roller rockers

[74 DART SWINGER]

Hi! Im woundering if I can install roller rockers without doing anything major. With the rollers will it increase hp? Would it be hard? thanks

[dwc43]

All you need to do is replace your stock push rods for a set made for adjustable rockers and that's it. Gains as high as 40 hp. can be seen in some cases. Depends on your combo though. We use them all the time in our street and race engines.

[74 DART SWINGER]

I will be using them in the stock 318. Later on we will rebuild the engine. Should we wayt or buy some and put them in now.

[dwc43]

You can install them now and pick up some hp. I might also suggest the Weiand action plus intake and the theroquad carb for your combo too. New tq is 189 at Advance auto with life time warranty. We use them on most of our race engines too as long as the rules allow. And dont over cam your 318 when you build it or it will be a dog out of the hole. Use a good dual pattern cam so the exhaustside will breathe better or install a set of X or J heads with 2.02 valves to wake it up with some Keith black flat top pistons. Gee, I just rebuilt your hole engine for ya. Well sorta.

[sixpackgut]

rockers and pushrods will cost you about $250. like dwc said, an intake and carb or headers might be the first place i spend the money. you never see those pretty rockers so i would first spend the money on pieces i could look at.

need to plan a 318 build and what heads your going to use because most small block aluminum intakes have bigger intake ports to match 340-360 heads.

[Twisted360]

I would wait. You won't notice any power gains on a stock 318. 40 Hp is a bit on the high side of what to expect unless the motor is built up. The main advantage besides less scuffing on the valve tip is that they are a more accurate 1.5 ratio or 1.6 ratio than the factory ones. Important when you are running tight valve to piston clearances and consistant lift #'s.

[Doug Wilson]

No measurable power improvement on a stock engine. Only measurable effect, is a slight lowering of oil temp.

[dwc43]

I would say you'll gain a bit going from 1.5 to 1.6 rollers since you gain around .030 in lift at the valve. And the 318 needs more on the exhaust side. A better set up would be 1.6 on intake side and 1.7 on the exjhaust side till you get other mods made.

[DonP]

I have a 318 with 89K (I think) original mile, and it still works! after sitting for years in a field (7?) and 5 years in my garage. The two barrel is shot, it floods the motor (sticking float bowls?, junk in the needle valve?). I can run the car by not allowing fuel into the carb, and run it by carb cleaner. I just drained the 12 year old thinned out oil today, but haven't filled it back up or put a filter on yet. Any suggestions for a motor that has sat so long? It sounded real good. No sticky lifters or bad noises.

Anyway, I have a brand new six-pack for my 360, and I want to put my Action+ and Thermoquad in the 318 just to get it running. How bad will it run if I leave everything else stock (small port heads, stock cam)? I really don't want to rebuild the two barrel or get a new one. My hope is to drop a Hemi in the car...someday. And the Action+ and Thermoquad will be getting dusty sitting on the bench after the six pack goes in.

Should I try to find some new heads too? I think the motor is completely stock 1971 vintage.

Also, thanks for the tip on the roller rockers. I've been eyeing them too. My 360 has a fairly lumpy cam. I get 10psi vacuum at idle, with carb to intake manifold leaks (should hit 12-15psi after new gasket). I get 150psi in all cyclinders, no oil added. I think the motor has been built recently, but I have no documentation.

If I up my rocker ratio, should I worry about clearences? I like the 1.6 intake/ 1.7 exhaust idea.

[dwc43]

Sounds like a 9 to 1 engine. What cam are you running Don. USe the Action plus and let it ride. If you have some 2.02 X or J heads around mill them .035 and add them to it for some extra kick.

As for those split ratios, you can really tune an engine doing that. There's not an oval track car out there that does not use split ratios on rockers. An easy way to cure fuel distrbution problems, or make up for a bad flowing exhaust in my example.

[DonP]

You think the built 360 is 9 to 1 or the stock 1971 318?

I think the 318 cam is stock. I have no idea what cam is in the 360.

I will be putting a six pack in the 360, and the 318 will get the Action+ and the Thermoquad currently on the 360. Will the stock 318 be ok with this combo, just to get it running?

I wouldn't have the slightest idea on if I had a fuel distribution problem. How do you figure out if you do, and how do you know which ratio rocker will fix what?

