B2 Motorsports - Jeff Lipton 487 FE Build

[lippy]

Now I'm reopening a can of worms. I am probably going to go with hydraulic lifters and max out the HP with that set up (about 600 HP). But I am not *completely* opposed to solid lifters.

So my questions are:

(1) If I do decide to go with solid lifters, will the rest of the parts of the build (Scat crank and H-beam rods, Victor Jr. intake, etc.) support 650-700HP, or am I going to have to upgrade a bunch of other parts too?
(2) How often and how much of a pain is it (how much time) to adjust solid lifters? Do you have to replace the valve cover gaskets every time?
(3) Is 650+ HP even driveable on the street, or would this car be out of control?

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by lippy

So my questions are:

(2) How often and how much of a pain is it (how much time) to adjust solid lifters? Do you have to replace the valve cover gaskets every time?

I'll take your second question. With today's quality valve train components, on a street car you might adjust your lifters once a year. It's no big deal at all, and you might even find you enjoy it. I have had the same rubber gaskets, that are glued to the valve cover side, for years. I just put a swab of open-gear grease on them when I put the covers back on.

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by lippy

(3) Is 650+ HP even driveable on the street, or would this car be out of control?

If you have to ask that, stay with your original lower power idea.
And 600 may be beyond your experience. Brent is best to advise you.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by ERA Chas

If you have to ask that, stay with your original lower power idea. And 600 may be beyond your experience...

If I had 600HP, my tires wouldn't handle it...

If my tires could handle 600HP, my stub axles wouldn't...

If my stub axles could handle it, my Spicer 1310s wouldn't...

If the Spicers held, the Tremec wouldn't...

If the Tremec held, the Centerforce sure as hell wouldn't.

And so on, and so on, and so on....

[lippy]

Originally Posted by lippy

Now I'm reopening a can of worms. I am probably going to go with hydraulic lifters and max out the HP with that set up (about 600 HP). But I am not *completely* opposed to solid lifters.

So my questions are:

(1) If I do decide to go with solid lifters, will the rest of the parts of the build (Scat crank and H-beam rods, Victor Jr. intake, etc.) support 650-700HP, or am I going to have to upgrade a bunch of other parts too?
(2) How often and how much of a pain is it (how much time) to adjust solid lifters? Do you have to replace the valve cover gaskets every time?
(3) Is 650+ HP even driveable on the street, or would this car be out of control?

I think this warrants a new thread...

[blykins]

You'll get a million of opinions about it, it will be something that you will have to make a decision about on your own, but I will lend all the information and experience that I can.

I will say that I use better parts on my solid rollers than what most guys do. Usually a set of Comp lifters get thrown in and most guys don't know if they're pressure fed or not. I use Isky EZ Roll lifters that are bushed, and I also use Xtreme Energy solid roller lobes...which are considered "street rollers." They won't eat valve springs like some of the other lobes will.

As I explained on the phone, cars have a gas pedal, and no one puts a gun to your head to push it down all the way. However, when you raise the hp peak, you take away from the bottom end, which can make an engine a little fussier if the customer wants to cruise them at a low rpm all the time. With a 4.250" stroke and 482+ cubes, a "softer" bottom end isn't necessarily a bad thing in a Cobra.