Bent Push Rods on BB

[mshelly]

Last time I had the valve covers off of the 383 I noticed a couple slightly bent pushrods.

I guess overreving could have caused this but don't know why. What are the dynamics in a high rpm condition allowing the rod to be stressed? Does it happen when the lifters (hydraulic) give up, springs float, or...?

Also, assuming that the rod is only a few thousandths shorter, does the lifter just make up the difference or does engine performance suffer?

Thanks in advance for your reply.

[JVMopar]

Well if you noticed them bent replace them. Or you may loose them to the motor. I've seen them bend like a horse shoe and end up in the oil pan. Over reving most likely cause the push rods to bend. Which is the better of the alternatives. I've also seen push rods pushed right through the rocker arms through the valve cover and end up sticking out of the hood. I would replace those rods with some moly ones. Manely has some nice 4130 moly push rods that look pretty good.

[mshelly]

Maybe I'll replace them all and arms too with the 1.6 ratio ones.

I don't believe this engine to have a very high CR, but is there any way to be sure the 1.6s will be safe without pulling the heads?

[PRO]

Make sure you check your lifter preload as too much will bend pushrods,preload is how far the plunger in the lifter is depressed at no lift,it should be from .030-.060,I prefer .010-.030 for high rpm motors..........PRO......