vortec heads?
 

i dont mess with the newer small blocks much...was wondering if someone can tell me why the vortec heads need self aligning rocker arms?..can you just change the studs and use regular rockers? thanks

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70 short step from vegas woo hoo !!!Ken Lyons Slippery Rock PA yahoo messenger:mooneyes4b "things always look different from higher up" Clint Eastwood (fist full of dollars)

On the older heads, the holes for the push rods were tight enough to keep things in line. Only the hot factory stuff had guide plates on the small block. I havent taken a look at the Vortecs, but my guess is that the push rod holes are too big to keep the rockers in line with the valve tip......69 longhorn.

and what exactly do the self aligning rockers do? never seen a set

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70 short step from vegas woo hoo !!!Ken Lyons Slippery Rock PA yahoo messenger:mooneyes4b "things always look different from higher up" Clint Eastwood (fist full of dollars)

align them selfs?...lol...I dunno but was wondering the same thing

I just bought a vortec head conversion kit and when I opened the box for the self aligining rockers (because I've never seen'em before) I thought to myself I hope Randy knows how to put'em on cause I sure dont. They look the same as regular rockers, but they come with two funny looking washers.

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68 custom stepside
350 with Carter 650, Weiand intake, HEI,
Crane Enegizer 266 cam, Headmen headers
40 series Flowmasters, B&M hole shot
2,000 rmp stall, TCI TH350 Streetfighter,
4.10 gears
Virginia Beach, VA by way of
Houston, TX

I built my 350 with vortec heads a while ago. 69 longhorn is right... the holes for the pushrods are too big to keep things lined up. The tip of the rocker is shaped differently so that it stays on the rod. If you don't want to use slef aligning rocker, you can also use guide plates. Hope this helps.

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71 C-10 1/2ton, Dual 2 1/4" exhuast, painless wire harness, rebuilt TH-350, 355 with vortec heads, silvolite hypereutectic dished pistons, ARP rod & main bolts, edelbrock performer intake, blue racer cam int. 214 exh 224 @ .050, melling high volume oil pump, double roller timing chain, edelbrock performer carb, and HEI ignition with Accel Supercoil & module.

Daily driver: 89 Pontiac Grand Prix 2.8L V6 w/ 5spd manual

The self-aligning rockers have a notch where they sit on top of the valves, instead of just a flat area like an old style rocker. This way, they always stay centered on the valve, and that keeps the other end from being able to move, thus keeping the pushrod aligned. This way, they don't have to run a tight clearance on the pushrod holes in the head or a guide plate, which cuts down on friction in the valve train. If you want to, you can pull out the studs, thread the holes, and use threaded studs with guide plates for the pushrods. This is normally done on higher performance set-ups where you want to use fancy roller rockers. There is a lot better selection of old style un-guided roller rockers than the guided style. The threaded-in studs also are a lot stronger which is an advantage if you are running a very aggressive cam, high ratio rockers, or stiff aftermarket valve springs.

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Tim

thanks guys cant beat the price of vortecs and i wanted to know what i was getting if i do decide to buy them,,you guys answered everything i needed to know ....thanks again

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70 short step from vegas woo hoo !!!Ken Lyons Slippery Rock PA yahoo messenger:mooneyes4b "things always look different from higher up" Clint Eastwood (fist full of dollars)