Me thinks I was one of the first to scream loud and often about using solid roller cams in an FE. I have had extremely good luck with the second solid roller cam I used...not one problem with it. It sits on a shelf at Joe Boghosian's shop where it's been for the past three years after I swapped the third bronze gear in less than 2,000 miles and had Joe pull the sumb!tch and put in a flat tappet of similar grind (.680 lift, 270/270 at .50)...not one problem since whether in stop and go in high heat, long cruises all over California, or hauling ass at the track (and that's hauling one big ass).
Oiling...if you keep the splash up by constantly tapping the throttle at idle, should be ok. Failure to do so will result in the creation of one of the finest cutting tools known to man...a solid roller lifter sans needle bearing.
Distributor gear...if they finally have stopped experimenting and have come up with a good composite...great! As Duane notes, it's not as if this is a new problem, so the mfgs have had enough time. Every now and then we have some Chevy or small block person tell us how they use a steel gear on their solid roller...but that's irrelevant simply because the cam mfgs press on stronger steel cam gears for those applications because they sell more. Yes, some folks never have a problem, either because they use a dry sump (and thereby relieve the distributor gear from double duty) or just plain have good luck (usually drag racers though...it's a bit tougher on the street IMO with idling, etc.).
If you want a roller cam setup...hydraulic roller cams offer the best apllication for street use. If you're on the track the majority of the time, then a solid roller will provide great runup for high rpms with a little forethought in replacing the bronze gear regularly (or finding the elusive composite gear).
So, what are the benefits of a solid roller over a flat tappet?
1. No break in. BFD.
2. No fear of a flattened cam down the road. BFD.
What are the downsides?
1. Fear of not getting enough
oil on the lifters...so you need to constantly tickle the throttle to create splash at idle.
2. Fear of broken distributor bronze gears...a PITA on a trip (had one go out on a 10,000 foot pass in the Sierras)...unless you get your hands on a composite.
3. Higher costs.
4. No higher revs than a flat tappet.
Just my considered opinion based on personal experience. BTW...no expense was spared on my motor (TDI, Velasco, etc.) and it was built by one of the best (Boghosian)...who, along with Tom Kirkham and George Anderson told me NOT to use a solid roller, but I did not listen because I wanted the latest/greatest.
Anybody want a solid roller FE cam with big numbers? I'll throw in several highly sharpened bronze gears for free. I'll sell it to folks I don't like, but not to friends.
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