Thread: 357 sbc, roller rocker question

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i added a set of 1.5 ratio 3/8'' stud proform aluminum roller rocker set, although i dont have roller lifters, or a 'roller cam' setup. i was wondering if anyone has seen any kind of performance increase from a high performance 357. i use a comp cams xe268 with performance hydraulic lifters, i also have screw in studs and stud girdles. im not expecting much hp increase from these roller arms by themselves, but from what i do hear there tend to increase your gas mileage anywhere from 2-3mpg, while making it a smoother revving engine. any info is appreciated on that, thanks.

well that makes me smile, but i wont hold my breath on it. that ford 302 didnt have a roller cam or lifters as well? im wondering what kind of hp ill be making with the 357, performance hydraulic lifters, hardended pushrods, comp cams xe268, hypereutectic 9:5 pistons (moly rings), block is align honed & decked of course. heads are cast iron 2.02/1.6, .500 lift max springs. (unsure of casting...) 5 angle valve job, bronze guides, stainless steel valves with screw in studs and stud girdles, 72cc chamber. flowtech full length headers, 1/5'' primary/w 3'' collector out to 2.5'' exhaust all the way back with an H pipe and airflow 1 mufflers. edelbrock #1406 600cfm and edelbrock air gap rpm manifold. HEI 55k volt with msd upgrade module and accel 8.5 wires. and the proform 1.5 ratio roller rockers. any ideas what i'd be making in hp? everyone tells me in the 375hp range, but im optomistic and keep hoping the dyno will show more whenever i get around to it...

the name of the games cutting down on friction. Roller rockers will do that because they have less turning resistance as compared to the chevy stamped "bathtub" design.

Also align boring and torque plate honing, cut down on friction and free up horsepower. As tech inspector says your oil temperature will drop as the result of mechanical components being able to operate more efficiently.

also, if they are aluminum. they will reduce drive train weight, causing engine to run stronger and cooler as Tech said

A very good point. Also I noted that you said the torque plates were solid, and since head castings have water passages and ports, you'd think they would distort a little. Now you,ve got me wondering how much things shift around by repeated heating and cooling cycles and how much of a tweak or set that they take.

The block I,ve just had machined is a 3970014 cast in 74 as I mentioned elsehere on the site the main bearing bores had shifted. Making an align bore and hone neccesary. I've allways gone by the adage "you want a good motor invest in machine work done by a good machinist." i'm picking these earlyer blocks because they have more iron in them than the later model chevy and mexican motors.

Now this block is not a green casting its 30 years old and has its first rebore to .030, bores cleaned up beautifully, now my question is, being seasoned and freshly machined is it still going to distort a little from occasional hard use.

Sagacious,
I figured your compression to be 9.5:1 using a few caculators on the internet, most were close to 9.5 some were a little higher though didn't take into account things such as ring height and piston side clearance. I didn't know yours but put some rough figures in. The link is below, you can play with it some to see what you get if you make changes to your engine.

http://www.sixpackcuda.us/compratio.html