i got a nice set of alum. vette heads off of ebay. when i opened the box i saw they had guide plates. are they all like this? does this mean i can use non self-alighning rockers? should i use hardened pushrods? this opens up options for me since i'm now not obligated to spend 300 bucks for the crane rockers. thanks in advance-mike

 

yes x 3

 

If the heads are stock then . . . The guides plates are soft non-hardened. GM used them for assembly purposes only.

You either need to use soft stock push rods and self aligning rockers or go with hardened push rods & guide plates with standard rockers.

RBob.

 

okay! thanks! now i just bought some comp cams stamped steel roller tipped rockers. 1.6:1 part #1416-16. now i will need to replace the stock/crap guide plates and non hardened pushrods. any suggestions or just find something on ebay?

 

Did you get the 128 or the 113 castings? Either way ditch the factory guideplates. As said before they were just assembly purposes to hold the pushrods in place mainly. Snag yourself a set of true hardened pushrods and guideplates. They shouldn't run you more than $50 all together.

IMHO the roller ripped rockers won't do you much good over the stock stamped rockers. The "full" roller rockers offer the best reduction in frictional loss as it has the extra roller at the rocker stud that will will help you out the most. I personally suggest either the Comp Cam Pro Magnum 1304-16 which is the 1.52:1 version or the 1305-16 which is the 1.60:1 version. In addition to being a 7/16" stud version they are extremely strong and very light over the valve area where it counts most in lightening up the valvetrain.

 

jeeze, i'm not sure which castings i have. i'll have to look (were?) i got the rockers becuase they are 1.6:1. i need them for my zz-4 cam. what guide plates and push rods should i get? i also have slp runners and the edelbrock base. i've ported my plenum. and have the slp headers. i'm going to to put everything on at once. i am now porting the heads and plan on cutting them for a little more compression. any advice? and how did you make 388 horsepower?-mike

 

another Q? do i have screw in studs on these heads? and do i need to buy push rods specific for 87 and later heads with the roller cam?

 

anybody????????

 

You don't need 1.6's with the zz4 cam.

All aluminum heads have screw in studs. 3.8"

yes, buy the p-rods specifically for the 87 up SBC roller. If it's specified, there is a reason for it.

 

well i have the 1.6s. it's not gonna hurt me is it? i am looking for the pushrods, what guide plates should i get?

 

hello......is thing on?

 

1.6's wont hurt you. You have to make sure that the valve guides are cut down to allow for the .544 lift that you'll get from the zz4 cam and 1.6 rr's. Are the rockers you have self aligning and for 3/8"studs? If they are self aligning rockers, then DO NOT use guide plates. It will cause binding. The aluminum heads have 3/8" studs, so if the rockers are for 7/16" studs, you'll need new studs.

 

the rockers are for the 3-8 stud. what guideplates should i get? raised or flat? and there's still the question of pushrods for hyd. cam motors. are they all the same or do i need special ones?

 

come on now..... anybody?? help me out here! i want to screw this sucker together for the summer. driving my honda blows........

 

The early 86-87 vette have hardened guide plates and can be used with non-rail rockers and hardened pushrods[these are the alum.heads that don't have D ports casting # ends with 128]. One way to check your gude plates is to run a small triangle file across the edge ,if it cuts easily they're non-hardened.

 

I have a set of aluminum L98s from a zz3 crate motor that came with guideplates, are these the non-hardened stock plates or are they GMPP hardened guideplates?

EDIT: Found this on ROL's site. Not settling for me.

"It's a little known fact that many late model small block Chevrolet engines are factory equipped with guideplates that are NOT heat treated. These guideplates are necessary because of the automated engine assembly process currently in use. If non-heat treated guideplates are used in conjunction with heat treated pushrods, the results can be less than exciting. Typically, the pushrod saws its way through the guideplate, sending pieces of steel on a scenic cruise through the engine.

Stock replacement guideplates for late model Corvette aluminum heeds are just that - stock replacement- which means they aren't heat treated. The only Chevrolet guideplates that are compatible with heat treated pushrods are 3973418 for cast iron heeds and 14011051 for Corvette aluminum heeds. Suitable guideplates are also available from several aftermarket suppliers."

 

The guide plates on my #113's are stamped Manley...Are these by chance aftermarket? And how do you know if the roller tip 1.6's are self align or not? someone?

 

Don't know about the guideplates. A self-alighning RR can be identified by looking at the roller tip and seeing if it is indented where it would meet the valve stem. This groove allows the rocker to lock on and stay lined up with the valve so it doesn't move side-to-side. Non-self-alighning RR will not have this groove.

 

So to sum it up here's what we know: The heads have 3.8" screw in studs. The guideplates are soft non-hardened, used for assembly purposes only.

Now to do the swap, there's basically two ways to go:

#1: Use soft stock push rods and self aligning rockers, ditch the guide plates.

#2: Use hardened push rods & guideplates with standard rockers. The OE replacement hardened guideplates for the Aluminum Heads are GM P/N 14011051.

I dont know which way would be the cheapest and easiest. For the forst way, you would only have to buy self aligning rockers. For the second way you'd have to buy guideplates and hardened push rods. Does anyone know if the second way would perform any better than the first way?