rocker arm setups

[oldschol]

looking to upgrade my rocker arms. Wha are some of you using

[ERA Chas]

Harland Sharp.

[cobred]

Erson, 6 k miles with no problem so far.

[Ralphy]

oldschol,

Not knowing what motor or heads your running. But a guy has a set of Harland Sharp rollers for sale on CL. They fit factory FE heads. He is in TN and would take $250.00.

http://knoxville.craigslist.org/pts/1761571822.html

[undy]

It depends on the heads and a few other things. Tell us a bit more about your engine.

I'm running the Ersons, a real good plug 'n play choice for Edelbrock heads.

[RICK LAKE]

oldschol Erson with the correct length pushrods(custom from Smith) and limiters in the oil ports to them of .080". No failures in 4 years of racing. Have used Dove and this speaks for itself on other threads here.
Know of others running H&S and have not had any problems with the bronze bushing ones. The wear and tear on your question also has alot to do with picking a rockerarm. Size of camshaft and rpm range.
Erson are bolt on without any machine work to head.

If money is not a problem, the heads are off the motor. The best are T&D or Jesel setup. Can take anything you through at them. .800"+ lift camshafts, 900 pound valve springs and the list goes on. The oiling system in your motor will need to be changed to push rod oiling with either of these to products.

I run Erson and are they happy with them. They cost more than Dove, H&S, Comp and some of the others. I do think the engineering is also better with 2 solid mounted supports than 4 single ones. Which ever ones you end up with, make sure you have a straight edge and lay it across all for mount holes and they are even in height. If not you may have to shim the stands. This is why some rocker shafts break if mounts are not even. Also make sure that ther are no pushrods hitting the holes in the manifold, same with the back of the rocker arm, check for clearance with a complete rotation of 360 degrees on the camshaft. I also like complete roller rocker arms, not just the tips. It seams to defeat the idea of running rollers. I race and the bearings are holding up just fine. I hope you are running an HVHP oil pump with a min. of 60 psi spring. IMO 80 psi is better for an FE motor even on the street. Also running 1 extra quart of oil in the motor is a good idea, even for street. Rick L.

[Ralphy]

Looks like oldschol has been held after class, he's vanished! Maybe he will be back.

Originally Posted by undy

It depends on the heads and a few other things. Tell us a bit more about your engine.

I'm running the Ersons, a real good plug 'n play choice for Edelbrock heads.

[RICK LAKE]

RodKnock Nobody has said that there is a different oil system to the rockers with Jesel or T&D. I have a setup of EDEL heads and T&D setup. The oiling goes through the pushrods. You will need new pushrods, lifters and maybe a camshaft. You may want to look at the new vary size pushrods that are 5/16" ends and 3/8- 7/16" in the middle. They are stiffer and have less flex when running. Alot depends on camshaft lift, design and valve spring rates.
IMO if you are running a HVHP oil pump with an 80# and have 30-40 psi at idle, H&S will work fine if the clearance between shaft and rocker body is tight. If it is loose, it will work ok at high oil pressures with the motor runningat 2,000 rpms. If you are going to idle it and the pressures down down to the 20's, IMO this is not enough to flood the rockers and cause a wearing condition, Not enough oil to the Erson setup will cause damage too. Blueing of the roller tip and bearings. I know of 2 erson failures. Both from oiling. Limiters too small for the heads. Under .060" with high lift camshafts and idling. The other thing is the machine work for the plates with T&D. You need a good machinist to make sure that the surfaces are flat and level. Rick L.

[RodKnock]

Originally Posted by RICK LAKE

RodKnock Nobody has said that there is a different oil system to the rockers with Jesel or T&D. I have a setup of EDEL heads and T&D setup. The oiling goes through the pushrods. You will need new pushrods, lifters and maybe a camshaft. Rick L.

Thank you for the info Rick. When Barry R said the Ersons were being discontinued I was contemplating buying an extra set to put on the shelf as a "just in case." Especially, since they're bolt-on. I know the T&D's are better and may upgrade to them in the future, but now I know that I may need more than just new pushrods. I wasn't planning on a new cam and lifters. Definitely more food for thought.

