Thread: 540 solid roller cam on street?

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Hi all,
I really want to put this solid roller in my engine, but is it worth it over a hydraulic roller? I picked up a very nice Erson solid roller, billet grind with cast iron distributor gear. On the cam card it says 254/254 @ .050 .595/.595 lift on a 112 lsa. What can I expect with this cam as far as performance and idle characteristics, my compression ratio is approx. 10.3, heads are Merlin 3's alum, mildly ported, 2-1/8" headers, edelbrock rpm air-gap, demon carb, gen 6 bowite block. I planned on using cranes roller lifters, the same ones as on the 572 crate engine. And finally how reliable will it be?
Thanks Ed

all my bbc s are solid roller s and have been that way for 20 years .if driving it alot like 4000 or more miles i would used a hyd roller cam but if not solid rollers work fine but at 3000 miles on cheaper rollers you want to take them out wash them check for wear and reuse them or put new set in the hippo crower or crane pros and isky red line are the better one s and hold up very well . thats a small cam so it will not need alot of valve spring so it will not work the rollers hard like it would be with a bigger cam that would need a bigger spring low rpm low oil spash to the rollers and alot valve spring lbs can wear on the lifter BUT the lifter skiding and loss of valve train stably will end the lifter life span and use a good oil with zddp in it and they will last longer

Seems to me to be kind of a small cam for all the caveats of a solid lifter application for the street?

Kitz

Well I am going to fire it up (probably this summer) and see how it runs, perhaps even dyno it. I figure this cam is a good starting point. I have no freaken idea how it's going to do in this engine, I hope the idle is not too radical, the guy I bought it from said it will have a slight lope to it. My plan it to run the lash pretty tight, erson tech said this is okay. Motor is going in a 1970 stingray, which is being frame-off restored at this time. The original engine a 350/350 horse was fairly weak.

that cam will be fine just wash out the roller lifters good with paint thinner and blow then dry let the lifters set them in 40wt or 50wt oil over night there are some good guys it Erson Cams i buy all my custom and shelf cams from them

If you would rather run hydraulic rollers you can on a solid cam but can't run solids on a hydraulic cam----there isn't a clearance ramp on the hydraulic cams like there is on the solid cams to gently take up the lash--

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

If you would rather run hydraulic rollers you can on a solid cam but can't run solids on a hydraulic cam----there isn't a clearance ramp on the hydraulic cams like there is on the solid cams to gently take up the lash--

well look at the cam kit i have on here for sale it hyd roller and new .at a hell of a deal

Pat

still haven't been out there to check on the rod machine, but soon------

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

Pat

still haven't been out there to check on the rod machine, but soon------

ok jerry

Originally Posted by pat mccarthy

that cam will be fine just wash out the roller lifters good with paint thinner and blow then dry let the lifters set them in 40wt or 50wt oil over night there are some good guys it Erson Cams i buy all my custom and shelf cams from them

Sounds good Pat thanks for the tips have a nice weekend