Basically, I want to refresh the entire valvetrain. New springs, lifters, rockers, valves.. and anything else I may need. I'm not doing it out of necessity (yet) but the car is 11 years old with 104,000 on the clock and is developing a little tick on the driver side. (Not plugs or headers, checked many many times, not injectors either) I've been doing alot of reading and I want to stay mainly stock, or maybe a little beefier than stock. If I can gain a little extra lift from the rockers/lifters then I would like to go that route, though I want to stay within OEM spring specs. I will not be revving past 6,000 RPM's. I also can't afford to do a heads and cam at this time either.

So my question really is, is there a kit available for such a task? Or if I have to buy it piece by piece, which parts should I go with? The car see's the track 1-2 times a year, but I do drive in a rather spirited manner from time to time. I'm not looking for massive horsepower gains or anything, just maybe a couple of regained ponies from years of Daily Driver abuse. I'll be doing the labor with a mechanic friend of mine.

Any advice is much appreciated.
Ryan

 

http://www.midwestmotorsportsinc.com/ I use their Valve springs with my CC306 and rev to 6700rpms with no problems to date, and it's like 55 dollars for Springs Locks and Retainers

 

The way to gain a little hp, assuming no cam change, is to go with 1.6:1 roller rockers. There's a lot of choices out there, but I have had good luck with the Crane "gold" aluminum rockers. Some people voice concerns about the longevity of aluminum rockers and advocate steel rockers like the Com Cams "Pro magnum" but I have found this to be a problem.

Rich

 

I was definately thinking about going with the 1.6 RR's. So that answers one of my questions. What should I do about springs, locks, lifters, and retainers? Should I use 1.6:1 Lifters with the 1.6:1 RR's? What kind of spring should I use, OEM replacement or is there a better choice? I've heard that LT4 retainers are crap, so which ones should I go with on that? I want refresh the entire thing, so I'll most likely be getting new valves as well. I was looking at what http://www.cmotorsports.com had to offer. Should I be looking elsewhere?

Thank you for the replies so far.
Ryan

 

ttt

 

First of all there is no such thing as a 1.6:1 lifter, if your's are bad they can be replaced, OEM is good. LT4 spring kit is also very good for this application as they are light and are a good improvement over stock. I had good luck with them when I ran them with the hotcam.
Other things to consider while you're at it are valve seals and inspecting the pushrods, it they are bent you can get the comp 7808 which are hardened and very resonably priced.

 

So what was the problem.


The GMPP LT4 rocker arms and LT4 spring kit would be a good revamp if you are going with a stock or Hot Cam.

Bret

 

Meant I have used good quality aluminum rokcers on the street and NOT seen a problem.

Rich

 

Im interested in a valvetrain update also. What is a good place to buy the LT4 spring kits, and GMPP 1.6 RR?

Rob

 

Yeah I don't see them being a problem, I just like a little less mass over the valve.

Bret

 

LT4 springs retainers and locks are perfect for your application. I don't know how LT4 retainers got a bad rap. They are proven, high performing pieces.

With your milage, I also recommend new valve seals.

You can find all those part numbers on shoebox's website.

For rockers, I highly suggest the comp cam pro magnum 1.6 rr's with a 7/16" stud, non self aligning. You will need GM guideplate though, and 7/16" rocker studs.

Hardened pushrods are also a good idea.

If you are going to tear into the valvetrain, you may as well get the best you can afford the first time. I have installed what is listed above into my LT1, and they are quiet, and gave me a very nice performance boost. My website shows all the parts that I bought for my valve train refresh. I didn't get new valve seals though, since I only had 63k on my motor, and didn't burn a drop of oil that I could tell.

That is the "high end setup" though, and may be more than you need.

Dan

 

That is EXACTLY what I wanted to know. Thanks alot for your information. It probably isn't the best indication, but my spark plugs were cocoa brown on all 8 cylinders when I changed them, so I don't think I'm burning any oil either. To be safe I'll buy the seals anyways. Also, with all this new stuff, am I running the risk of blowing out the bottom end? My mechanic buddy seems to think I'll blow out the bottom end with a newer, stiffer valvetrain.

Thanks again.

 

Blowing out the bottom end is common on high milage motors, if you get heads rebuilt that seal perfectly all of a sudden, the rings can't take it...but in your case a little over 100k is not considered high milage on a modern fuel injected motor. My original motor was at 178k when I pulled it, I tried to kill it for months, oil had 10k miles on it, ran crappy fuel etc. When I finally took it apart, the leakdown was around 12%(awesome for a motor that used and abused) and the bearings looked great. My point is these motors last a long time if properly maintained and you should be fine with rebuilt heads.

 

There are no worries for your bottom end.

Dan