How can I identify if I have roller or hydrolic lifters? I have a motor in this car I just bought that I don't have a clue what is in it... It is a 350 bored .040 over, but I don't know what year block I've got, and I'm pulling the cam out tonight and plan on (hopefully) placing a LT1 cam in it's place. Do I need to replace the lifters? I'm sort of lost... I've done 10 cam swaps on LS1 cars before, but this is my first venture into old school stuff, and as some of you know LS1's don't require intake/lifter removal to do a cam swap.

 

If it has hydraulic roller lifters, then yes you can reuse them.

If it has flat tappet hydraulics, then no you can't. You'll need new lifter to go with the new cam, which can't be an LT1 cam. But why would you ever wanna put an LT1 cam in a 350 anway? Look for something more liek the LT4 or LT4 HOT cam if stock GM replacments is your passion

 

How will I be able to identify Flat Tappet vs. Roller Lifters?

...and if I find them to be flat tappet, what cam SHOULD I go with?

I'm going with LT1 because 1. it was free, and 2. this is a rebuild it, get it back on the street project... the exisiting cam had pretty major lift, and the previous owner had put 1.6 rockers in the vortech heads on top of this motor Thus, the rockers went bye-bye, and I'm trying to rebuild this thing simply to get it back on the road, not haul ***... LT1 cams are easy to comeby.

Can I get aftermarket roller lifters to work in this motor and go ahead and use the LT1 cam?

 

On roller the bottom of the lifter has a wheel on it. On flat tappets, it's a flat face.

Retrifit roller kits exist, but they're very expensive and use a different style cam anyway, you still couldn't use your LT1 doorstop in it.

If it's flat tappet and you just want it running, Summit makes a line of $90 lifters included cams in a bunch of sizes. Just get one of the mild ones and drop it it.

 

Thanks for the info! I'll check it out!

 

I have the LG4 with flat tappet lifters but I have a question about the roller lifters. Is oil pumped through them like they are in the hydraulic lifters? Is there a simple website I can read that explains everything about cam, lift, duration, and different types of lifters, and different rocker arm ratios? I'm a beginner Thanks guys.

 

...what do you figure the odds are that it's a tappet cam? FWIW they aren't used much anymore? Is this right?

 

If its a 87 or newer block it should be a roller block from the factory. Thats the easiest way to tell other than pulling the intake.

-Doug

 

The odds of it being a flat tappet cam are very likely. A great majority of small blocks have used them versus roller. They aren't produced much anymore, if at all, but the majority of small blocks available aren't machined for roller lifters, so if the engine has been replaced I'd guess it won't be a roller block. If it is the stock engine, it will have rollers.