to worry about premature failure like on a bronze or eventual replacement.
Plus the are still hundreds cheaper than almost any roller rocker that may still use needle bearings or bushings.

We are offering a cartridge style now to use on the stock ls3 rockers.


As far as stock failures, i went to the machine shop to drop off another block, and they had 3 engines there with failed rockers. 1 was an ly6 and 2 5.3s both gen3. From trucks where high rpm isnt the norm at all. So the failures do happen. Sometimes we get too comfy in the microcosm of ls1tech and the internet even and dont get to see the real life stuff that happens daily. As well as 2 repair shops i have friends at that report issues to me.

Whichever set you use, use a good break in oil or additive and soak the rockers in it also or use a good lube with zddp etc in it. We carry packets of Cam Shield to help with that. Its a great lube anyway. They are $5 for a 5/8 oz package.
It also comes in a can of paste, brush top jar, and oil additive as well. Cant go wrong using it and its great stuff. Metal on metal especially dissimilar metals can benefit from that.

This turned into an infomercial. Sorry.

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk.

Also, glad we could answer your questions and give you some insight on the phone as well.

 

Hre are the pics of some of the bronze rings and fulcrums.

 

Hell I appreciate that info, I don't mind a long detailed post myself. I'll actually read them lol.

We've talked about this before but you see lots of failures, I see very few (damn near none). I'm in repair though, I'm just a tech. I'm starting to think the rocker failures must be with cams and springs (the vast majority) because I haven't had any in the shop in my years and I had a 2000 SS that had the rev limiter set to 7k for years and I beat the dog **** out of that car every single day and sold it with 190k on it with no rocker issues, it was beat on by the next owner to 220k with no issues. After that I bought a 2004 5.3 truck at 80k miles, had it tuned and rev limiter set to 6500 and took it to that rpm every day and sold the truck with 190k with no rocker issues. I even had the valve covers off at 189k and everything was pristine.

If I've had a LS vehicle in the shop over the last 20 years with a bad rocker, I didn't see it or hear it or it wasn't in for a noise/wasn't making any. I fully agree lifter and rocker issues happen. It's just crazy to me that one person can see virtually none and another see them virtually every day. Super weird. But even my buddies with LS cars.. they've never brought up that they have had a lifter or rocker failure. Again, I am not disputing that it happens at all, and not disputing it happens quite a bit.

Lastly in my Tedx, thanks for making a bad *** needle bearing trunion. That's a killer idea/execution in design.

 

WS6.. the shop you mentioned. Is that a general repair shop or a machine shop/engine repair shop?

 

That's a smith bros kit???

Is there a lube chanel on the other side? What did you use for lubrication during assembly???

 

there is 1 small groove on the top on each side of the bolt hole. Used redline engine assembly lube.

 

Smith Bros. Kit

 

IMO. Looks like a poor design.

 

What kind of lifter preload did you have?

 

.070 preload

 

I agree... That center groove reduces the the bushings surface area and the bushing starts to cut itself into the trunnion. I'd say the CHE design is superior to that.

 

I say OEM rockers and tack weld the caps . That's what I did but unfortunately I haven't had a chance to put them in an engine yet. Bought an 02 Z-28 with 90,000 on it about a month ago and it is clean like brand new so may have a chance to use them in future . I may cam it so may put them in then

 

I ran into an issue with the COMP trunnion kit on the LSX/LS7 build I did in 2004 and ended up switching to Straub bushings but shortly after that I started having excessive noise in the valvetrain. Cut a filter open and sure enough glittered with bronze but after further investigation it ended up being worn intake valve guides. On my current build I'm running the TSP rollers with CHE trunnions, yes they're a little more expensive but I'm hoping they'll do the job! I've heard they could spin up to 8G.

 

That is exactly what the Straub kit looks like and I also think it's a crappy design. I think they are made by the same company, but nobody actually knows who really makes them.

 

I had been planning on using the CHE kit on my mild l33 with the ws6store high lift asa cam. Glad I waited and didn't buy it. I guess I will either buy the ws6store rockers or cross my fingers and use the stockers. Decisions decisions

 

Manton makes a 3/4" bronze trunnion kit. $240.
for those that want to run the bronze trunnion.

 

this is the first I've seen of the bronze bearing failures. Hope that isn't a trend.