Pontiac V8 Rebuild, Part 14a: How to measure Push Rod Length
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
- Subscribe to watch Mike finish this engine build and re-install it into his 1969 Pontiac GTO Restomod, in his home garage! "How to measure your Push Rod Length", is Part 14a of this Pontiac 400/455 rebuild, but can be applied to all motor types. This is a very thorough description of what to do, how to do it, and what to watch out for. Mike is in the middle of rebuilding his Pontiac 400, which is now a Butler Performance 467, because a Roller Lifter Broke! (see link below). Enjoy!
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Here's the original Hydraulic Roller Lifter Fail Inspection, and process:
• Something is still WRO...
Here's the Official Part 1, where Mike starts the preparation of Engine removal
• Pontiac V8 Camshaft Re...
Enjoy, and ask questions by leaving a comment below... See you on the other side!
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Hey again Fast Monty, damnit man I absolutely LOVE this channel because of how deep you get into the topic, but here’s a very good question for you. Ok, so the Ford roller rocker is VERY close to a Pontiac’s roller rocker. So here’s my plan (again, please let me know if I’m mistaken or I’m going about any of this the wrong way, pretty please. So currently I have the ole 1.5 roller rockers on it. Make .466”-4.86” lift. So with a (only 1.6 ratio rocker) my cam lift will be at .497” and .519” with just a rocker change from 1.5’s to 1.6’s!! That’s insane! My 6x-4’s have already been set ho (pushrod holes elongated to make clearance for the pushrods, what’s really crazy is with a 1.65 roller it’ll make a whopping .513” and exhaust side will be .536” for right now though, I’m REALLY wanting to try a set of FULL ROLLER 1.6’s from a sbf Ford engine. It can’t be a Windsor or a Cleveland, has to be a regional ole 5.0. I’m hoping it’ll help get the spent exhaust out faster in all honesty! Plus bringing in a little more air never hurt nobody!! So now my opinion to you, is which brand do you have true trust in? I was going to go with Elgin full rollers, but I’m honestly not quite sure. What do you think?
Yeah, crazy how much more lift you can get...even just going from 1.6 to 1.65 Anyway, Mine are Scorpion's. Honestly, I'd check out what the latest roller rockers that Butler Performance is selling. They typically carry the best. Thanks for the comment... have fun!
Another excellent video. I just ordered a single solid lifter from comp. Interestingly the spec is .020 shorter than the hydraulic lifter which is close to a half turn of preload on the hydraulic. I hate waiting but I really want to be confident on my measurements when I order pushrods.
Good point David... I don't recall if I mentioned it to you, or not. But, i definitely did NOT mention it in the video. You can get a "tester spring" which replaces the valve spring. It doesn't apply enough pressure to depress the piston. Maybe hunt for one of those? (I have one in my garage, and totally forgot about it when filming this episode!)
Found it! www.summitracing.com/parts/pro-66793 @davidwhitman9609
@@FastMonty Thanks for the link, you did mention at the end of the video that you had forgotten you had the test spring. I’ve changed valve springs but not with the head installed so I’m a little hesitant to take apart my brand new head. Single solid lifter gets here tomorrow.
Ohhh good. I couldn't remember if I mentioned it. You can do it, in the car.. assuming you have the right spring compressor, just make sure the piston is at TDC, so if the valve falls down, it won't go very far. Have fun!@@davidwhitman9609
Great work on this series! Thank you!
Thanks Frank!
Mike, love you videos man, making my motor build so much easier!!
Not sure if you'd be interested, but I've heard you mention that you painted your car yourself. It would be super cool if you did a series on GTO painting =-).
Thanks again man.
Thanks Brother Will. Yeah, i get that a lot. The best way to show that is by actually painting, which I don't plan to do for a long, long time. Ha, ha... In all honesty, if you're serious, I would google Kevin Tetz's Paintucation series. That's what I used to learn. Then paint some panels. Have fun, and see you on the next one!
Can't put it in...nuts in the way.
Love your show.
Don't you hate when that happens? ha, ha... thanks for watching!
