First off, the car is a '88 GTA with a L98 350. I have installed the LT4 hotcam kit (complete kit), and a TPiS MiniRam, as well as a set of WP Torquer S/R heads. The problem that I am having is the rocker arm (1.6) is touching off the rocker lock when the valve is closed. It is actually wearing a groove into the rockers. This can't be right. I realized the problem when I had to tear down the motor after a pushrod bent and broke, the lifter for that pushrod broke, and the rocker stud broke off. What is going on??

The heads are a direct replacment for my motor according to World Products. They have the same holes for the pushrods etc. The springs I am using are the ones that came with the hotcam kit. And you are supposed to be able to use the same pushrods and lifters. So I have no idea what is going on. Has anyone heard of this problem??? Please help!!

 

Just taking a stab here, the rockers with the hot cam kit are self aligning, I think that the WP Torquer heads have guideplates. You cant use the two, its one or the other. If the heads are set up with guide plates, then you can use a narrow bodied non-selfaligning rocker arm.

 

Thats true. We are not using the guideplates that came with the heads.

 

The World Torquers I used to have used the push rod hole as the guide plate & said not to use self aligning rockers with them.

 

Thats prolly your problem right there. Ditch the 1.6's that came with the kit, get new push rods for all 8 cylinders, and get a regular set of non-selfaligning rockers. You should get the heads checked out for any possible damage that might have been done.

 

I bent OE-type pushrods twice with a similar comp cam. At the time the best deal I found was Trick Flow chromemoly pr's for ~$80. No more bent pushrods. Of course, fix all your other issues first... Also, some heads do not have the push rod hole enlarged for the longer pr travel with 1.6 rr's, check for interference.

 

Define rocker lock. Are you talking about the nut?

Anyway, sounds like bad geometry to me. Probably need to find the right length pushrods, and put those in.