Stock Mopar Rocker Assembly... Sheeesh!
I'm not bashing aftermarket rockers as having no value, as they in many cases do. And yes, the ratio of OEM rockers tends to be a bit under the spec. I guess my point was not to dismiss the factory hardware strictly because it is stomped out of sheet metal and looks low tech. They work well, and last a long time. Bang for the buck wise on a small block MOPAR, roller rockers are well down the list. The last .030 of lift, especially if it is beyond .500 on OEM castings is pretty much academic. You'd be hard pressed to notice it, much less measure it on a dyno. If you have taken the time to measure the lift at the valve exactly, and calculate the true rocker ratio, then I imagine you are also the type who has had their heads flowed and determined the lift at which port stall occurs. A cam grinder can make one heck of a good grind selection given this info!
Within the limits of common pushrod length and lifter diameter, I'll take lobe lift over rocker ratio any day.
Optimum pushrod length and rocker geometry is another matter all together, so besides having the rocker tip centered on the stem at 50% valve lift, lets not get into that here. Aftermarket rockers with adjustment screws can fudge for a lot of really bad geometery, but seldom correct it.
I'm not trying to bash any particular product, or tell anybody they are making a mistake. I just get somewhat tired of seeing guys spending their hard earned bucks on gee-whiz parts that promise to offer some specific horepower or ET gain. "5-10 horsepower gain" compared to what? A totally worn out factory piece which was already costing you 15 horses? The best product offered by their competition? Will it work THAT much better than something that was already working just fine? Was that particular part the limiting factor in your setup? Swapping 1.6 rockers onto an otherwise well balanced mild 318 might just hurt ET's and trap speeds when the valves now go into float at the 1000 foot mark. Just a thought.
Not a Loadmaster. As my screen name indicates I was formerly a Crew Chief, however I am currently finishing up with Flight Engineer school. I started out jumping out of them, then spent many years working on them, and now I fly on them. Hope I am going the right direction!