273 Commando

If you switch to hydraulics you will most likely need to replace the pushrods as the lifter heights will be diferent. Solids get a bad rap due to the ocasonal recommended maintenance. The factory setup actually requires very little maintenance. Back in the 60s there were many folks who never had their valve train adjusted and the cars ran well and quiet. When I was in college a girl inherited a 64 Dart and asked me to tune it up. When I pulled the valve covers the gaskets were still stuck in place and had factory red paint on them. 96,000 miles and I'm pretty sure they were never adjusted and were still almost spot on when I checked them. Her grandfather had records of all service work done down to coolant adds and tire pressure changes but there was no mention of valve adjustement in those records. I purchased my 64 Barracuda in 1970 from a lady and when I asked her about the last valve adjustment she had no clue that a valve adjustment was recommended. 72,000 miles. I know of many other examples that ran many, many miles with no adjustments. The factory setup is pretty easy on valve train compared to the solid lifter setups most folks use for perormance engines these days. To me, part of the "cool factor" of the 273 are the solid lifters.