Any one with thoughts on stock vs. rollers on a street 396? Also specific type and approx cost. Do you need to spend a certain amount to get a decent quality? :confused:

The factory went all the way to .580" net lift on stock long slot ball rockers. (ZL1)
From a spring stand point, more than 350 lbs over the nose of the cam is the thumb rule for going to roller rockers.

Quality wise, Harland Sharp's are a lot better than the cast roller rockers for only a little more money.

As far as roller lifters, that's a whole different wallet size. And street is a questionable use best left till you have more experience or you want big power now.

For a street 396, ball rockers are fine.

scott_68_SS Help! what is a roller rocker as compared to stock? And harland sharps? Thanks!

Roller rockers come in sort of two varieties.

One with a steel roller at the tip where it rides on the valve stem. A lot of people think these are useless. I think they are a waste of money.

The full roller rockers come with a needle bearing and shaft in place of the ball and socket on a stock style rocker. And a steel roller at the tip.

Harland Sharp is a brand name. One of the first companies to make a full roller rocker.

Chevy LS1 motors come with only a bearing in place of the ball and no roller at the tip stock.

Go to www.Compcams (http://www.Compcams) and look through the catalog. They have pictures of the rockers I believe.

be careful when installing full bodied rollers. They tend to hit the valve cover and you might need to clearance the valve cover, rocker arm or both. I had to with the Harland Sharpe ones.

All you need are thick gaskets and make sure the drippers don't hit. Or they'll break off.

What is the advantage ?

Less friction, more power, lower oil temps, stronger, more acurate. Downside-cost and relatively low gain on a mild street engine.

Mr. Gasket makes a set of thicker gaskets.

Will less friction and lower oil temps add up to less wear that is worth the cost or is the $ better spent elsewhere?

They make stock valve covers without drippers.

will less friction and lower oil temps add up to less wear that is worth the cost or is the $ spent better elsewhere?

Ya know, I think standard roller rockers might be a waste of money if you are starting from scratch. Shaft rocker systems have come down in price and deserve a look, especially considering the Rat's terrible valve train harmonics.
Just a thought.

Why do you say it has a terrible valve train?

Oh, I'm not an engineer, but I will give it a try. A rat combustion chamber layout is a canted valve arangement, no? It doesn't work as quietly as other arangements in other engines due to compromises in geometry. That's it. Past this, I'm outa my depth. But I do know that my 439 rattles pretty bad at 7000 rpm. {we think we know part of the problem--pushrod deflection did $1k damage after 12 pulls}

to add to that, i have read a lot about the components in a bb valve train being heavy which leads to valve float situation if not properly matched up.

ej- made sense to me - What does a roller set up cost?

About $695.00 will get you a decent shaft rocker setup, and you won't need guide plates, which are expensive to install. It is probably overkill for your setup, unless your original rocker arms and balls are toast. A lot cheaper way to reduce engine oil temps is to use synthetic oil. There isn't much horsepower in rockers themselves. Increasing ratios and leaving everything else alone would show a benefit probably. Depends on your budget and your ultimate goal, really,

..70convt396..what are talking about here for this 396? A mild street car or race car? Any ET or performance goals?
In regards to shaft mounted rockers,I know guys that are running as quick as high 9's with BBC's and are not using shaft rockers.

4 speed - i need decent street manners with a little better than stock perf cuz i really want a long long life. so will they help with the reliability of the final product vs the cost? The car sits from late oct thru april due to weather if that makes any diff!

All you need is a cam in the 224-234 duration,and a minimum of 9.5 to 1 compression.You won't need any special valvetrain parts for reliabilty.I run all stock parts in my 454,just the appropariate valve springs and a mild Ultradyne hydraulic cam.

