The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 Hydraulic lifters

I am interested in changing the cam and liters in my 1957 235. It now has solid lifters and I can't get it to run quietly with the valve adjustment set to spec. Does anyone out there know if there is any problem with going to hydraulic lifters?

I am a newbe here, after I posted the above question I searched the archives of this site and found a ton of info based on similar questions in the past. I need to check my engine to see if the block is drilled for hydraulic lifters.

If your engine block's lifter galley has been drilled by the factory for hyd lifters, you can use them and a hyd cam in your engine. There will be a hole drilled thru the center of all the lifter bosses to feed oil to the hyd lifters, if the block's been drilled. Not all '57 motors were drilled, so remove a lifter and inspect the block before you buy a hyd setup.

One word of caution- There have been reports by bolters here that even the hyd setups in 235s will make noise. Worn valvetrain parts, or the design of the 235 hyd lifter or camshaft lobe profile seem to contribute to the problem. 235s are noisy anyway. If my 235 is making noise and leaking oil, then its still running...

chip

I'm still running hydraulic lifters in my 235'6.The truck runs real well in the garage and up and back off one of my back roads.Hopefully this summer I'll have her completely legal to go on some trips. Our Bro. down in Arizona (PATRICK) told me personally that hydraulics are a no no and that they make all kinds of noise.Mind haven't so far? GOOD LUCK.

RE: "our Bro down in AZ said hydraulic 235's are all noisy" well thats darn funny becau se he didn't have a bit of trouble selling me a new cam with hydraulic lifters, never said a word about any noise. Very strange.

Patrick also steered me away from a hydraulic setup for my 261, which was drilled for hydraulic lifters, so I went with the solid lifters and Howard's M4F cam. I am in the process of putting it all together now.
261 Rebuild: http://community.webshots.com/album/109150147dILZZr

If your valve train is really noisy after your lifters are adjusted correctly then chances are you have a worn rocker arm or bent pushrod. All 235/261's are noiser than today's modern engines and noisier than flatheads of the same era but they should be pretty quiet, even with solid lifters. New rocker arms, a smooth rocker shaft, and new or reconditioned push rods and adjuster should make it quiet so it just sounds like 12 sewing machines running in synch and not a box full of hammers dropped down a flight of stairs.

If you want it to still be quieter than replace the valve and side cover with cast aluminum aftermarkets, they absorb the noise a bit better.

My 261 with a good valve adjustment is about the same volume at idle as the six cylinder BMW I have, which has an overhead cam engine with solid tappets.

Expect it to tap a bit when it is cold, it will until everything heats up and the clearances tighten.

Tapping valves are not necessarily bad, they don't cause any additional wear unless they are really loose. Valves that are too tight will blow out the seats in a hurry. If they get too quiet then start to worry.

ol'55, why'd Patrrick's not like hydraulic lifters? just noise or other stuff too? I bought some from him in 98' and just got my truck running(261).Seems ok so far but it isn't close to broken in.

I can't help with answers but I do have questions:
My '54 has block 3836233 and head 3836848. From a questionable reference source, that would be '55 or '56 engine parts. The paint on block and head do not match, they are different shades of blue that look like factory paint. The reference material lists the block as 235ci w/P.G. The engine runs well with lots of tapping even after adjustment. Is there any way to determine whether it has hydrualic lifters without taking it apart? I have adjusted the valves per the manual for solids. I know nothing about the history of this engine. I don't want to missadjust and burn valves.

The '54 210 and Bel-Air sedan engines with powerglide got hyd lifters. According to my shop manual, the '53 'Glide cars and '54 Stick cars got solids, which I have verified with the 54 solid-lifter motor that was in my Bel-Air.

But since your head has been swapped to a '56-newer "848" head, all bets are off. Easiest way to tell with engine assembled is to remove pushrod cover and look. I could suggest taking a valve past zero-lash and see if the motor misses, or hitting a pushrod with engine off and see if pushrod and lifter "gives" a little, but you might tear something up if done incorrectly

good luck

chip

PATRICK\'S

ENGINE REBUILDING

Have you read these articles? Lot's of good information.