Hydraulic Lifter Adjustment

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JW MOPAR

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Hey guys I picked up a 1967 273 with 8k miles on it after a rebuild. I am in the process of replacing gaskets and fixing leaks. I pulled the valve covers and intake manifold and discovered it has hydraulic lifters with adjustable rocker arms. What would be the proper way of adjusting these lifters without running the engine? Thanks in advance for your help.
 
IIRC......Adjust to zero lash, then another 1/2 to 3/4 turn of preload.
 
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Oldmanmopar said:
67 should have solid lifters. They are set with a feeler gauge. 013 intake .021 exhaust
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@Oldmanmopar I agree but when the rebuild was done they converted to hydraulic lifters and a cam for the application. I like that it has hydraulic lifters but was confused as to why the adjustable rocker arm assembly was maintained.
 
JW MOPAR said:
@CFD244 I was thinking zero lash but hadn't taken into consideration of turns beyond that. You don't believe the 1/2 or 3/4 turn will prematurely bottom them out and create more wear?
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You need some preload. .015 to .020, unless you listen to David Vizard. He likes more preload.
 
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The risk with using minimal pre-load, close to zero, is:
- noisy valve train
- lifter pump up....which can punch out the lifter circlip......& do further damage.
 
Unless you need adjustable rocker arms, why not swap them to a factory non adjustable rocker setup and forget it? Save the 273 adjustable stuff for later on if you build something with a solid cam.
 
JDMopar said:
Unless you need adjustable rocker arms, why not swap them to a factory non adjustable rocker setup and forget it? Save the 273 adjustable stuff for later on if you build something with a solid cam.
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If those rockers are setup correctly as in correct pushrod length, it should be fine and if he did swap to non adjustable rockers he would then need different pushrods again.
 
The stock adjustable rocker set up with hydraulic lifters is a great set up and keeps you from having to change pushrod length to get the desired preload. Set each lifter on the base circle of the cam, run the adjuster down until you get to zero lash, (without compressing the plunger in the lifter) then add 1/2 to 3/4 turn of preload. It will be quiet and run for years.
 
TT5.9mag said:
The stock adjustable rocker set up with hydraulic lifters is a great set up and keeps you from having to change pushrod length to get the desired preload. Set each lifter on the base circle of the cam, run the adjuster down until you get to zero lash, (without compressing the plunger in the lifter) then add 1/2 to 3/4 turn of preload. It will be quiet and run for years.
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When I did that, the pushrods were too long. Summit sells the correct length pushrods for that setup. @JW MOPAR should check to see if the rocker shafts have been shimmed or relocated.
 
I prefer a light touch with hydraulic flat tappets. I usually don't go anymore down than a 1/4 of a turn. However, in order to do that, you need the lifters with the heavy duty snap ring plunger retainers instead of the crappy wire clips.
 
Bodyperson said:
When I did that, the pushrods were too long. Summit sells the correct length pushrods for that setup. @JW MOPAR should check to see if the rocker shafts have been shimmed or relocated.
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In 50 years a lot has changed in these old things. He said the engine was rebuilt, let’s hope whomever rebuilt it did things correctly and measured for pushrods.
 
JDMopar said:
Unless you need adjustable rocker arms, why not swap them to a factory non adjustable rocker setup and forget it? Save the 273 adjustable stuff for later on if you build something with a solid cam.
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I appreciate the input but I think I am going to move forward with what the engine had, adjustable rocker arms. Thanks!
 
TT5.9mag said:
He said the engine was rebuilt, let’s hope whomever rebuilt it did things correctly and measured for pushrods.
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I bought rockers that came with the factory pushrods and if this engine is anything like mine was, there is no alternative to replacing the pushrods; they were way too long. Mine probably turned out shorter than most would like (me too), but that was nearly 1/2 inch difference (7.080 vs 7.5). There was no way the 7.5" pushrods were going to work.
 
Uncle Bob said:
I bought rockers that came with the factory pushrods and if this engine is anything like mine was, there is no alternative to replacing the pushrods; they were way too long. Mine probably turned out shorter than most would like (me too), but that was nearly 1/2 inch difference (7.080 vs 7.5). There was no way the 7.5" pushrods were going to work.
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The ONLY way to get the correct pushrods for an engine is to measure for them after everything else has been assembled. There are too many variables after rebuilding for any parts manufacturer to offer a kit that works in all circumstances.
 
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The TA engines had hydraulic cams and adjustable rockers.
 
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