4 speed - can you reccomend the cam / intake / carb set up. i can only do this once with the wifes blessing and the cost of kids i can't redo it again! i had it rebuilt 23 years ago and have not done anything since.i am running the stock manifold w/ 650 holley dp, headers and a 355 posi. thanks :confused: graemlins/clonk.gif

For a carb/intake,a Holley 3310 750 vacuum secondary and a Performer RPM are a given.
Thats my combo of choice.Even a Perfomer will work fine if one comes along at the right price.
Are you running an auto or standard?
The cam could be touchy,depending on what you want as far as idle quality and powerband.
My reccomendation would only be based on what I know/and have done,and from others here on TC.
You might even want to do a search here in this performance forum.theres enough info here to possibly draw your own conclusion/and or give you more of an idea of what you might want.

sorry 4speed - its an auto. a 350w/ a shift kit. i want good low end / off the line perf with a little bump in the idle, that beautiful sound of a big block. why the vacuum carb and is the rpm a upgrade over the stock hih rise? the cam is the area i need the most help!

The cam/intake are a matter of choice based on experience at the track from myself and others.
A Competition Cams 270 or 280H would be good choice,or one of the new Lunati cams.
There are many choices that fit your criteria.
Are you running a non stock stall convertor? You will need one to match your cam too.

Thanks for your help! :D I love the idea of 12.9 on a 2.56 rear end!!

Thanks for the compliment
The 12.99 was my best.Hoping for some consistant high 12 second runs now that I have 3.31's
Any of the cams I mentioned and a 2400-2600 stall convertor would certainly put a smile on your face when you hit the gas graemlins/thumbsup.gif

is a converter the way to go? what is the stock one at? now 3.31's ? Will the stall change a slow casual acceleration from a stop sign in town type situation? graemlins/thumbsup.gif I didn't think you give up the 2.56!What is the best duration i can get without sacrificing power brakes etc.??

I run a 2400 B&M Holeshot in my car..acts stock until you stand on it..stock is about 1200 or so (educated guess)
A higher stall gets you into the engines powerband quicker.
Cams up to about 230 @.050 duration shouldn't have any adverse effects on power brakes with a 396

4speed - you type responses faster than your ET! Now those are some things that will help me ! :eek:

Originally posted by Scott_68_SS:
Roller rockers come in sort of two varieties.

One with a steel roller at the tip where it rides on the valve stem. A lot of people think these are useless. I think they are a waste of money.

The full roller rockers come with a needle bearing and shaft in place of the ball and socket on a stock style rocker. And a steel roller at the tip.

Harland Sharp is a brand name. One of the first companies to make a full roller rocker.

Chevy LS1 motors come with only a bearing in place of the ball and no roller at the tip stock.

Go to www.Compcams (http://www.Compcams) and look through the catalog. They have pictures of the rockers I believe. I felt a big difference in power with those comp magnums (The ones with the roller on the end)...mike http://www.compcams.com/Technical/CurrentCatalog/HTML/310.asp

hey 69 what are you runnin'? thanks for the info but tell me abuot your ride!

70convt396,Time in sig, Lots of exspensive stuff (overkill) I was anal about buying the best parts, Callies race master crank, Lunati pro mod rods, CP pistons, GM aluminum heads Scorpion roller rockers ect. Im looking to change stuff up like maybe an automatic and spray so i can see 9's. Not sure if i would like a automatic though. But back to rockers, I used those comp magnums in my small block and i felt a big difference when i put them on from the stockers. If you are looking for a cheap combo let me tell you, I have a freind of mine that runs 10.50's with a budget motor, He started with a 2 bolt 454 suburban motor, Cast crank, Stock 3/8 rods, He bought keith black (cheap) pistons, Good valve job on 049's ovals with a lunati 540 solid lifter cam Team g, 850 double pumper, 400 turbo, 12 bolt 411's, Little nos kit. Cars half what i spent and i think its pretty fast too ...mike

69- Your ride sounds nasty, thanks for your input!

I have to say thanks to mr 4 speed also. I've been following on this post also.

I'm building something simular.

Originally posted by chvyhs:
I have to say thanks to mr 4 speed also. I've been following on this post also.

I'm building something simular. Glad I can be of help smile.gif

your right thanks 4speed!!you gave mr a ton of good info! graemlins/thumbsup.gif