Hey folks, does anyone have the stock specs on the valve springs? I have a 1990 350 with a roller cam and am doing a basic rebuild. I was given a set of springs and was told that they would work but I'd rather not find out that he was wrong.
Thanks
Charles Kent

 

My Helms says:
Free length...2.03 inches
Pressure at 1.7inches....74-86lbs
Pressure at 1.25inches...194-206lbs
I think diameter is 1.25inches, or slightly smaller for the pcket.

Are these springs new? If not, best to consider buying a new set to run.

 

They are garbage, even brand new, if they're stock springs. Throw them in the trash or sell them to someone you'll never see again and get something decent. There's a reason you got them for free, and it wasn't because the person liked you so much; it was because they weren't worth anything in the first place, and he wasn't going to ruin a motor by using them himself.

 

RB...so, uh, what do you really think of them?

 

I couldn't post that.... they'd probably ban me

 

They here...

Actually, the stock springs aren't that bad - really.

I converted my table saw from a single- to a dual-belt drive at a little higher RPM (to suit the larger motor). The mass of the motor was not enough to maintain belt tension, since it was now spread out on two belts now instead of one. A stock valve spring fit almost perfectly in the cradle, and maintained a very good rate of tension on the belts, while still allowing me to adjust the blade elevation. And I now have a bunch of spares in case I ever lose/break/drop one, or one gets dirty.

Oh, on valves? Naw, they're good to about 4,500-5,000 RPM with a stock cam lobe, at which point they become a pretty effective governor. If you're using any decent cam, they won't even hold that. I was really disappointed to see the same old 85# springs on the LT1s, too. (Where do you think all my table saw springs came from?)

As for "they" banning anyone, "they" generally cut a lot of slack to valuable, contributing members, and would probably just edit out all the expletives and let it go. Then again, some of "them" have a pretty low tolerance level.

If a member were allowed to say everything he felt about stock valves springs, TPI, and factory rocker arms, other members would have a green light to open up on Holley carburetors. That would get just plain ugly...

 

That could get ugly, real ugly, in a hurry..... the truth might even come out accidentally.