Title question pretty much spells it out. If I can't find any "made at least 25 years ago" and have to buy more current stock, who's good, or at least "less bad"?
I have a set here that (I don't know why anyone would keep old used ones around) I bought from a swap meet, I know the guy who sold them, all he remembered was that "I've had them around forever". I thought I was getting some Direct Connection NOS ones but looking at the bottoms I can tell they've been used. someone did a cam swap and put the old lifters back in the baggies and the boxes and then on the shelf. I ain't putting them on a new cam.
I hear all the doom and gloom about metallurgy failures in newer lifters, and want to avoid that.... I do have some old stock oil that I can use for break in, from about the mid-late 80s.... and some new stock (I forget which) Valvoline that's supposed to be high in zinc. so i have that covered.
I found what seems like a deal on both Lunati ("Micro-trol" I think??) and old standby Sealed power.... are they still as good as they used to be? either of these any good? I am stuck between possibly 1 of 2 cams I have here, one brand new Melling stock replacement (for a bigger engine than the 318 I'm putting these into) or a used COMP 260, used for ~6k miles and my son paid extra for Nitriding/tuftride treatment when he originally bought it....