http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=33614&item=2474334437&rd=1

Is anyone familiar with what this guy's talking about?

Yes,

It can't be done for a BB though. I can explain more later. requires machining the block a bit. I have some pics will put up later

Yes but I believe the lifter bosses have to be milled down for the alignment retainers that the spider holds down.

Not sure if it's a good idea to tap into a non roller block for the spider. Do it right and go aftermarket retro roller.

Must be info on how and where to drill/tap three holes for the "spider" retainer.

http://www.boomspeed.com/mc71454/GenVI_retrofit_SBC.jpg

These are for Big Block, but the SB is similar

http://www.boomspeed.com/mc71454/gen6retainer.jpg

That looks like what the seller describes. Maybe you could sell the same info for $20 on ebay. :D

If I go roller, I'm going solid. Can this work with solids too?

No,

This modification is only so you can use the Post 1987 Stock GM type hydraulic roller lifters and the "dogbone" retainers that keep the roller lifter from rotating in the bore. The GM type are machined with "flats" on two sides and the retainers hold them in correct alignment with the cam lobe. The "Spider" holds the "dogbones" in place. Very Good system.

Many have done this modification instead of using the aftermarket retro-fit hydraulic roller lifters that use a vertical tie bar. They look like this:
http://www.boomspeed.com/mc71454/sbretro2.jpg

Solid Roller lifters already come with the vertical or horizontal ties bars, so there is no need for the dogbones or spider retainer.

Isn't it nice how with the GM system there are no Tie bars to break...Gee they are pretty smart aren't they.

BUT you have to be careful..If your non stock cam has a small base circle, the lifter can slip below the dogbone and then the rest is quite ugly. In this case you would need a taller (usually .300") lifter.

Hope this helps..

I hate people that try to sell information on ebay. the worst is when they try to sell a list of suppliers that suposedly sell parts cheap. i sipose those gm type rollers would be ok for maybe a stock like roller cam but why do guys switch to rollers? for more power so why would you want to skimp on quality lifters just so you can buy your parts at auto zone. I say if you want a reliable solid roller get good crower isky ect lifters and a mean roller cam and youll be much happier.

Hey, Tom

Those roller lifters pictured above, are they F-M/Speed-Pro/Sealed Power?

They look like a set I had in my own motor. compare the height of the necked-down oil band around the body to a stock hydraulic lifter. What critical is the height, the distance from the cam lobe to the bottom of the band. The ones I had were mis-machined, the oil band was too high on the body. Problem is that when the lifter got up to about .150" lift it sealed off the oil galley. Bummer deal man, no oil ever got to the front lifters because one of the lifters on the back half of engine was always up to far and blocking the oil galley. Just plain old ordinary defective product, but I never got anything out of them on it. I eventually bought a set of Crane rollers ($$$) on my own dime.

If you have not yet installed these in an engine you might want to check it out. Just stand one up next to a regular non-roller hydraulic lifter, see if the lower edge of the oil band is the same height as a stocker.

Tom

Thanks Tom, I will check it out and post it up.

UPDATE - Just checked them, Funny I don't have a flat tappet lifter around, but they do match up with a Crower BBC solid roller lifter and a GM Gen VI hydraulic roller lifter.

Thanks again for the Info, I will now always check that.

Ironically, if they are right or wrong I am sending them back to where I got them. They were mis-packaged, I ordered a BBC set. Correct box, wrong part in the box. Same thing with my New Carter 172 I just got today, some weird looking pump in the BBC box. graemlins/angry.gif

Originally posted by Umass:
I hate people that try to sell information on ebay. the worst is when they try to sell a list of suppliers that suposedly sell parts cheap. i sipose those gm type rollers would be ok for maybe a stock like roller cam but why do guys switch to rollers? for more power so why would you want to skimp on quality lifters just so you can buy your parts at auto zone. I say if you want a reliable solid roller get good crower isky ect lifters and a mean roller cam and youll be much happier. I hear what you are saying, but the retro-lifters are at least $325 and the GM stock type I sell for BBC are $160, you would think the effort of machining the block and drilling and tapping the oil galley wouldn't be worth $165, it isn't to me, but maybe it is to some. :(

I dunno, I think I'm the cheapest guy around. Sometimes it seems like I'll do anything (well, almost :D ) to save a buck.

I've been aware of this idea for quite some time, but I wonder, can you use the OEM roller lifters (and this setup) with a pre-87 roller cam? Seems like you could.

What is the price for the hold down, and all the related accessories for this swap?

This setup uses roller lifters out of a smaller engine as the lifter bores are too short to use late model roller lifters. You also have to machine the tops of your lifter bores perfectly flat for the dog bones to rest on. If they're tilted even a little bit, the lifter will bind. By the time you get everything machined, etc., you're within a few bucks of being able to buy FM's over the counter retrofit hydraulic rollers at $310 from SDPC. I gave it a shot and was disappointed at how much work simply couldn't be done with hand tools. The shorter lifters are much lighter than retrofits or even GM's factory rollers and should have been able to rev much higher, which was my reason for giving it a try in the first place. HTH