Well the motor i think i've found for my street build to get my car running is a 74 350 from a truck complete to the q-jet. Now i'm not so sure any of the top end is going to stay on, but anyway, How many of your builds have had roller cams/flat tappets?

My dad says flat tappets are worthless, and you have to adjust valves every 500 miles, and they'll tear up and blah blah.
If you were on a budget build as I am, would you put in a flat tappet cam, lifters and let it roll?
or try and get a retrofit kit and run roller lifters?
The cam i'm probally going to get is somewhere around 480-490 lift.

Whatcha think?

 

Your confused.
Flat tappet cams can be either solid or hydraulic; just like roller cams can be.
Only solids need regular adjustment; regardless whether roller or flat tappet design.Hydraulic are self adjusting after inital setup

 

Your on a budget so where you put your money is important. For that reason I would go with the roller cam.
Here's why, Reduced frictional losses means more HP.
You can swap cams without changing lifters.
Roller cams can have higher lift with less duration. Lift denotes how much HP a cam is capable of making, Duration denotes where in the RPM range the cam will make that power. The longer the duration the higher in the RPM range the HP will be made. High lift short duration cams will make good power down low where it's more usable on the street and it will give better fuel economy so you'll have more money left over for other mods. with a car that's still fun to drive.
On the down side Roller Cams cost more but you'll get more bang for your buck and the lifters are a one time cost.
Just my .02 cents worth.
Whatever you decide good luck with your project.

 

Go with a roller setup. I'm going to be pulling my hydraulic retrofit rollers out maybe next week if you're interested in saving a bit of money. They're made by Lunati and have only been in the car for about 10 months. In that 10 months I've driven the car maybe 75 miles. PM if you're interested.

 

Your Dad is wrong. I have run both solid roller and solid flat tappet cams that I drove on the street daily. I used to check lash maybe every 2500 miles and it allways stayed where I set the lash at. Even if that was true, after you set the lash a few times it becomes a 15-30 minute job. No reason for them to "tear up" any more then hydraulic lifters would.

That being said, It would depend on how far you are planning on going with the engine. With the planned .480-.490 lift I wouldn't spend the extra money on a Hydraulic roller cam, a hyadraulic flat tappet cam would do just fine in your application.

 

While there is no disagreement as to the benefits of a roller cam ,being on a budget unless you get some lifters cheap , you will spend more than twice as much on a set of retro roller lifters alone ($300+ )

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/HRS-91166/

than what you would on a new flat tappet cam and lifter package

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SUM-K1102/

 

i went back to him on it, and hae was thinking flat tappet and solid were the same and rollers were hydro.

i told him theres a solid, and hyrdo for both,
and he said the old flat tappet is fine then.

I think i will go flat tappet, because i know alot of people that run street motors on both and none really have cam problems

 

I'd say the decision has more to do with your budget. If you are going to spring for new aluminum heads, rebuild the short block etc. and the cost is not an issue the roller is the way to go.
You have to decide if $400 or so extra dollars is worth an extra 15 or 20 hp and a little wider power band. Spending the extra $400 on better cylinder heads over cheaper ones will probably give you more hp than the roller by itself.
A few years ago I called the Comp Cams tech line for a cam recomendation for a stock headed 350. The tech told me that he wouldn't spend the extra money for a retro fit roller for a mild stock headed application.

 

the biggest plans for THIS motor, would be vortec heads, summit intake, hei, cam, and a paintjob.

so yeah i'll be a mild headed motor.

 

Vortecs aren't that bad of head. It sounds liked you will have a pretty strong runner.

 

i hope so. i'm hoping to do a little bracket racing with it.. just something that'll get me down the strip at the beach, burn the tires, and maybe do a lil bracket racing with it

 

A "mild headed" Vortec motor can make some serious horsepower.
http://www.popularhotrodding.com/eng...tec/index.html

http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/ho...458/index.html

Just remember the heads are only good for .450 lift stock unless you get the Scoggin-Dickey heads and you need self-guided rocker arms and center bolt valve covers.

 

Hey can anyone give me any leads on the difference in sound between a flat tappet and a roller? I heard the difference is kinda significant, and now Im curious lol.