[blykins]

It all depends on the application.

If you're running high rpms and high spring pressures (i.e. big solid roller), I'd go for at least an Erson setup if not the T&D. The T&D requires cylinder head modification to use them.

If you're running a hydraulic roller or a flat tappet cam and you're not into spending $800 for a set of Ersons, PRW makes a nice set of aluminum rockers. The kit comes with bushed aluminum rocker arms, hardened shafts, billet stands, adjusters, shims, etc. The PRW kit is around $455 (including shipping).

I'm a dealer for all of the above, so let me know if I can be of any assistance.

[601HP]

My first set, 1994, was the OE stamped steel stock rockers on OE iron heads.

The second set, 1996, was Comp Cams rockers on Shelby aluminum heads.

The 3rd set, around 2000, was Shelby stainless rockers on the Shelby heads.

In 2008 I mounted Ersons on Keith Craft heads (Edelbrock).

Damn, that's a lot of rockers!

David

[Barry_R]

I really liked the Ersons for modest builds and the T&D setup for racers.

Unfortunately Erson has discontinued the FE system. At this time I am using a combination of Dove and billet parts on moderate cost builds with good success. The T&D system for Edelbrocks requires head modification and is really targeted toward the race community.

I have been working with a couple groups on new mid-priced FE rocker systems and will hopefully have some available soon.

I have not used either of the currently available Chiinese sourced products from PRW or Pro Comp and thus cannot make any recommendation on them.

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by Barry_R

I really liked the Ersons for modest builds and the T&D setup for racers.
.

You state that in your book also-but what's your opinion on Harland Sharps? Do you find fault with the design, longevity or accuracy of their ratio in a street/track build such as mine?

I have used the same set for 8 seasons on iron MR's and 7 more on Shelby aluminums with the same solid cam.. Never a problem. Same with the Dove shafts and FPP billet stands and spacers.

I realize you'll soon be bringing a new, quality product to market. I'm not looking for an endorsement of HS's-just trying to find out if there's anything 'wrong' with a product (from a professionals viewpoint) that I've had great success with.

Thanks for your input.

[RodKnock]

Barry or Brent,

Can customers still get the Ersons? Are there sets still "in the system"?

[undy]

Originally Posted by Barry_R

Unfortunately Erson has discontinued the FE system.

First I heard about it... This is terrible news for the FE crowd. Good thing I've got mine!

[blykins]

PBM/Erson is not advertising them for sale anymore, but I think I can get a hold of a couple of floaters if need be.

I think they really shot themselves in the foot with that decision....especially with the popularity of the FE going up here in the past couple of years.

[undy]

Originally Posted by blykins

PBM/Erson is not advertising them for sale anymore, but I think I can get a hold of a couple of floaters if need be.

I think they really shot themselves in the foot with that decision....especially with the popularity of the FE going up here in the past couple of years.

I think Erson's passion for the FE left with Robb.

[RodKnock]

I'm wondering if there's any value (to me) to purchase an extra set of Ersons to have around the garage just in case.

The T&D's require head work and the PRW's or Pro Products, well....that's another thread.

[blykins]

I see nothing wrong with the PRW rockers. They are a very complete kit, offered in either aluminum or stainless. The bodies are bushed, the shafts are hardened, and the stands are billet, complete with end stands. They also come with stand studs, adjusters, and pushrod length checkers. They are very similar to the old Crane FE rockers.

I wouldn't hesitate to put these on a nice street engine. When they first came out, I offered a few sets to some FE forum guys at a very reduced price so they could try them out. The only issue that I've heard about so far is that PRW left some shims out of one kit. I've sold probably 20-25 kits to FE forum guys alone, not counting Club Cobra guys and other guys who just happened to see them on my website.

Now the Procomp stuff on the other hand......

[ERA Chas]

Originally Posted by RodKnock

I'm wondering if there's any value (to me) to purchase an extra set of Ersons to have around the garage just in case.

Rod-How much abuse do you heap on your valvetrain with a juice roller? Besides sounds like Barry will produce something we'd all like to have. It's a 'someday' thing-I'd wait unless you're going racing.