Aftermarket Lifter Trays
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,539
Likes: 26
From: columbus,ohio
Aftermarket Lifter Trays I just bought some aftermarket lifter trays , they seem to be a much thicker gauge in all areas as compared to the oem GM ones as I remember. Does anyone have any experience with these ?
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,539
Likes: 26
From: columbus,ohio
I was able to do a visual compassion today . Took a look at some old GM trays there is not as much difference as I first suspected .The only difference that the GM trays had is they do have more web bracing in the bucket areas .
TECH Regular
Joined: Jul 2019
Posts: 421
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From: Tasmania Australia
This can be difficult Id almost bet that GM trays were made of the correct material possibly high impact plastic and most else is just a lucky dip. I noticed mine had a very slight swirl pattern in the plastic and were said to be made in USA.
i hate the idea of putting any plastic in my engine.
i hate the idea of putting any plastic in my engine.
And just for a FWIW I posted on here about that back then and I was the dumbest mf'er on the planet that day because "they only hold the lifter for assembly, valve spring pressure holds the roller straight with the cam so any tray will be fine, why make such a big deal about it" that seemed to be the general consensus of just about everyone who replied. Sure is strange how things change.
Ebay? Yea, I have experience with those, they claim to be GM and show a picture of one with the GM part number. Contact the seller and tell them there is no GM part number, no GM package. They don't even want them back they give you a refund. Then you go pay $2 more for real GM parts in GM packages with GM part numbers.
And just for a FWIW I posted on here about that back then and I was the dumbest mf'er on the planet that day because "they only hold the lifter for assembly, valve spring pressure holds the roller straight with the cam so any tray will be fine, why make such a big deal about it" that seemed to be the general consensus of just about everyone who replied. Sure is strange how things change.
And just for a FWIW I posted on here about that back then and I was the dumbest mf'er on the planet that day because "they only hold the lifter for assembly, valve spring pressure holds the roller straight with the cam so any tray will be fine, why make such a big deal about it" that seemed to be the general consensus of just about everyone who replied. Sure is strange how things change.
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I remember that thread. Those replies to you were ridiculous. The trays have two functions in that they hold the lifters up during install and they keep the lifters from spinning in their bores. The lifter rollers will not remain parallel to the cam lobe by them selves, no matter how much valve springs pressure is applied. If they did remain parallel, we wouldn’t need link bars, or keyed lifters, or wheel guided lifters, etc. So many threads on here you just have to shake your head at and keep moving at some of the replies.
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,539
Likes: 26
From: columbus,ohio
This can be difficult Id almost bet that GM trays were made of the correct material possibly high impact plastic and most else is just a lucky dip. I noticed mine had a very slight swirl pattern in the plastic and were said to be made in USA.
i hate the idea of putting any plastic in my engine.
i hate the idea of putting any plastic in my engine.
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 1,539
Likes: 26
From: columbus,ohio
Ebay? Yea, I have experience with those, they claim to be GM and show a picture of one with the GM part number. Contact the seller and tell them there is no GM part number, no GM package. They don't even want them back they give you a refund. Then you go pay $2 more for real GM parts in GM packages with GM part numbers.
And just for a FWIW I posted on here about that back then and I was the dumbest mf'er on the planet that day because "they only hold the lifter for assembly, valve spring pressure holds the roller straight with the cam so any tray will be fine, why make such a big deal about it" that seemed to be the general consensus of just about everyone who replied. Sure is strange how things change.
And just for a FWIW I posted on here about that back then and I was the dumbest mf'er on the planet that day because "they only hold the lifter for assembly, valve spring pressure holds the roller straight with the cam so any tray will be fine, why make such a big deal about it" that seemed to be the general consensus of just about everyone who replied. Sure is strange how things change.
Last edited by omc8; Mar 22, 2020 at 10:09 AM.
I started the thread so I deleted it. There's no use in having a thread full of wrong information on this site. But then again it would be useful to know who was talking all of this BS. That's all it would be good for is seeing who doesn't know what the hell they're talking about. It wasn't just suggestions either, it was explanations of how much it didn't matter.
I spent nearly four times as much on Morel's than I did on a set of LS7 lifters and GM trays but I feel like it was money well spent. My tuner said I could run the LS7's but he recommended the Morel's. Keep in my mind the car has been H/C since the early 2000's and has been running GM lifters all this time and never had any issues. With the more aggressive H/C on it now I felt like I should upgrade the lifters to aftermarket units. Considering the lifters aren't easily accessed and could cause catastrophic damage if they fail/spin in the tray it seemed like a wise investment.