Did a search. Thought I read this in a "HotRod" magazine a little while back. Darned if I can find it now! LOL.
On Probation
Don't.
Member
Yep, I remember that too. It didn't do much good, they picked up a few horsepower but it wouldn't be worth it in my opinion.
Mark.
Mark.
88IROC350TPI
Supreme Member
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Jan 15, 2025
You can do it but you're better off just buying a cam that's designed to better take advantage of those solid lifters.
Member
If I remember correctly, Hydraulic cams use different metals than mechanical (Solid) cams. The metal used for the mechanical cams also have the lifters made up of the same metals.
Now if you were talking about rollers lifters for hydraulic or solid roller cams, that I am not sure about, but heard sometime ago that people have done that with roller lifters. istill would not suggest either one of those ideas though. If you have enough for the roller cams, get the correct lifters for the cam. And for Flat tappet cams, getting the correct lifters for the cam are not that expensive.
Now if you were talking about rollers lifters for hydraulic or solid roller cams, that I am not sure about, but heard sometime ago that people have done that with roller lifters. istill would not suggest either one of those ideas though. If you have enough for the roller cams, get the correct lifters for the cam. And for Flat tappet cams, getting the correct lifters for the cam are not that expensive.
Junior Member
Solid and hydraulic flat tappet cams are NOT made of different materials. Neither are the lifters. (Unless you are talking about Joe Schubeck lifters, which are made from a proprietary material that will outlive any and all camshafts under them, and cost around $700 a set) The only thing different on the lifters is what is, or is not, inside them. The lobe ramps are ground differently for the different lifter type cams. Mixing hydraulic cams with solid lifters or visa versa, will give you a short lived cam that won't run as well as getting parts that are made to work together.
AlkyIROC
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May 15, 2026
The ramps are different. Solid lifters are designed to run with valve lash. The ramps are ground to take advantage of that. Hydraulic cams have zero preload and use hydraulic pressure inside the lifter. The ramp on a hydraulic cam is designed to use this hydraulic pressure.
Using a solid lifter on a hydraulic cam will work for a little while but how much valve lash are you going to set it for? You can't set it for zero. The hydraulic ramp isn't designed for valve lash so exactly what are you gaining?
Using a solid lifter on a hydraulic cam will work for a little while but how much valve lash are you going to set it for? You can't set it for zero. The hydraulic ramp isn't designed for valve lash so exactly what are you gaining?
Thanks for all of the input! I was just curious if it was possible.