Is there such thing as a good lifter?

oldkimmer said

If the lifter bores are worn that bad why do they make lifters with a groove from top to bottom on the side of the lifter. When I primed the one engine that I put them in it gushed lots of oil past the lifters. I know they oil the cam lobes better but what about the oil coming up top? Kim

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This was done years back on mostly BB chevies because of cam lobe wear problem. The lifters on them would not spin due to the lifter bores out of position with the cam. The groove was to put oil directly on the lobe. This was passed on over the years and people would buy them. So they were made to sell everyone who would buy them.

Mostly used on solid flat tap engines where they also would groove the bore instead of the lifter.

If your lifters don't spin it is usually because they are in the wrong location on the lobe. The grooves are a cheap fix and not recommended by most good engine shops. Just true the bores with a fixture. This promotes rotation and also helps performance