Inliners International Forums General Discussion Engines lifter/cam

I bought a new cam and lifters to put into my 261 rebuild. I opened the box that the lifters are in today and have been told I have new hydraulic ones. I thought I ordered solid lifters. I've been reading the old post and have read that the solid lifters after '55 were changed and "look like" hydraulic lifters. My motor is a 1957. So how do I tell for sure? Sorry, for dumb question, but this is all new to me. Could it also be that the cam I purchased needs to have hydraulic lifters?

If you look carefully at the inside top of the lifter, there will be a fine wire clip that holds in the internals of a hyraulic lifter. On the solids there is no clip.

I've come across solids that have the retainer clip. The body of the lifter has a shoulder where the top fits against and is held in by the clip. Short of taking the lifter apart to see whether or not it has a plunger and check valve or just a simple counter bore for the cap I'd suggest this. Stand the lifter upright on a firm flat surface and using a pushrod try to push down on the top cap. A solid will not budge. A hydraulic will give and depress somewhat depending on if there is any fluid in it or not. You should be able to easily depress a hydraulic lifter between 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch with just moderate pressure.

If there is any doubt about the cam call the outfit you bought it from and give them the part number on the cam. Don't mix cams and lifters.

Yes it has the retainer clip and yes I can depress it with a push rod. I don't want to pull it apart as I hope where I bought it from will take it back. Well known company, but I don't want to drop names. I E-mailed them and will see what they say. May just have shiped the wrong set by accident. I have installed the cam and will keep it, but from all that I have read here solids are the way to go on a 261. I will post again and let you all know how it turns out. Thanks for the info.

I also would make sure that they have sent you an cam for solid lifters. If the cam is made for hydraulic lifers and you run it with soldids you wil have a problem.

Frank

Thanks for the tip. Didn't know that. I think I'll give him a call.

I'm feeling beter now. I've just check the web site where I bought this. Ok- it was from Tom Langdon. I bought his "bulldog" cam. Duration 254/264. In his tec tips he recommends using hydraulic lifters with this set up. So I got just what I needed. I'll now need longer pushrods, but I was going to buy new ones anyway as two of the origionals were bad. Tom also has a tip for nisy lifters which I have a couple of questions about as to if I should do what he describes before I install the new lifters or wait to see if I have a problem.

now wait a second!

You are right with the tech tips, but I am also in the process to rebuild my 261.

Tom send me an offer 2 days ago with the "bulldog cam" but he listed only solid lifters for it.

Frank

Trident,
if you have a '57 block and it came with solid lifters originally, and the lifter bores are not cross drilled through, then you can't run hydraulics.

I got a message in to talk to Tom. I'm sure it's me not him that doesn't know what he's doing. Like my first statement said- this is all new to me. After I have personally taked to Tom I will let you all know what he says.

I missed a phone call from Tom, but he left a message. Sent the wrong lifters. I'll send them back and he will ship the solids. C-Dan-D-Luxe - not to worry. And to all who have given such great information- this site continues to help me along the way with the rebuild and thank so much. By the way, yesterday I sent off my dues to join Inliners International.

I got the new lifters from TL today. I also ordered a new set of pushrods. The new lifters (solids) are the milk can type. The push rods are the longer ones. I had in the motor the shorter push rods and the straight solid lifters. This is a 1957 motor. Is the milk can/longer rods right? Is there any advantage to the milk can design for this year motor? I don't know if the straight lifters were changed into the motor or not, it had been rebuilt some other time before I got it.

There's two types of lifter construction,the material that is,chilled iron and hardenable iron.Chilled iron lifters are meant for use only on steel billet cams,hardenable iron is for cast cams.
All the milk bottle lifters I've seen are chilled iron.These lifters are heat treated on the bottoms only,the other style are hard on the whole lifter body.A fine file drawn across the lifter side will tell you the lifter type,the file will cut the chilled iron lifter.Maybe some milk bottle style lifters aren't chilled iron?
Most cam grinders say using chilled iron lifters on a cast cam will invite premature lobe wear.A few say it doesn't matter.
I believe the Bulldog cams are cast iron like the almost all cams available for these old engines.