As seen in Speedboat Magazine’s
November/December 2021 Issue.
HYDRAULIC ROLLER LIFTERS
Dear Bob:
I am building a 540 cubic inch Mark IV big block Chevy. I am looking at hydraulic roller lifters. I plan to run a cam with .632″ lift. I noticed there is a Johnson standard lifter and a Johnson high lift lifter. Could you recommend one over the other? Thanks!
Byron Scholle
Cincinnati, OH
Johnson Lifters 2116BBR-T.
There are two lifter companies that are using the name Johnson. We have amazing success and support from the company that is based in Taylor, MI, that specializes in ultra-high-performance hydraulic roller lifters. This is not the company known as Johnson Hy-lift that is also based in Michigan.
We have good results with the Johnson part number 2116BBR-T lifter. This is the .300” taller version and has a special diameter (slightly less) for use in the performance marine environments when block temperatures are usually lower than automotive applications. This feature helps to prevent the lifter from sticking in a bore. The .300” taller version fits all after-market and stock blocks. Push rods that are about .180” longer are required compared to lifters with “stock” dimensions. The desired lifter preload is .035” down from zero lash. It is important to establish how much the pre-load is for your application. This can be done with a dial indicator on the push-rod end of the rocker arm. If you are using stud mounted rocker arms, it will require less of a turn of the adjusting nut accounting for the rocker arm ratio. If you are using shaft mounted rocker arms, the amount of turn to achieve the proper pre-load will be slightly more because the adjustment point is directly on top of the push rod. The amount of the turn depends on the number of threads per inch involved. Generally, most big block Chevy rocker studs are 7/16-20 which means there are 20 threads per inch.
Most shaft mounted rockers have adjusting cups that have either 3/8-24 or 7/16-20 threads. Basically, the proper adjustment for stud mounted rocker arms is about 1/2 turn down and a little more for shaft mounted rocker arms.
We like to soak the lifters submerged in the oil that you will be using in the engine for an extended period of a few hours or so. It is also a good idea to pre-oil the engine before running it until you observe oil coming out of all the rocker arms. This way, you know that all lifters are pumped up and lubrication is going to all rocker arms before the engine is started.
Pre-oiling device made from distributor housing.
We have good success running these lifters in engines exceeding 6400 rpm as long as the valve spring tension, quality, and design are adequate. It is not unusual to set valve spring tensions as high as 190 pounds on the seat and over 500 pounds “over the nose” with great success.
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