'68 318 to carbed Magnum 5.2: Check my checklist

ralphie361 said

Quick question, are you buying lifters for a 92 up engine, or your 89? I think they are different, you'll need 92 up lifters for the swap to get it to oil right. Also this may affect pushrod length. Just a couple things to check before pulling it down too deep.

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Strange, as I've already confirmed (with RockAuto, Advance Auto, AutoZone, and Pep Boys) that the same exact lifters are spec'ed for both a 1989 Dodge B350 van and a 2002 Dodge Dakota.

Of course, this may be wrong, but I see no difference between the new ones that won't work and the ones that do. Other than the oiling hole location being 90 degrees off (which doesn't seem to affect it when I did that test in the video), the lifters appear identical in length, design, and where they're chamfered so that oil pools around them from the delivery port in the bore.

The pushrods have definitely been changed though - even though the '89 had a roller cam, spider, and the correct lifters, it still had LA heads and rockers originally - thus, shorter pushrods. It has a set of new Edelbrock 9638 pushrods (Mag 5.2/5.9 spec).

Incidentally - have any tips for getting oil off the exhaust manifolds - and block? Made quite a mess when it was hooked up with the pushrods. My next problem once this thing is running is how to keep it from catching on fire...

-Kurt