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Horseplay: 1965 Fastback Restomod

a bit more engine porn for Pat. Was able to get a really good roller tip pattern with this set-up. The Comp Cams Ultra Pro Magnum rockers are really nice. For a few bucks more the peace of mind having steel instead of aluminum gives was worth it. Plus these use a ring to secure the fulcrum bearing as opposed to simply being pressed in like so many aluminum versions. On a street engine that will see a TON of miles these made a lot of sense.

rockershot.jpg
 
I'm really considering buying some of those too but have a bad taste for Comp Cam at the moment.


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Horseplay said:
a bit more engine porn for Pat. Was able to get a really good roller tip pattern with this set-up. The Comp Cams Ultra Pro Magnum rockers are really nice. For a few bucks more the peace of mind having steel instead of aluminum gives was worth it. Plus these use a ring to secure the fulcrum bearing as opposed to simply being pressed in like so many aluminum versions. On a street engine that will see a TON of miles these made a lot of sense.

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Be absolutely sure to clean the hell out of those rockers before you run them. I sent a set back because there was fine grit on them. The second set had the same issue, and I thorough cleaned them in a bath of paint thinner before use.
 
stangg said:
Be absolutely sure to clean the hell out of those rockers before you run them. I sent a set back because there was fine grit on them. The second set had the same issue, and I thorough cleaned them in a bath of paint thinner before use.
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Thanks for the heads-up. I plan to bathe them in mineral spirits or such prior but will pay extra close attention. Other than that any issues with them? I spent a good deal of time in the decision to go with them based on my own experience with rockers and everything/anything I could find on the Web.
 
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Otherwise I can't complain. They are pretty stout. I used them on a the early twisted wedge heads for a Small Block Chevy which requires an offset trunion for one set of valves. That particular engine has been put aside and I'm planning to reuse the rockers on a big block if comp cams will sell me just the needed trunions. Come to think of it, it might have been mineral spirits that I used to clean them too. After you clean one, you'll probably feel the roller tip movement is smoother compared to an as shipped one. Leave the bath alone after you're done, and you should see just how dirty they were based on the sediment that settles on the bottom of the container.
 
I think in my paperwork from Comp Cams they recommended cleaning them as well. I used carb cleaner on mine. My son works at an auto parts store and he bought a case of the stuff for some reason so I had a lot of it around.
Do those Ultra Pro Magnum rockers have a rating for spring pressure? Mine said they were good up to 350 lbs open pressure and my springs are rated at 320lbs. @ .500" so I thought I would be okay. But one failed completely, two others weren't far behind and all of the rest look like they would eventually fail too. More garage art...
I like those Ultra Pro Magnum rockers but not sure I want to give Comp any more of my money. The guy who I spoke with from Comp Cams on recommendations hasn't returned my emails about the rocker arm failures. I bought Comp Cams cam, lifters, push rods and rocker arms. Thought they would show a little support. I'm going to pull the springs and have them checked because either they are stronger than they specified or the rockers were crap. I broke in the cam on the old valve springs to reduce the load and per the spring recommendation I broke in the springs (yes they had a break-in procedure too).
 
Start with reading this. While written up by Comp it is hard to argue with their specific points about the strength, etc. of the rocker.

http://www.compcams.com/ultrapromagnum/

Ive come across all kinds of builders running these with crazy high spring pressures in the neighborhood of 700 lbs and more.

Biggest thing I know of with new springs is to make sure they are well lubricated for initial firing just like everything else. Comp even makes some kind of spray they recommend to hit them with. My experience has been that if you follow the pretty much standard new engine start up protocol of keeping a good RPM for oiling and not hitting it too hard for at least a couple hundred miles and lots of heat cycling everything does well.
 
that's a good read. I accept the steel vs. aluminum argument (to a point). The 300% stronger claim is based on the same area (length, width, thickness, etc.). But I won't get into an argument over the materials being used. The issue I have is maybe the quality of the rocker, not the design. They have "lifetime warranty against the breakage of the rocker arm body—for any reason." However, they don't warranty the rest of the rocker arm. Those are the parts that are going to fail. I want to like them, I really do! But I'm not going to buy them. Burn me once, shame on them, burn me twice, shame on me. I don't see a spring rating anywhere on that sheet either.
I did use the Comp Cams assembly lube as well as break-in oil AND I did the break-in (twice). Once for the cam with my old springs and again after I put the new springs in. Then I drove the car to Atlanta and back staying under ~3K. That was over 500 miles.
Anyway, I spoke to a reputable big block Ford engine builder who builds a lot of truck pull, drag race and mud truck engines as well as street/strip engines for weekend warriors. He recommended Lunati http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=2697&gid=198 I couldn't find a spring pressure rating on these either but he guy who recommended them said he builds engines, with much higher spring pressure than what I have, using these rockers. He says he has never had any failures. Word of mouth is important. I also frequent 460Ford.com and these get a lot of praise with no reported failures that I could find in my searches on rocker arm threads. Anyway, I could buy a Comp Cam rocker that may or may not fail (and those would be my choice if I did) or a Lunati with some experienced recommendation behind them. I will give the Lunati a try. I won't be running 6 or 7K+ for extended periods like a pulling truck or mud truck. If I wasn't mad at Comp cams I would probably buy those and if this guy had used them and could recommend them I would have also considered them. But getting a trusted word of mouth recommendation for Lunati makes me feel better about choosing them.
 
I feel you'd be safe either way for your application. The thing to watch for and maybe what hurt your last rocker are clearances. Aside from being steel, the thing I really like most about the Comp pieces are the reduced size affording a ton of extra clearance space around the spring, etc. I'll take some pics showing such and on my other engine with traditional aluminum rockers and the new stroker to show the differences and will post 'em up.
 
cool. Thanks for the back and forth. Sorry to derail. I am waiting for my train to Frankfort so I was bored again.
 
Long day in the garage again today. It's amazing how many little things I can find to waste hours. One of many such today was making some bushings to align my shifter to my liking..which means I finally got to do the final installation of my complete custom built console! No more in an out, one section at a time BS. It's all in and it looks and functions just as planned. This also meant I could bolt my newly covered seats in for the very first time. First time doing upholstery but it turned out really well. The armrest I sewed up to match the seats looks good too. I'm holding off doing the door panels for a bit. If time allows I plan to do some customization on them as well so they will likely be the last thing done to the car. I also covered the kick panels in matching material. They have to wait until I bolt the fenders on which should be in the next few days.
Anyway...pics!
interior.jpg interior2.jpg
 
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looking good for sure! but yeah, does it run yet? you're running out of time! It's like one of those reality shows...
 
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