I am in the process of installing a new larger cam, and some heads (see sig)

I bought some new gm lifters and was wondering if I had to do anything special when installing them?

I didnt really want to just drop them in dry...would it hurt to let them soak in oil for a night?

Whats this I hear about drilling out something in the lifter trays? whats the down low on that?

thanks, Troy

 

drill 1/2 inch holes in the side of the tray cups that faces down toward the header. This will let oil drain better. It is fine without the holes,but if they are there the oil wont sit in that pocket and get hot and foam.

 

I have a set of Morel lifters soaking in oil right now, at least the roller end. I pull them out once in a while and rotate the roller to work the oil into the bearings. You need to coat them and the inside of the lifter tray before installing. I am not drilling my lifter tray, I don't like the idea of reducing the oil to the top of the lifter where the pushrod sits. Very high friction area and for a street driven car, I see no benefit.

 

>Clean the lifters with a mineral spirit to remove any protective coating on them.
> Soak the lifters in motor oil for a few hours to lubricate the lifter assembly before install
> once installed, do not wait too long before you fire the motor so the assembly will not loose its lubrication.

 

What do you mean by not that long?

I am going to take my time putting the car back together and make sure everything is right....is it ok if it is like 4 or 5 hours? Their is a lot to do from the point of installing the lifters to firing the car.

 

Yeah,
I meant not like 2>3 days or so.
otherwise you'll have to pre-lube the motor before firing.

 

How about which way the hole in the side of the lifter goes? I posted this question before but I would like to get some more opinions. Thanks

 

Doesn't matter
I put mine towards the galleys.

 

If it does sit for to long you can pull the injector fuses and crank the motor over. This will pre-lube everything before you fire it. You can also make sure you have oil presssure by doing this. At least its what I always do.

 

Duh...I must be dumb...I did the same thing when I changed the cam and oil pump last time. (turn it over w/out starting)

thanks for refreshing my memory guys. It has been a year...I just forgot.

 

Yep... pull the plugs too. I saw 25psi cranking for 5 seconds with the plugs pulled/pump/ign.

 

my gauges dont seem to read while im cranking...

 

Interesting. I spoke to Rick at Morel Thursday and he specifically told me not to wash out the lifters with a solvent, but rather use oil and work the roller to get oil in the bearings. They use a special grease to protect them prior to sale that will wash out when the lifter warms up but it is helpful to work oil into the roller.

 

I dunno about OEM, but the Comp Cam instructions specificaly says to do so.