My 350 is way over-cammed for a rockcrawling motor (RIPS on the fire roads tho:D )

I'm too poor, lazy, and stupid to do things the right way (like say swapping in a TBI 350), plus good junkyard finds are almost impossible around here.

Any experience with Rhoades lifters?

http://www.rhoadsproducts.com/default.asp

A friend had a set in a 402 BB a few years ago. I don't remember which cam it had, but it was definately more tame on the low end w/them. He didn't have any problems that I remember. Someone else makes/made a set that was not as noisy, but I do not remember who it was.

Comp Cams also makes something similar...or they did in the past. I haven't messed with a hot rod in years.

I ran them in my dirt track car, we had a vacuum rule and the rhoads lifters bleed down faster at lower oil pressures. What this does is helps to calm down a radical cam at idle and help to smooth it out a bit. After 30 hard 7000 rpm+ laps there was a slight rattle but nothing to be concered with.

Basically they help reduce duration a bit at idle and increase vacuum a bit..

HTH

I have used them before on a few different motors and had fairly good luck. Very nice for taming a nasty cam to get some vacum for the brakes on a street car that isn't really a street car. You will notice a loss in the snappyness right off idle but not very much, they pump up like RIGHT NOW when the oil pressure comes up. They also bleed down rather quick. I did have an issue with them on one car now that I think about it....I had a very weak oil pump with a saft bypass in it because I was trying out running more volume and less pressure with bigger tolerences on the botom end and do not think they where pumping up fast enough. I do not know about the durability of them, I never kept anything long enough to find out.

THEY MAKE ALOT OF NOISE BUT THEY WORK VERY WELL CRANE AND COMP BOTH MAKE THEM THER AS FAST BLEED LIFTER

yha.. they make a little diferance.. basicly all they are tho is a bandade fix for a poor cam selection. they do help bring back SOME driveability and SOME vaccume.. but if a broader power band is what you were looking for, it sounds like ya shulda got a slightly smaller cam with a wider lobe seperation .. most genaric multi purpose sbc cams are ground on a 108-110 degree LSA, most cams ground specificly for a 4wd are ground on a 110-112 degree LSA, and the torque kings (old 455's, cad 500's etc) are ground on a 114-116 degree LSA.

basicly a narrow LSA creates a peaky motor, a wide LSA creates a flat torque curve....

yeah, what everybody else said. I have built a few motors with them. They work great with a big cam but are a little noisy. Not as noisy as runnin boggers though :flipoff2:

[QUOTE]Originally posted by BillaVista
[B]My 350 is way over-cammed for a rockcrawling motor (RIPS on the fire roads tho:D )

Just how big is overcammed. Mine runs .572 lift 234@ .050 in crawls pretty good. chevy motor in 53 CJ-7

Originally posted by KYODER

Just how big is overcammed. Mine runs .572 lift 234@ .050 in crawls pretty good. chevy motor in 53 CJ-7

Is that a hydraulic flat tappet cam?

I didn't know that AMC made a CJ-7 in 1953 :flipoff2:

Originally posted by TPIJeep


Is that a hydraulic flat tappet cam?

I didn't know that AMC made a CJ-7 in 1953 :flipoff2:

They do in California. There are lots of funny looking flatties. haha

yes, it is a flat hydraulic. I had a hyd roller but the thrust bearing on the cam went south and then it screwed up the lifters with too much endplay. I couldn't afford a new roller.

Originally posted by KYODER
[QUOTE]Originally posted by BillaVista
[B]My 350 is way over-cammed for a rockcrawling motor (RIPS on the fire roads tho:D )

Just how big is overcammed. Mine runs .572 lift 234@ .050 in crawls pretty good. chevy motor in 53 CJ-7

well the " powerband" on a cam with mid 230's @.050 is usualy from about 2500-6500

depending on how well matched every thing is and if you've got the cam timing retarded then yes, you might make ok torque down around 1000 rpm.. but i doubt it will " chug" at 500 rpm.. and lift has nothing to do with operating rpm.

for a " crawler" id run some thing in the ball park of 260 advertised duration or about 210 @.050 and in the balpark of 112 degree LSA, hydro rollerw/ .510-.520lift.... be making power from about 500-5500rpm

I like the theory less torque more hp. It's a big block chevy so it will always have enough low end grunt. I had a short duration cam in the past and the thing would never stall. I broke my 60 at an idle. With less bottom end I can feel the load much better. With a 4 sp and 4.3 atlas you don't need alot of torque. I have broken less parts with the tall cam configuration.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by T1H5_TA3
[B]

"well the " powerband" on a cam with mid 230's @.050 is usualy from about 2500-6500 "



You are dead on!! comes on about 3000 and pulls to 6000. In high range I have twisted the output shaft between the tranny and transfer. But its fun when it holds together.

I ripped out the 244@.050/.510 cam I had in my Jeep (SB350) and replaced it with a little Crane Energizer 272.

It's worlds better. It pulls so much better at low speed and isn't that much slower than it was.

It also drinks way less gas and doesn't make my eyes burn from the exhaust when I'm going slowly.

Rhoades lifters help a little, but are a bandaid. When you're in far enough to change the lifters, you're not far from the cam. Might as well really fix it and put in a cam more suited to the work your engine is doing.

My .01 (newbie and all)