FieroGT/4E introduction (Page 6/13)
FieroWannaBe JUL 05, 10:03 AM

quote
Originally posted by fierogt4e:

The heads look good also, rockers are 1.7:1. I'll have to change them out for something adjustable. However I don't have a solid plain yet. Modify a set of full rollers (tips roll) to work. Stay tuned for that.




I would suggest checking out some info on ls1tech on the factory rockers. I seem to recall people losing valvetrain stability when going to adjustable rollers. The added inertia of a roller tip bearing mass and decreased stiffness of the aluminum body are big disadvantages vs the cast steal shaft mounted and optimized shape of the factory pieces.
dobey JUL 05, 10:55 AM
OK. So not exactly a "budget build," but more like "patience and getting lucky with buying parts cheap" build. You might save some cash here and there, but if anyone else wanted to do a similar build, will likely cost a bit more.

What ECU are you planning to use? I think the factory ECU will only let you map stuff up to about 8200 RPM, so if you want to go higher than that, you might want to look at going with an aftermarket like AEM or Haltech.

I think you probably got the same set of Ti valves that I got for my LS build. Be careful, as they have longer stems than stock LS valves. Wasn't made apparent when I bought mine, but at least they were cheap enough I don't feel terrible about it, and can probably sell them off easily enough. I measured the difference in spring height with them, and not sure I'd go with getting new grooves cut to make them the right length. Anyway, just a bit of warning there.

I think there's a Saab version of the F40 that has a 3.92 final drive, but information on this stuff is very hard to find.
sleevePAPA JUL 05, 11:00 AM
Xnke on 60v6 forum found the lift limit of the stock rockers, which is .545 before the contact patch is on the edge of the valve stem.

Good luck finding a cam with the larger journals, comp wont even touch it. Schneider maybe. But if you find someone who will grind a cam to fit the larger LZ journals and not cost a small fortune, let me know, i'll sell the brand new WOT Tech turbo grind and bearing spacers.
fierogt4e JUL 06, 01:27 AM

FieroWannaBe;
Thanks for the info. I had not heard that but thous were part of my concerns. And getting it all under the valve covers, I assume they're using “nuts and studs” for the adjustment?
I have some china rockers on a slow boat from Cali. Should be here tomorrow.
China because they are just a test. Stainless steel, 1.7:1, LS, pedestal mount, with the adjustment bolt that bears on the push rod. I will need to make pedestals that fit the 3900. and I'm not sure of the geometry of the rocker body. Pictures soon.
$108 for china or $800 to $1000 or more for US. Something is wrong. I know all china bearings are total junk, but can I make something like this work. That's the fun part!
Then switch to the good stuff with similar mods.
fierogt4e JUL 06, 02:00 AM

Dobey;
Don't let the logical side of my brain hear you say that.

To myself; It is a budget build. Yes definitely, definitely!

sleevePAPA
“Good luck finding a cam with the larger journals, comp wont even touch it. Schneider maybe. But if you find someone who will grind a cam to fit the larger LZ journals and not cost a small fortune, let me know, i'll sell the brand new WOT Tech turbo grind and bearing spacers.”

A poster on one of these forums said he asked comp for a 3400 cam with large journals and they said yes they could but he didn't make the perches. So...
I have no solid plan “yet” for the cam but... I may get 1st gen. Roller and shrink sleeves on it, then finish turn and polish to size. I might run a drive off the cam thru the timing cover for a position wheel. So the reason for the remote pump. Subject to change at any given moment.

------------------
Sincerely
George

ericjon262 JUL 06, 05:36 AM

quote
Originally posted by fierogt4e:


FieroWannaBe;
Thanks for the info. I had not heard that but thous were part of my concerns. And getting it all under the valve covers, I assume they're using “nuts and studs” for the adjustment?
I have some china rockers on a slow boat from Cali. Should be here tomorrow.
China because they are just a test. Stainless steel, 1.7:1, LS, pedestal mount, with the adjustment bolt that bears on the push rod. I will need to make pedestals that fit the 3900. and I'm not sure of the geometry of the rocker body. Pictures soon.
$108 for china or $800 to $1000 or more for US. Something is wrong. I know all china bearings are total junk, but can I make something like this work. That's the fun part!
Then switch to the good stuff with similar mods.



I have a set of rockers on the way for my LX9 (non VVT 3500) that I'm going to try, mine are 1.8:1 though... got lift? hopefully I don't end up with piston to valve clearance issues. we'll see. got a link or a part number for the rockers you're going to try?

Thanks-

Eric
dobey JUL 06, 09:09 AM

quote
Originally posted by fierogt4e:


FieroWannaBe;
Thanks for the info. I had not heard that but thous were part of my concerns. And getting it all under the valve covers, I assume they're using “nuts and studs” for the adjustment?
I have some china rockers on a slow boat from Cali. Should be here tomorrow.
China because they are just a test. Stainless steel, 1.7:1, LS, pedestal mount, with the adjustment bolt that bears on the push rod. I will need to make pedestals that fit the 3900. and I'm not sure of the geometry of the rocker body. Pictures soon.
$108 for china or $800 to $1000 or more for US. Something is wrong. I know all china bearings are total junk, but can I make something like this work. That's the fun part!
Then switch to the good stuff with similar mods.



$800-$1000+ for rockers from the US? Where the heck are you shopping? My Harland Sharps for my LS4 were only ~$400. If you're looking for a "budget" option, and the V6 rocker bearings are the same size as the LSx rockers, you could get a trunion upgrade kit from Comp or whomever. It's less than $200, and fixes the weak spot of the stock rockers.

If you want true rollers and can use the LSx rockers, there are plenty of options in the $300-$500 range.
ericjon262 JUL 06, 10:03 AM

quote
Originally posted by dobey:


$800-$1000+ for rockers from the US? Where the heck are you shopping? My Harland Sharps for my LS4 were only ~$400. If you're looking for a "budget" option, and the V6 rocker bearings are the same size as the LSx rockers, you could get a trunion upgrade kit from Comp or whomever. It's less than $200, and fixes the weak spot of the stock rockers.

If you want true rollers and can use the LSx rockers, there are plenty of options in the $300-$500 range.



your pushrods probably don't adjust on the pushrod end, and are probably aluminum. personally, I would prefer a steel rocker to aluminum, less flex, and way stronger.
dobey JUL 06, 10:16 AM

quote
Originally posted by ericjon262:
your pushrods probably don't adjust on the pushrod end, and are probably aluminum. personally, I would prefer a steel rocker to aluminum, less flex, and way stronger.



I'm not going solid roller, so they don't adjust, but the adjustable ones weren't that much more expensive. The HS rockers have a very good track record. If I wanted to go with steel, I would have probably just stayed with factory and did the trunion upgrade.
ericjon262 JUL 06, 10:20 AM

quote
Originally posted by dobey:
I'm not going solid roller, so they don't adjust, but the adjustable ones weren't that much more expensive. The HS rockers have a very good track record. If I wanted to go with steel, I would have probably just stayed with factory and did the trunion upgrade.



I haven't looked into the adjustable variety all that much, I just did a quick once over on summit to see what might work in the realm of full roller rockers. the rockers I ordered were about $400 for a set of 16. hopefully they will work, if not, summit is pretty good about returns...