Hey fast Monty your videos are excellent I learn a thing or two on every single video. Considering I'm going to attempt a cam swap due to a collapsed lifter.. not going crazy with it just a stock replacement but I'm following your videos closely
Thanks for the comment... sorry to hear about your collapsed lifter. Are you sure you don't want to upgrade it a bit... ?? ha, ha... thanks for watching, and commenting!
@@FastMonty well I had to learn the hard way for not using the correct break in procedure, however I'm actually going to upgrade it to a ram air three cam profile just to keep things simple without having to change a whole bunch of other components if you know what I mean
@@transam4555 Great idea! And, no I have no idea what you're talking about... ha, ha... just kidding, that's the hobby, change one thing, then change 10 more things to make it fit. Keep it up!
did you use restrictor rods?
Yup, I got them from Butler Performance.
How are those new lifters working out. Are they Noisy like comp cams 957
The Johnson Lifters are awesome... sounds like a sewing machine. (I know, I know... I didn't know what that meant, until I actually heard it) I have no idea what Comp Cams lifters sound like?
do you have the length of the butler pushrod that u r going to use?please & thankyou
I'm using 9.050" ... but, that's for my particular engine. Please measure for yours. Thanks for the comment.
Smith Brothers Rods.
Yeah their adjustable rods look awesome. Thanks!
Monty what lifters did you go with? I see you only went a 1/2 turn for your preload. Is that because your running Johnson rollers (ST2112OPR)? I'm doing the same thing now, measuring for pushrod length. My line is also a little high. On the box it say preload = .030. If the 7/16 studs are .050 per turn, then 1/2 turn is .025. The Johnson preload says .030.
I'm wondering how you found there was still .100 of movement. I thought most hydraulic lifters at most were only .060 of preload before they would bottom out.
I must be missing some fundamental principle here with how hydraulic lifters work.
Fantastic Catch! Yes, I have Johnson Rollers now.. and I go 3/4 turn, which works great. Have fun!
do you have a part # for the adjustable pushrod?
This is the one I used... keep in mind, there are others on the market that don't have the lock nuts. I'd get that one. Also pay attention to the measurement range. butlerperformance.com/i-24868533-comp-adjustable-pushrod-length-checker-5-16-8-500-9-800-cca-7902.html?ref=category:1459538 Have fun! (Oh, also forgot to add in the video to use a valve checking spring, where you need to remove one valve spring, and insert a light weight spring, so the plunger doesn't go down, like I was fighting with) good luck!
Hi nice car!! What rear gear ratio in rear?
Thanks... the original was 3:55. Currently installing a 3.70 Ford 9" from Currie. Check out my latest videos. Thanks for the comment!
I didnt use checker springs either. Think I'm pretty close but there is some chatter and I feel like my guide clearance is too tight even though I have 5 thousandths when I'm on the base circle. Runs good but might do it all over again to see if I can quiet it all down and assure myself it wont implode at some point
As long as the wear pattern on the valve stem is centered, the rod length should be fine. I assume you're using high ratio rockers? Did you add clearance to the rod passage in the head? Other than that, if you're running roller lifters, those cross bars are going to make a little noise. When I switched from Lunati to Johnson the noise improved, but still have a little. So, my guess is not all roller lifters are created equal. I hope that helps with your troubleshooting... or, talking you off the fence. :)
@@FastMonty lol yeah, I have the lunati hydraulic rollers. Heads have plenty of clearance ( kre highports) wear mark is pretty centered and been running good. Thanks for your input. Really appreciate it
@@sampson7941 Awesome... glad I saved you eight hours of work. Ha, ha...
All Your Videos Have Been Great ,If Your Not A Teacher ,You Should Be !!! 👍
Wow, thanks!
P.s. I think you're video's are great.
Thanks John, means a lot. See ya!
I checked mine on hydraulic roller lifters - they were pumped from a run in before. They had 8.550’s in them (built by a builder) but invoice was for 8.600’s, so I wanted to check it out. Went through the process and came up with 8.800’s. Got a solid lifter and after adjusting for the seat height differences I came up with the exact same 8.800. So pumped lifters took up the slack. Ran perfectly. Just had an issue though - one Comp Cam lifter broke - the side piece holding the roller. I am so P.O.’d. Saw others with the same issue. Who had a hydr roller lifter for a now 464 Pontiac that is worth a darn and is reliable? I thought I was done with those darn headers.
