Good video! The Mopar factory hydraulic rocker shaft assembly is one of the most forgiving to mechanics features ever installed on a engines valve train. For decades GM owners drooled over this engineering masterpiece that offered 250,000 miles of valve train stability maintenance-free right from the factory.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Well said! Thanks, Tim

My understanding is that hydraulic lifters run at zero lash, so it really doesn't matter how much preload you have it does not affect lift, the only concern would be if you floated your valves, and they kissed a piston, so I always shoot for around .040 on a stock non-performance engine and .020 to .030 on a performance engine. I have .020 on my .501 lift comp cam so they clatter a little which is fine, comp cams says if that bothers you set them at .040, but I like a little clearance for safety reasons as for some strange reason I have problem with valves kissing pistons. Call me old fashion but it just doesn't seem right to me. You could also use an adjustable push rod to check preload and get a more precise measurement and custom make your pushrods. It's only money and we all know that grows on trees!

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Well said! Thanks brother

Nice video Joe. A very relevant subject. Very precise with the dial indicator.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks Ed! Heads are nice

@edsmachine93

10 ай бұрын

@@JustMoparJoe Thanks Joe, I really appreciate it.

Exellent video, Joe. However don't discount how accurately you can measure by just using the bolt thread. IIRC the rocker shaft bolts are 5/16-18 UNC. So one turn of the bolt will advance 0.056". If you have a grade 8 bolt handy it will have six lines on the bolt head, and it is pretty easy to estimate halfway between lines, so that makes 12 divisions. So each half-line on the Gr8 bolt will be 0.0046", and using this it is easy to measure the preload to

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Yes sir. Ed at Ed’s machine told me about that. Thanks for sharing.

@edsmachine93

10 ай бұрын

Hi Gavin, that's the way I do it also. Basic shop math never let's you down. I did like the fact that Joe used a dial indicator. That way you get the ratio differential between the center pivot and the pushrod socket and or a close proximity. I like your grade eight with the lines, absolutely spot on. The Big blocks use 3/8 16 = .0625 in one turn. Same rocker arm ratio but changes because of the additional. 0075. Great post. Have a good day. 👍

@edsmachine93

10 ай бұрын

@@JustMoparJoe Thanks again Joe. I really like Gavins post. You're getting some great feedback from people.👍👍

Its all in the details MJ, thank you for for this video, something I have never seen before.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks brother!

You can also check clearence at full lift at the nose of the cam lobe using a tool to depress the rocker and measuring what is left of preload as the lifter bleeds down till soild reading of the gauge would give you a very accurate reading too.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

That sounds interesting!

Great video Joe.Thanks

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks brother

Great way to check that Joe. Thanks!

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks Clint! Hope to see you again this year

Great video, important details.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks brother

Excellent information and video.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks brother

Very cool Joe. I love the simplicity. I usually don’t bother measuring that but it’s a good idea if you deck the block or heads which will affect preload and push rod length.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks Jonny. I’m with you on that, but figured it’d only take a quick second

Great video Joe.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks Anthony!

Thanks again for sharing this information with us, good stuff to know

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

You bet!

Well, I feel stupid! Got the same dial indicator magnetic base. I never knew it'd stick on the side like that! Had some pretty convoluted contraptions for degreing cams and checking lash. Worst part is I've had that damned thing about ten years and never thought to try it any other way ! Thanks, Joe! No more convoluted contraptions for me. 😆 😆

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks brother! Glad to help

Great content, keep up the great video's.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks Jeff!

As always,you put on a clinic for us Joe. I recently watched Nick,from Nicks garage, had a really good video on installing a cam and lifters and rocker assemblies on a 440. He used a Comp cam with Melling lifters. (Does Johnson-Hylift make Mellings?) Always want to learn more about these Mopars. Wear 'em out at the track Joe!

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thank you! I called Johnson recent o and got a lengthy response about how I’d need to direct any flatvtappet questions to hylift. I think Nick likes meiling because they sponsor him.

Great reminder and really, a simple way to check this! Also a reminder of how much my toolbox is lacking in precise measuring tools. 🤣🤣

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

These are the fondest harbor freight has to offer! 😂

Very good!

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thank Greg!

Long ago Car Craft called your attention to detail as " the demon tweak" , that Last bit of power one could wrench.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Very nice! I need to find some of the old magazines and revisit some of that tech

318 will run for decades and say a couple more.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Yes sir

Good morning and I will say that I am going to start my day off well and enjoying something good.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Good morning!

Awesome video to understand how lifter preload works. I’m having an issue with my mild 360 with a comp 268. Motor ran really well for the last 1000 miles but I have a light tap on cylinder 1 on the rocker. Lifters seem to be pumped up and rockers aren’t loose by hand any ideas? Problem hasn’t gotten any worse over the 1000 miles….or better!

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks brother. Theres many things that could make a difference there. Maybe a sunk valve? Were the heads rebuilt? Pushrod bent? Rocker arms both in good shape(you could swap them with two others and see if the noise moves), do a cranking compression test on that cylinder and a few others to compare.

