Where is there a one place stop to describe/explain the two and the benfits? I have searched but can not find the "whole" answer and am confused.


Updated subject to avoid wasted BWwith smart **** responses.

 

i dont think you have a choice, if your lifters arn't aligned- you might have some serious issues


Perhaps your reffering to rockers. I assume your trying to do a power upgrade? Rockers, not lifters. Lifters just roll along on thee cam, rockers open the valves in varrying multipication.

search on rockers this time


here is a pic of a block i'm drafting here at work in my spare time (screen shot)
http://www.worldisround.com/photos/501/535.jpg

see those 16 little holes? the ones that look like a circle with a slice on them? they are lifter holes. lifters have the same shape- so they slide right in and dont spin- no way alighn or not align.

*note* this is only true on a hydrolic roller

 

SA rockers are an LT1 and newer design item as far as I know. What I can tell you with out a doubt is all you your classic GM stuff, SBC, BBC, Pontiac, Olds, ect use guideplates to align the rockers (and pushrods). When I had a choice with my CMotorsports cam package I didn't hesitate to get the guideplate set up.

 

So is the guide plate what makes them self aligned or is the other way around? Do the stock heads have the plates? I take it the self aligned are those without the plates? And if so How do they stay aligned?

 

The guideplates are used with non-SA rockers. The stock LT1's dont use them, they use SA rockers with no guideplates. Sorry but I didn't pay attention to them when I removed them so I didnt observe how they self-align, just figured the guideplate set up is more reliable in a high-performance application.

 

Little guides on either side of the roller tip keeps the self aligning ones from slipping off the valve stem.

NSA use a guideplate on the pushrod to accomplish the same thing.

Stock rockers use no guideplates or guides on the tip. They stay reasonably centered because of their ball and socket arrangement. The stock rockers create more friction and are not as stable at high rpms as the full needle bearing rockers are.

 

Oh wow, no wonder I didn't notice, theres nothing there. I feel lucky then, It was not uncommon for me to rev 6K when racing.