smacz28

I am having a cam installed in my car right now.......I work a ton and dropped off the parts and car without even thinking about it as I have been sitting on the parts for seven months and forgot that I needed to order a few more lifters as I had 11 new ones............

Well the mechanic calls me and asks me what he was supposed to do with 11 lifters...........I was like OH S hit.....Anyways he used eleven new and reused some of the old lifters......

My questions are:

Am I going to blow one of these old 120k mile lifters now that I am running a more aggressive cam and springs???

What would you guys do????

Its been done now..but I am hella paranoid...........

Shawn

97Z-M6

depends on the spring pressure on the new springs and the ramps on the cam. if it were me i would wait and buy new lifters.

smacz28

yeah I would have waited too..but he already had my car apart and was already getting ready to put things together....I would have paid for a cam install either way and he is so booked in such a small space he couldnt have it sitting...... I totally would hav waited...

Im just wondering what people think the likelyhood of collapsing a 120k lifter is??

The cam is a 226/236 112lsa
.535/.565

Opinions???

Shawn

zrg91gt

There is a possibility that you may get away with it. I wouldn't, as you are running higher spring pressures, higher revs. Just like the molly hatchet song goes, your flirting with disaster. Look at it from my point of view. If your lifters fail, you will wind up with:
1. Chewed up cam
2. Bent pushrods
3. Possibly damaged block
4. A butt-lode of metal thru your bearings=rebuild time.
If you are in a bind, and you didn't purchase special lifters, go to autozone, murrays, etc and pick up some new ones. They are around $8-9. Cheap insurance, man

smacz28

I unfortunately did not have control of the situation....believe me I would have PREFERRED TO WAIT....I have 3 F-bodies so being without one is not the question......Its done I amd just wondering if anyone else has opinions or experience with something stupid like this.........

I was trying to do it right...I replaced timing chain, rr's , opti, springs, locks, guide plates, valve seals, push rods, and Lifters ( not enough )


Just want opinions on how scary a situation this is as it would cost me alot more to take it somewhere else and have lifters redone...should I drive till theres a problem and rebuild since the motor is high mileage and I want to rebuild...or should I play it safe and do another lifter swap ASAP ....?

Shawn

BUBBA

Just get the damn lifters. Most installers have parts chasers and it wouldn't take any time at all to get them.

Most likely they will have to pick up some crap for the install anyway. Don't let them intimidate you. You are paying them good money and you should get it done right. JMHO

foestauf

Well any time you go to a higher spring pressure that is pretty dramatic you'll need the lifters to go with it.
I whent up another 30lbs of pressure no big deal, same lifters.

On the other hand I also just did a 130k rebuild on my 88 IROC-Z. I reused the old lifters no questions asked, will not have a problem. Or atleast I hope so.
But I have known guys that whent another 100k-150k after a rebuild on same lifters never having a problem. But you changed your cam and spring pressure.

But if the lifter does collapse, your not gonna bend a pushrod. Your not gonna damage your block, or your heads. Your just gonna have a valve that doesn't want to open, or open far enough.

I would run it personally. But it's not a big deal to pop the intake and remove the rocker arms to replace a few lifters.

zrg91gt

If your lifter collapses and sticks, pop goes your pushrod. If the excessive spring pressure causes the axle bearings to fail, it will destroy your cam. I speak from experience.....

smacz28

Well its not a matter of him intimidating me........he supplied with with the right studs since he had them on hand and completely hooked me up on those.......It was a matter of him being a one man operation.....He does everything himself.........I agree......I may just pull it down the road and put new ones in but maybe I just drive it till I rebuild.........

I went with the combination motorsports springs so I know they have more pressure................

It seems like it will just be a crap shoot....I guess I will cross my fingers.......Its pretty much my daily driver that I take to the track a couple times a year at most.....

Shawn

BUBBA

Used the word "intimidation" because that's what I went through for several years with my mods.

I chose the installer based on reputation and stuck with them from the beginning.

But when all said and done, I felt each time that I had to tip toe around because their attitude seemed to be "we're the experts, trust us."

Well, those days are over. I don't completely trust anyone working on my car. I have seen to many little things that when added up point to the fact that I'm just another customer and I should just be happy that they have time too work me in.

Bottom line is if you want it done right, do it yourself if you can. If you can't or don't want to then make sure that the outfit not only has a super reputation for the work and standing behind it, but will sit down and communicate with you about everything they are going to do.

If possible, it would be great to find someone who would welcome you to witness the process.

Anyway, just my opinion.

smacz28

Based on what you said I completely agree and have been in similiar situations in the past...Even experienced the "We're experts syndrome".........

I use to live in SD and the guys that worked on my car were great...They had awesome prices and would let you watch and/or help so you could learn.



Shawn