Is there such thing as a good lifter?

What everyone overlooks is lifter diameter verse the lifter bore. Any clearance over tolerance will cause a pressure leak at the bore. When ever an engine is rebuilt it is due to wear of serviceable parts . Lifter bores also wear and are always overlooked.

They make and sell oversize dia. lifters. But I would recommend truing and bushing the lifter bores as part of your rebuild process because usually they are worn oval. Many shops just lube them up and slide them in the holes and many holes are out of round from 50 years of wear. We made the same mistake on an engine . Kept blaming the lifters when it was the bores.

Solid lifters are the only way to skip the lifter bore issue causing that dreaded ticking. But it is still not correct repair.