Chevy Nova Forum banner

Help me squeeze a little more HP out of...

1K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  Crazyjake 
#1 ·
my 327. It has a mild hydraulic cam with regular old hydraulic lifters and self aligning rockers because I switched to vortec heads this summer. I am new at this engine buiding stuff, so I figured I'd ask the experts. Are there are other type of lifters and rocker arms I could switch to without getting too crazy? For example.....can I run roller lifters and roller rockers with the current hydraulic cam? Would I need a specific type of lifter/rocker since they are vortec heads?


Just curious. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!
 
#2 ·
No....You can't run roller LIFTERS on a flat-tappet cam.:no:
You CAN run roller rockers.

As for your particular application. List out the rest of your combination and see what everyone says. There might be some better cam grinds available to better suit what you're trying to accomplish. Then again, your car might respond better to a gear and/or converter change.

Be completely honest about what your expectations are and what you want to do with the car.
 
#3 ·
Thanks D-Man. I have no real expectations, I just wanted to know if it was ok to do. I'll scrap the roller lifter idea. Thanks for the advice. Is there a specific type of roller rocker that I need to choose since they are vortec heads? Do I still need self-aligning? Do I need to stick to roller tip or can I go full roller? Actually, is this just a bad idea in general since I don;t really know what I am doing :yes:?
 
#4 ·
Thanks D-Man. I have no real expectations, I just wanted to know if it was ok to do. I'll scrap the roller lifter idea. Thanks for the advice. Is there a specific type of roller rocker that I need to choose since they are vortec heads? Do I still need self-aligning? Do I need to stick to roller tip or can I go full roller? Actually, is this just a bad idea in general since I don;t really know what I am doing :yes:?
You'll never know what you're capable of unless you try!!:yes:

Yes, you can use a full roller rocker, but they do have to be self-aligning.
Here's a GREAT example:


Stay away from the offshore crap (there's plenty of it!!) and stick to brands like Scorpion, Harland Sharp, Crower, Comp and Lunati just to name a few.

Before you start looking at going to a higher ratio (like 1.6) we need to know what cam you're running (exactly) and how the heads are set up so we know whether or not you're going to run into valvetrain issues.:yes:

Just remember when it comes to performance, it's ALL in the details!!

But, just so you know......You're typically NOT going to "Feel" any big differences in performance by JUST changing rockers.:no: There might be more Bang-for-your-Buck elsewhere.:yes:
 
#5 ·
Cool. Thanks again! That's a huge help and exactly what I was looking for. You guys on this forum never disappoint. I would not expect to feel much of a difference. I just get a bit bored in the winter and like buying parts to have to install in the spring time. I have a mild wolverine cam. I think about a .450 lift. Not looking to get crazy, just like to do the little things to get as much out of it as I can. I wouldn't even try to up the ratio unless you guys gave me your blessing. I don't need big engine trouble because as you can probably guess, I would have trouble finding the problem and fixing it. I like tinkering and trying, I am just not very good at it. With that being said what performance increase would come from changing to 1.6 ratio? (if any)

Thanks again!
 
#7 ·
If you've got .450" lift now, switching to 1.6 rockers would increase your valve lift to .480" which, in a LOT of cases, unless your Vortec heads have had some work done to them, MIGHT get you in trouble. You would have to remove a spring and actually MEASURE your actual retainer-to-seal distance and clearance along with checking your spring to make sure you've got the clearance and correct pressures.

Now.....Swapping to a full roller (self-aligning) 1.5 rocker wouldn't do much as far as adding performance but it would make life a little easier on your valvetrain.

There's only one way to learn how to do this stuff.....Get all of the info you can ingest and DO IT. Until you get your hands dirty and get a FEEL for it, You'll never know.:D

Good luck!!
 
#9 ·
best way to get more ommph out of a 327 ,, is put a solid cam in it and a big gear ,lol ,, wind it till its begging for mercy , is what i think is the best recipie for a 327

what converter are you running ?? A great converter will prolly help it a bunch too

listen to this 327 ,,, hard not to like them i think

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBOwfKH4ZVo
I agree. They love RPM's
 
#10 ·
Definitely thinking about buying a real converter. Mine is stock. If I do decide to buy one can you guys tell me what I need to look for as far as specs? My tranny is a TH350. Not sure what size converter I should be looking for (no idea what the difference is). It's a street car only with stock gears :( If I can figure out how, I would like to install 3.73 gears this summer but I also have no idea which ones to buy. I know its a 10 bolt, but not sure about anything else. It's the stock rear end for a '73 that had a straight 6 hooked up to a powerglide, when I bought it 20 years ago.

Thanks!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top