'61 Lifters

[Richard P.]

How do I determine if my car has hydraulic or mechanical lifters? It is VIN #4375, 283/230 hp.

[Ray C.]

Re: '61 Lifters

High horse tach had solid lifters .
270HP and 315HP

Ray

[Stuart F.]

Re: '61 Lifters

Except for some early 55 V8's, all standard (base) engines through 1961 have hydraulic lifters. If you have a high performance engine such as the 270 hp (w/dual quads) or the 315 hp (fuelie) it will more than likely have the Duntov Cam which uses solid lifters and believe me, no matter how tight they may be adjusted, you'll still hear the "tappet" sound. It is unmistakable; just a steady stuccotto tapping of 16 rocker arms. Some people really get off on it. I have had people ask me to start up my engine at shows just to hear it!

Stu Fox

[Gary C.]

Re: '61 Lifters

Stu, FYI all 56 engines have solid lifters. Corrected JM Ops section around 2000. Gary....

[Stuart F.]

Re: '61 Lifters

Gary;

For clarification; you are saying all Corvette V8's in 56 had solid lifters? That's a new one on me. I guess I can't dipute that as most of the 265 CI engines I messed around with "back in the day" I modified up to Corvette specs, i.e. Moraine 400 bearings, Duntov cam, new solid lifter valve train, etc. I guess I just assumed because the passenger V8's through the Power Pack version all had Hydraulics, therefore the base Corvette would as well. The actual Vettes that I worked on I believe all had either the 225 hp or 240 hp engines. I even had one that had a "from the factory" 301 ci engine. I don't recall too much about the history other than it was once raced under factory sponsorship, probably as an experimental car. It was the first one I saw with different model Quads on it as well. I'll have to check my card file and see if I recorded the specs.

Am I right about the unmistakable sound of soilds though?

Stu Fox

[Bill M.]

Re: '61 Lifters

The 30-30 was the best.

I had a valve wear a divot in the rocker arm of a 396. That was too loud (and hard to find).

The '92 LT1 injector noise was meant to emulate the '70-'72 solids; didn't work all that well. It's just noise.

[Stuart F.]

Re: '61 Lifters

Bill;

That little "divot", as you called it, was quite common on the early (55 thru 58) Chevy V8's. When you have solids and go to adjust them, as we used to do; HOT and running, it would punch a hole in your feeler gauge like a punch press. Actually, that was a common occurance on old shaft mounted rockers years back, like Chevy 6's too. I lost a lot of gauges that way, specially the thinner ones.

Stu Fox

[John H.]

Re: '61 Lifters

For clarification; you are saying all Corvette V8's in 56 had solid lifters? Stu Fox

Yup, that's correct - all '56 Corvettes had solid lifters.

[Bill M.]

Re: '61 Lifters

Bill;

That little "divot", as you called it, was quite common on the early (55 thru 58) Chevy V8's. When you have solids and go to adjust them, as we used to do; HOT and running, it would punch a hole in your feeler gauge like a punch press. Actually, that was a common occurance on old shaft mounted rockers years back, like Chevy 6's too. I lost a lot of gauges that way, specially the thinner ones.

Stu Fox

I just measured the divot in my rocker arm at 0.086 in. Made for a tad too much lifter noise!