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Rocker Arm Cam Questions on 302

Ripcity

Full Member
Joined
Jan 31, 2008
Messages
220
Loc.
Coos Bay, OR
Rebuliding my 302 and am looking at going to the 1.7 roller tip rocker arm. What are your thoughts on those? Looks like I can get a decent set for around 150.00. HP improvements? Do you have to adjust those or just torque them down like the stock 1.6? How about guide plates do you see a big difference? I am going to run a mild performance cam at around .050 lift and 260 duration what are your thoughts? I have just the push in studs not screw in. Input is appreciated.
 

Broncobowsher

Total hack
Joined
Jun 4, 2002
Messages
35,242
The higher ratio gives more lift without changing duration.
Since you will be swapping the cam anyway, I would pass on the high ratio rocker and do the lift on the cam instead. The added leverage will be trying harder to pull the studs out of the head. If you pick the right cam you won't need the fast ratio rocker.

Since you have stock heads, there are a few catches...
Stock rocker arms are rail style. You will need rail style (flanges on the sides of the roller tip to keep the rocker from rotating off the valve stem tip).
Or... Switch to guideplates, which will require removing the heads and having them machined for threaded in studs and the studs will now clamp the guideplates in place which will now hold your new hardened pushrods. That's a lot of new parts and machine work. You had a budget of $150 for this?

And all of the above options will now require you to set the lifter preload as it will no longer be a bolt down and go like they are now.

When you do the cam swap, if the old parts (pushrods and rockers) look good, reuse them. But if they have wear, the roller rockers can price in close to what a bunch of stock replacments would. Then you can get a little nicer rocker for not much more money. With a fairly stock engine and only an RV cam you won't be stressing parts bad, you shouldn't need any high end billit ultralight parts. But you will probably going to have to spend a few extra bucks for the rail style rockers to avoid spending even more on other parts. Even then I would just do the 1.6 ratio.
 
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