This is really cool stuff.

Thanks,

Don

[dwc43]

360 around 9 to 1 with 150 psi and rough cam and that's just a guess from your info. Hard to tell for sure unless you take it down and measure it.

318 will run great with the action plus and tq. Tq was stock on 318's too you know.

Need an infer red thermometer. Check your exhaust temps and plugs. White plugs and high header temp at teh heads shows that cylinder is lean. If jet changes wont solve the prob ( and that could also mean only one jet closest to hte hot cyl is changed not two or all four) then it's an intake fuel dist prob. More ratio on the hot cylinder will give it a chance to fill up longer. And it does not always work perfect either. Some times the intake needs modifing to correct it or a new intake all together.

[DartGT66]

We once palyed with the different rockers at the track. I think the 40 hp + is total bull. Maybe in some cases, if you have severe problems with the stock ones like some of them missing etc

Anyway, we had a 440 with a MP 292/.509" cam and were equipped with stock stamped steelies and a set of Crane 1.5 and a set of Crane 1.6 gold roller rockers & the appropriete pushrods needed (100$+ the price of the rockers). During one day we switched the rockers forth and back and made passes down the track and found....nothing. Run just the same with the stockers as 1.5 or 1.6 ratio aluminum rollers. The only way there seemed to be a minor gain was with 1.6 intakes and 1.5 exhaust. But it was more like 4 hp than 40. You have more valvelift with the bigger ratio rockers, but in our case it didn't turn in to more power in practice. I have heard similar results from many other moparists too.

[charger_dan]

Forget roller rockers on a street motor. You're wasting your money.
The all-around best way to go are the ductile iron adjustable rockers.
They're heavy, but WAY stout, and a more accurate ratio than
stock stamped rockers. You can also use your stock rocker shafts
if they're still round. And they're dead stock reliable.
Price is very good by comparison to rollers.

There's plenty of better things to spend that money on …

.... D A

[Doug Wilson]

What Charger Dan & Dart GT66 said.

[71383bee]

I agree with what has been stated. Don't waste your time or money on roller rockers. You do get gains from going to a higher ratio, but not much from just switching to rollers. Especially if the rest of your motor is NO where near where it needs to be to really gain the full advantages of rollers. Rollers allow more agressive cams and heavier valve springs which a stock 2Bbl cam and spring are not.

There really is no secret master part that is going to turn that 318 into a screamer. It's a combination of parts that will get you to where you need to go. A 4Bbl needs a good 4Bbl intake. A 4BBl intake needs better flowing heads to take advantage of the 4BBl. Better flowing heads need a more agressive cam. An aggressive cam needs stronger valve springs...etc and you haven't even got the air out of the motor yet!

[dwc43]

Originally posted by DartGT66
We once palyed with the different rockers at the track. I think the 40 hp + is total bull. Maybe in some cases, if you have severe problems with the stock ones like some of them missing etc

Anyway, we had a 440 with a MP 292/.509" cam and were equipped with stock stamped steelies and a set of Crane 1.5 and a set of Crane 1.6 gold roller rockers & the appropriete pushrods needed (100$+ the price of the rockers). During one day we switched the rockers forth and back and made passes down the track and found....nothing. Run just the same with the stockers as 1.5 or 1.6 ratio aluminum rollers. The only way there seemed to be a minor gain was with 1.6 intakes and 1.5 exhaust. But it was more like 4 hp than 40. You have more valvelift with the bigger ratio rockers, but in our case it didn't turn in to more power in practice. I have heard similar results from many other moparists too.

Reread that post it says gains AS high as 40 hp DEPENDING on your combo. And yes I have seen big blocks work better with 1.5 exh and 1.6 intaks rockers where small blocks seem to like 1.5 int and 1.6 exh rockers. And if you did not see a lot of gain then that means your intake,carb, head and fuel distribution is in great shape. But they will still lower your amount of friction seen in your engine and help it to last longer at higher rpms. And lighter valve train pieces allow higher rpms with less chance of valve float so you are getting some advantages from using them in your combo.

[DartGT66]

I know, my wallet feels lighter and therefore the car will be quicker!

[sixpackgut]

ha ha ha. thats funny