ok, i have a stock 2.8 liter. No other engine mods. it's got 165k on it, with about 30k on the 700r4. Ive been reading posts that i searched for on cams and the best setup for that motor. My question is, i want to do the cam and lifter swap, and a rocker swap. From what i understand it is best to do the rockers when you do the cam and lifter swap.my question is with JUST 1.52 rockers, no other mods, stock springs ect. will it help or hurt, and will it make a noticable performance difference. Like i said, i plan on the cam swap this fall, and will go ahead with the rest anyways ($$pending), i just would like to know this question for my own curiosity. I want to do this for 2 reasons, to lengthen the life of the motor, and for some performance. This engine runs fantasic, checked out completely last month by a professional. He says it's in great shape. (compression is good, no particals floating around in there, no knock ect.) just would like to get some info. Thanks guys.

 

well...if its so perfect...leave it alone. j/k
With just rockers I don't think you'll feel that big of a difference. I did the whole cam, lifter, rocker swap, and I am thoroughly unimpressed. Also, I think with the 1.52's, maybe it was 1.6's, but I think with the 1.52's you need taller valve covers and better springs. What cam are you looking at?

 

1.52's will clear fine with 1.6 you need bigger valve covers

all in all i wouldn't expect a huge gain with what your proposing

 

im looking at the "performance" set up from napaonline.com it's 140 bucks. i fully understand the 2.8 is not a race motor. I understand it's not hot rod. But mine sounds good, and i get my share of looks and stop light to stop light victorys. (i just know who to ignore and who to mess with) im just looking to keep the v6 around and push a little more out of it, but with smart upgrades, like a new slightly more agressive cam. I would just assume that the 1.52 rockers are lighter, and that in itself creates less rotational weight~therefor creating more power, and increasing the engine life. Id like to slap a sweet hood and get a nice paint job on her, then i would be REALLY happy with it. how about this question..... will the 1.52's HURT anything?? thanks for the feedback everybody.

 

lol, certinaly not going to hurt the engine, if you have the money, go for it


all in all i'd say do it, just don't expect to being 12 seconds quaters

 

Take a compression reading on a cylinder or 2 before you do the swap, and then make sure to get all the cylinders back to that after the swap. That is probably the single most important factor. Everybody will tell you different ways but to check the compression of the cylinder after you put a rocker on is the only sure way to know you did it correctly (with valve lash and such).
I'm not trying to change your mind, the swap was a lot of fun, but I regret not doing it the compression way.

Are you getting the 1.52 roller rockers? I don't think there is anyway that you can hurt anything beyond repair while doing the swap, and the new drivetrain certainly shouldn't have any negative effects.
Sorry if I'm rambling, exams really take it outta ya

 

Well they'll be a pain to just slap on. I'd just wait until you do the cam swap, because you'll just wind up taking the top of the motor apart again.

 

tomP, what cam/lifter/rocker/spring set up do you suggest?