i've been thinking about going with solid lifters. i don't mind if i need to adjust them every few weeks or so and i don't care if there a little noisy. what are the benefits of going with a solid cam? do they sound better? how much more power over a hydrolic cam are they worth if any?

it would be on a 350 with 041 heads and about 9.5:1 compression. i'm looking for something about like the crane 278-2 cam.

 

Solid lifters are solid. There is no internal hyd lash mechanism.

Solid lifters allow the motor to rev higher because there is no hyd mechanism in the lifter to "PUMP UP"
and cause a loss of compression at high rpm like a hyd lifter can.
A cam designed for a solid lifter can have a more aggressive opening and closing ramp because it doesn't need to be as quiet as a hydraulic lifter cam.

Because of the small amount of valve lash on a solid lifter motor the motor will have a moderate mechanical solid lifter sound at idle.

When the lash is adjusted right the noise is not excessive.
Some "tight Lash" solid lifter street cams are actually very quiet.

The valve lash does not need to be adjusted every few weeks.

More like every 7000 miles.
I do mine about twice a year. takes me about 30 minutes.

All of Cheverolet's, Fords and Chrysler's highest horsepower performance motors of the 60 and 70's
had solid lifter cams.

To compare a solid lifter cam to a hyd cam you need to select a cam with 6 to 10deg more duration @.050"
because of the net effect of the valve lash.

A solid lifter cam will tend to have a little more low midrange torque, throttle response, and high rpm rev limit as compared to a hydraulic.

The more radical the cam and intended rpm, the more the advantage of a solid lifter. Especially beyond about 6200 rpm.

Comp Cams has a new series of Extreme Energy
tight lash solid lifter cams available from mild to radical.

Crane, Lunati, Isky and Sig Erson cams have simular
street high performance solid cams available.

A comparable solid cam to the Crane H278-2 Hyd cam
would have about 228to 235 deg @.050 intake duration.

A Comp XS-268S #12-676-4
or a Comp XS-274S #12-677-4

Would be a good comparable solid lifter alternative.

Two very responsive street cams for a moderate performance buildup.

Cranes smallest Catalog solid lifter cam is the PowerMax F278-2

A little more radical than the Crane H278-2
but a very responsive street high perf solid cam with good street manors.

Definately worth a look and consideration for your motor.
You can check out the specs here
http://www.cranecams.com/master/apps/chevy21.htm#1. PowerMax

 

One important thing that i think he forgot to mention is the reason you can run out more rpm, and have a more stabile valve train....

The biggest restricting with any hydrolic lifter is the seat pressure the valve spring can apply- if it is too strong, the lifter's internal mechanism will collapse.

With solid lifter motors, you can run much higher spring rates and seat pressures. This allows more agressive ramp speeds, therfor allowing more actual time for the valve to be at max open for the same duration. The reason this is able to be done is because there is more spring energy there to overcome the inertial of the valve train, therefoe reducing valve float, which is basically the same thing as what happens to a skier off a jump... they go into the air instead of staying on the ground. this is exactly what happens when the valve spring is not able to close the valve and force the pushrod and lifter back down against the cam.

Basically, solid is a good way to go if you don't mind the noise and the occasional lash adjustment

 

To some, its a noise, to others its a sexy sexy sound.

While some solid lifter race cams with big lash settings
are definatly noisely at idle, modern tight lash street mechanical cams are pretty tame, sound wise.

A fast bleed leakdown race hyd lifter can be more noisey.

If you want it real quiet get a hyd cam. If you want a
cool muscle car sound and higher performance at high rpm, consider a solid lifter cam.

 

if you run the valve right you won't need to adjust them every few weeks, more like every year or so. engine i have on stand now is getting a solid cam from lunati, just not sure which one yet.

 

so the solid crane 278-2 would be like having less cam? what cam would be about the same as the hyd 278-2?

also, to put a solid cam in don't you have to block off some oil flow to the lifters because it flows more freely?

 

no and no

I meant 6 to 10deg more duration @.050"
The F-278-2 would effectivly be just a little bigger.

But they are both very street friendly.

The advertized durations are checked differently.

Hyd's at .004" or .006"

solids at .014, .015" or .020"

Solid lifters have a oil metering mechanism in them.
No mods to the oiling system are nessessary for a street motor.

 

so the crane f-278-2 would be a good street cam with about a 2000-2500 stall convertor?

would the break in be about the same for the solid cam?

 

both of my cars have solid lifter cams and i only adjust em maybe once a year or so`

 

Yes and Yes a 3000stall would be even better.
but a 2200-2500 and some rear gear would be fine.

You generally re-set the valve lash after a breakin period.
Nice thing about it is you don't get oil all over the place
when adjusting solid lifters.

Some radical race solid lifter cams require a lighter valve spring be used for initial breakin, but not this one.
(or most other street cams)

 

Just to make it interesting you can also have a solid cam ground on a roller blank. Then you would have to get some chilled iron solid lifters from the cam manufacturer to go with the cam since standard solid lifters wont work on a roller blank cam. These items would be a special order deal. The advantages of this type of cam over the others is. Strength, No cam deflection, the cam can be regound if changes are needed and no breakin would be needed also .

 

Then how do the rockers get lubed?

 

The usual way.

The reason you don't get oil all over the place when adjusting solids is because you adjust solids with the engine off.

 

yea, you get the lifter all the way down then with a feeler guage that is the right thickness, adjust it so that the guage just fits between the valve stem and rocker. its pretty easy.

 

I see.......engine off, that would be a good way to set lash on solids.

Of course I've always set hyd lifters with the engine off too.

I just wasn't thinking of all the details (feeler gauge, etc...) since I've never owned a solid lifter engine. I am thinking about converting though.

 

I miss my solid lifter cam Once you get it, its never the same, my L98 is sooo quiet. The solid lifters always let you know what is going on, because you can hear them when they are working right, and once one is off...youll know it....

Like everyone said, dont think you have to adjust them all the time, I did mine 2-3 times a year, and that was because I ran wanted to. It became like how people wash there car and love it, I love to set my lash.