@cletusrides520

10 ай бұрын

@@JustMoparJoe hmm everything was rebuilt, heads were redone with correct valve springs and seats from comp, rockers look really good no wear what so ever. Ran the engine with no valve covers and each rocker is moving evenly. Only thing I can imagine is the pushrods are the stock 7.5s so possibly preload they spin freely when pumped up but that one ticking seems to spin a little to easy. Looks like I still have some work to do thanks for the help and keep going with the videos love these in depth videos on the small block mopars.

I have a 66 383 2 barrel and it came with 346 heads which are much later open chamber and the flat top pistons are down quite a way at TDC so I know it’s going to be very low compression so should I buy a set of KB400 pistons and mill the heads 15 or 20 thousandths with steel shim head gaskets or what would you suggest. Gary in Millsap Tx.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Those are nice pistons. I wouldn’t run over 9.5/1 on the street with iron heads. If you’re going all out race on a budget, the shims are nice in that application

@hemisidetrack2767

10 ай бұрын

Good question I'm interested in Joe's reply also.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

@@hemisidetrack2767 I ran them in my old 72 demon with ported iron heads, 383 +.030, torker intake and Isky .505 lift hydraulic flat tappet cam. Best time of 7.40 in the 1/8th

@danielslocum7169

10 ай бұрын

you can gain about half a ratio [.5] by running closed chamber 516 or 915 heads. the 516s will flow less but will likely be better with the compression increase your engine desperately needs. mildly porting them would be a big +. good luck.

How would you recommend taking out a valve cover bolt that fell into the Rocker Arm Hole in a 318 small block.

@JustMoparJoe

5 ай бұрын

So is it laying in the valley now? Below the intake?

But you have to tighten the rocker shaft down. You cant run it loose can you ? So what ever the preload is when you snug it down is what it is i would think ? Then what if you install a humpty dumpty performance cam ? Will factory rocker even hold up ?

@JustMoparJoe

26 күн бұрын

In this video, I believe I showed tightening the shaft and measuring the preload on the lifter. The humpty dumpty sound comes from changing the cam specs, besides just lift. Larger lift cams require heavier springs, which can kill stock rockers. I’ve ran up to .530 lift on stock stamped rockers with the correct spring.

Hey Joe thanks for the video In your opinion can I put a cam with .513 lift on stock steel stamped rocker ?

@JustMoparJoe

4 ай бұрын

Oh man! If it’s hydraulic flat tappet, I’ve seen it done on big blocks. We used the .532 lift purple shaft on an engine before with no issues. When you’re able, I’d upgrade to roller rockers with that lift. Small blocks would cut it down considerably at the valve.

@dietermunz

4 ай бұрын

@@JustMoparJoe it's a voodoo 703 for my 440 man 🙏🏻 thanks for your answer

hey, i have a rocker question for ya. i just took a set off a truck i bought that had no holes in them. i thought that might have been a cause of no oil pressure but still wasn't. have you ever seen rockers without holes? btw only one side was like this, guy was sold a "freash" rebuild and looks like they were tossing parts to it.

@JustMoparJoe

6 ай бұрын

What brand of rockers were they? Or just stock stamped?

@Parrinosgarage

6 ай бұрын

@JustMoparJoe no name on them at all. Just 34RH on the one I'm looking at. Not to mention the shafts have no notches. Also I noticed on all my rockers that I have, the numbers are different and random in front of the LH & RH.

@JustMoparJoe

6 ай бұрын

@@Parrinosgarage sounds like some stock steel reproductions.

How much lift can the factory rockers operate with ? I have a 292 .509 cam now with factory rockers but want to upgrade to a hydraulic Hughes cam with more lift.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

I think you’re at the near end. I have ran .532 purple cam with stock rockers on a big block. But punched a pushrod through one eventually 😂

@mitchellferre1652

10 ай бұрын

@@JustMoparJoe thank you !

👍

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks Mitch!

I will say that I will do it this way.

I’m guessing the 360 is awful close to being shoehorned in the Ramcharger

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Absolutely! Fire up soon!

@budlanctot3060

10 ай бұрын

Shoehorned? My old '75 Ramcharger had a 440 installed at the factory, and it still had plenty of room.

👍👍👍

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks Jaybo

Guaranteed that I am going to do just that my friend JMJ.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks John

👍🏻💯🇦🇺⛽️

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Thanks brother

If you have better alternatives to stamped steel rockers, I'd use them instead.

@JustMoparJoe

10 ай бұрын

Yes always buy the best you can afford. These are on a street ramcharger. And they’re almost gauranteed to not fail

@moparnut6286

10 ай бұрын

Mopar heavy duty rockers will do the job just fine on a mild 360...only when you get wild do you need to upgrade them.... It not like a chebbie that needs screw in studs there quite a bit of stability in a shaft rocker design.

@budlanctot3060

10 ай бұрын

@moparnut6286 of course, they work fine in stock situations, but as soon as you start tinkering with the engine internally, you're changing clearances. You grind the valves & seats, you change the head gasket, you cut the block/ head surfaces, change the cam, you've automatically changed the lifter preload. Joe checked just one cylinder's lifter preloads. How many of these subscribers are going to check this, much less EVERY lifter?