Thanks for sharing... yeah, broken lifters are very common. ALL lifter manufacturers have failures. Supposedly the most reliable are Johnson lifters. Which is what I'm using now. This hobby is crazy, isn't it?
@@FastMonty sure is. My first was a 69 FIrebird 4.1L OHC I bought in ‘77 - rebuilt it into the Sprint package - was my primary ride for 100K miles, then traded up to a 68 FB 350 conv, rebuilt it as well, but sadly sold it, then got a 67 FB 400 conv. long sad story about why one needs to do it yourself. Nowadays it is much easier than my first two because of the internet.
BTW - love your series on your rebuild - sure wish I had it years ago!
@@ericdoggett9001 Wow! You're right, I could NOT imagine restoring anything, without the internet. Thanks for sharing that story!
@@ericdoggett9001 Thanks Eric! Much appreciated!
hi monty, building "67 400 ; pretty much stock. using comp cams hydraulic lifters. if i measure "dry", how much to compensate for no oil in lifter?
or, cant i remove valve spring and use test spring so lifter not compressed?
Hey Philip, congrats on doing it yourself. The best way is by using a "test spring". I failed at mentioning that in the video, where I actually own one, and totally forgot about that method. Just make sure you get a good spring compressor, as that's the hardest part of that process. Thanks again for the comment!
After watching you wrapping your head around pushrod height , I just wanted to let you know that you can soak your hydraulic lifters in a clean coffee can and use a push rod to manually pump up the lifter so that the oil fills the lifter up so you can not struggle with the 80 -100 thousands . just trying to help and not be a smart ass if it sounded that way.
Thanks John... yeah, I was totally wrapped around the axle on the pushrod measuring. I agree with your trick. But, what I failed to mention, because of my poor memory, is to switch out a valve spring, with a super light load spring, intended for this purpose. Which I own, and totally forgot about using! sooo dumb of me. Anyway, thanks for the comment, always appreciated!
Both of those are wrong approaches i can explain
I'm considering swapping my heads to aluminum on my 455. I have a comp cam 300b6 solid flat tappet cam. Would i do the same thing with mine? Do you have to have the valve lash set first before checking with a solid flat tappet lifter?? More than likely i won't be able to use my current comp cam magnum pushrods.
Good question... I'd say, yes. Better safe than sorry, when measuring push rod length. Especially not knowing if the Aluminum heads are a slightly different valve train height?
is the polylock adjuster tool you’re using Proform 66781 ?
Yup! That'll work... here's a link for everyone. www.summitracing.com/parts/pro-66781?seid=srese2&Brands+|+P&GSAPI+5ba2960c4399e
Or, one uses checking springs with hyd lifters.
Agreed! Funny thing is, I have one. I totally forgot to use it, talk about it, etc... wow, that's what I get for rushing this build and trying to film at the same time. Thanks for the comment!
This is all wrong
Care to elaborate as to why? (The one thing I forgot is to use a test spring, which I own, and totally forgot to use it)
@@FastMonty I will rewatch it and try to elaborate as I was only able to watch the first half but basically the main issue is your lifter set up as wrong for testing as well as you seem to pay no attention to Rocker angle
@@FastMonty ps Test springs don’t really matter it’s just that they make it easier to rotate the motor and they help save on the load or feel if your valve happens to come in contact with a piston or something else
@@FastMonty this is about a 90% complete process th-cam.com/video/o5is9BsH5OU/w-d-xo.html the only thing they forgot was the “ operating lifter height” which does make a difference i hope you enjoy 😁
@FastMonty I think what he is attempting to say: Butler Performance reccomends that for perfect valve train geometry the rocker arms need to be perfectly perpendicular to the studs at 1/2 lift of the cam. They say that is actually more important than where it lands on the valve (as long as it stays on the valve stem).