The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Lifter questions

More questions about parts that I have recently acquired.

The lifters in question cam from 2 GMC 228 engines. All are "milk bottle" type. RockAuto says that both Chevy and GMC engines use these "887" lifters in 1952 (and other years).

Problem is that ALL the lifters are concave on the bottom instead of convex. I can buy new replacements (from who knows where and who knows what the bottom looks like) for around $23 each in packs of 4. These would only be used as spares. Is there anyone (besides Crenwelge - he is a neighbor and I've already hit him up for too many favors) who can recondition some of these old lifters for a price under what the new replacements would cost?

I'm fabricating a fixture for my lathe that will put a slight radius on the bottom like a modern lifter. There's a difference of opinion as to whether the old stovebolt lifters were radiused, or flat. Flat is easy, as anybody with a lathe and a tool post grinder can turn concave into flat. The fixture I'm working on will create a 60" radius on the lifter bottom- - - -equivalent to the circumference of a circle 10 feet in diameter. Once it's up and running, it's about a 15 minute procedure or less per lifter- - - -maybe 5 bucks each, plus shipping.
Jerry

who knows what the bottom looks like

A concave lifter is ruined, along with the lobe below it..

The lifters in my GMC 228 (last I looked 9+ years ago) was convex. The lifters in my 302 (to be installed "someday") are also convex.

The concave lifters are from a bunch of GMC parts I recently picked up.

Let me know when you are in production Jerry.

That's a couple of projects down the pike, Bill- - - -right now I'm mostly doing taxi driver duty for the older, sicker members of the household! Who would have thought that just barely turning 77 would make me the youngest, healthiest one of the three of us? My wife is about 4 months older, and she has a couple of months of cataract surgeries and recoveries coming up (no driving) and her 85 year old brother is in a rehab facility recovering from hip surgery! Shop time is getting to be at somewhat of a premium!
jerry

darn! I've got 77 coming up in a few months. SWMBO is a month older and has 6 doctors. Her sister who lives on our property and just turned 80 falls once every couple of weeks. She seems to lead with her head.

Still looking for a definitive answer: are stovebolt lifters flat or radiused?
So far, nothing but opinions.

Opinions are like "noses" (and other body parts)- - - - -everybody's got one, and some smell better than others! As long as a lifter isn't concave, or has a rough surface where it touches the cam, does it really matter in any practical manner? Every brand new mushroom lifter I've ever checked with a machinist's square (several dozen) have been flat. How about some input from other people who actually do shop work?
Jerry

I've read (without attribution) that if the contact surface is wider than the lobe and placed off-center it will rotate by itself.
Yes/no?

In 1950, chevrolet introduced the powerglide transmission. The at887 lifter was never used in a power glide motor. Solid lifter cam only. Early 887 lifters were chilled iron, later, maybe in the 90s, 887 started arriving made from a material that would be compatible with steel or cast cams.

As for reconditioning of the lifters, Delta Cams or Rocker Arms Unlimited, either can resurface the lifters.

http://www.rockerarms.com/pages/lifters.html

https://deltacam.com/services/

It's that way on every flat tappet cam I've checked. Some cams also have a very slight taper built into the nose of the lobe, but not all of them. Roller tappet cams are flat, since the lifter has no need to rotate to equalize wear. The radiused bottom of the lifter just helps the wear-equalizing rotation happen. I've disassembled engines with sticky lifters with a groove worn across the bottom of the lifter the width of the cam lobe, and the lobe was almost always worn out.
Jerry

panic An old timer chevy mechanic I worked for in 1965 gave me 3 new lifter bodies with other 216 stuff,they have a crown of 1 degree with a smooth grinder finish. He gave me those in 79 guessing. To maintain long life of your cam and lifters better hope they rotate,mine do,I use zddp some still running since 1969. Lost a cam to anti-freeze in 2012 head gasket leak on re-built long-block that cost 745$ it didn't owe ran 12 years. R and D machine in Costa Mesa Ca. re-conditions lifters 10$

Fixite7, I was under the impression that the owner of R&D had passed away unexpectedly a couple of years ago.

Dragsix I just ran across their add maybe on youtube not too long ago. Also ran across some outfit in the Carolinas that had a video on Rockwell hardness of cams and lifters. I thought that guy knew a lot about it and why we are all seeing trouble with it. Thankfully mine are running have 5 solid lifter engines up and running a sixth on the bench. Landed a new cam that looks fine, offseas lifters to fit it don't have enough crown compared to old original replacements I have. So what do you think should be done ?? From what Iv'e seen a 1 degree crown is in order. I guess I don't have any (stovebolt) hydraulics as I never hear them act up.

Bill,
My ancient Sioux has factory attachments to radius a lifter bottom and grind flat head Ford valve stems to length plus other functions. The cloth/rubber wiring is shot so just sits gathering dust. If you want to bring your wiring tools and a bucket of lifters we can make a date. Only drawback is diabetes kills the cold beverage enjoyment.

Next time I'm north of I-20 you got a deal. That trip is usually just chauffer duty for me so I should be able to break loose and come to your shop. Haven't be in 2 years.