What do you think? I have the self aligning stainless steel roller rockers but the afr heads have the guide plates. Deep six the guide plates or get differant roller rockers.

 

I would switch to non self-aligning rockers.

 

It's hard to believe that 75 have viewed this post yet there is only one reply. Some one else must have an opinion on this subject since there are a lot that run one or the other. Can someone say why one would be better than the other. What are some of the advantages of the guide plates over the self aligning rockers.

 

It has been discussed so many times, people are probably tired of seeing the same question over and over. The search function is often neglected.
Your goals for the engine could be a factor as well, but there is no information in that regard.

 

If your SA rollers are good and you don't plan on major mods including juice or boost, then why would you want to spend more money on new NSA RRs-----just remove the guide plates and make certain you have strong enough springs to accommodate the RRs if they are larger than 1.5 and/or you have a cam. JMHO

 

Use search. I am sure you will come up with atleast a couple hundred different opinions on this.

 

bingo. do a search

personally i would recomend nsa

 

If money is no object, then, sure I guess the NSA RRs would give a bit more control, but again, considering the cost of Hardened PRs and new SA RRs, seems to me that your money could be better spent. For that matter, you probably don't even know whether the guide plates are the correct ones----some don't line up right when you put the train together.

I'd say if you are not running more than 400 RWHP, your SA RRs should do the job. JMHO

 

rpm's are the problem, not RWHP

 

If you're not turning much more than 6500 RPM, the self-aligning 1.6 roller-rockers will provide good service.

Then at the top-end of performance options are the shaft-rockers that don't require any guide-plates or stud girdles.

WD

 

Thanks Bubba, I was thinking turbo down the line but not for awhile. The springs were already upgraded by afr for my cam so no problems there. I would think that my setup should be pushing at least 400 hp.
For those that just say search, I have and what I have learned from it is that you can't use both S/A and guide plates, you don't use guide plates on the older heads where the hole in the head is made to guide the push rod, ect. I've read about problems with push rods rubbing guide plates and rockers hitting retainers. I have not read why one over the other.
Shoe box, I would imagine that a lot of people who viewed this post just might have been looking for the same answer or mabe a little more knowelage about the subject. I might add that I have many of your pictures from your site on my screen saver which helped me assemble the basket case lt1 I received. Thanks to all. Pizzi-man

 

Righto---you don't want to use guide plates with SA RRs. Use one or the other. I believe SA RRs are fine as long as you have good spring pressures, correct geometry, and correct adjusment. And... there aren't a whole lot of 400+ RWHP doing it under 6500 RPM. JMHO

 

Nsa

 

really why risk it, your putting that much money into a motor why skimp on the most important part- the valvetrain

making that much power you should have chromolly pushrods anyway(sa or nsa), you already have the guideplates, sell your rockers and get some 1.6 pro comps or something. be smart about this, losing a tab on a sa rocker at 6k will be catastrophic

 

I do have crome molly push rods. So I guess what we're looking at is that the guide plates control the rocker better at higher rpms?