Refurbish vs. New lifters

[Bob Kelly]

I'm looking for a consensus regarding the use of refurbished or new lifters in a engine rebuild. The cam is a new 912 cam. Am I just being cheap?

[Dan Epperly]

I'm looking for a consensus regarding the use of refurbished or new lifters in a engine rebuild. The cam is a new 912 cam. Am I just being cheap?

If you have a competent machinist there is no reason to buy new lifters. Given the shady state of many new parts I try to use as much original stuff as possible. I wonder if all the alleged cam and lifter failures ascribed to the ZDDP nonsense aren't actually the fault of crappy new parts in some cases.

[Mike Horton]

I have some tappets I'll need to have reground, and have found a local machine shop, with the equipment. Are the Maestro's 25-30" radius numbers still good, or does anyone know a better figure? Thanks!

[Jim Liberty]

If you refurbish old lifters, as my partner always does, I believe they need to be hardened. Vic? CJ?

[C J Murray]

If you refurbish old lifters, as my partner always does, I believe they need to be hardened. Vic? CJ?

Hardening is not needed after the normal amount of grinding.

In order to liven up the discussion... do you want lifters ground with a radius or flat, and why? How should the cam be ground? Do the lifters and cam need to match? How did Porsche do it?

[Jacques Lefriant]

Hi
The lifters are thru hardened and if you don't remove a whole lot of material you should be good. don't use the old cast iron ones since they can snap. The radiused or conical lifters work best with lobes that have a slight corresponding taper. it is best to use a machinist that does a true radius not a conical shape. I prefer the lifters that have an extra grove some new ones have only one. I can have lifters done but i only do them in batches. Web Racing Cams can do small batches and they sell new lifters very reasonably. i will only provide them with my cams.
j

[Jacques Lefriant]

CJ
according to Demma Porsche's were flat but they did not use a lot of spring pressure and small lifts. Hot rodders and VW freaks had to go to the taper cams and lifters to make the parts live.
KISS
j

[Eric Wills]

I still have a few sets of NOS lifters. Late style, not cast. They are flat on the face. You can stick them together like jo blocks.

EW

[John Laettner]

I was taught to have them parkerized to resist wear and to put a new radius on the face, so they will rotate on the cam lobe. New ones are pretty expensive and not necessary if you do this.

[Jacques Lefriant]

Hi i would only parkerize cast iron lifters i haven't seen in done on the steel lifters.
j

[C J Murray]

My understanding is that Europe traditionally used flat lifters and straight cams while US practice was generally tapered cams and radiused lifters. The US method supposedly is a more effective way to promote rotation. Supposedly a mismatch either way causes failure.

I do wonder how many 356 guys have used two different sources for their parts and had mismatched parts and wether or not they have had success or failure. We will never know. I would use the same source for both to limit the possible problems, not just the same parts house but the same cam grinder. Alternatively, make sure you know what each supplier is providing.

Supposedly, according to a retired engineer friend, the equipment to properly grind the correct type of sphere onto the lifter costs millions of dollars and is only owned by high volume lifter manufacturers. If so, exactly what sort of match are we getting?

[Jim Liberty]

OK, since I only know what my partner Chuck does, here is what his motors have. 1-1/2 to 2 degrees radius, and no re-hardening. ....Jim.

[Mike Smith]

I have about 200 - Used original 2- groove lifters in stock (for our own use)

None of them have been ground they are as they were remove from old engines - They are All Flat

I would have to look back through my notes to be specific but there is enough depth of hardness for at least 2 x normal grinds

[Steve Harrison]

Has anyone here ever experimented with drilling a tiny oil hole in the face just like some of the hot rod VW guys do?

[C J Murray]

Jacques had those but stopped for some reason. I think they do that with EDM so maybe the expense is not worth it?